Corset Report

Corsets have been utilized by both men and women for hundreds of years. Shapes and construction techniques have come from a variety of backgrounds. and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to reproduce the figure you covet, you should have an education of the variety of items used in today's corsets.

Corsets for Shaping the Body

The oldest created corsets are typically the ones with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and their appearance reshaped. To create this silhouette you have to reshape the general curves and shape of a female's profile.

Boning and Busks

Success depends on two things: a) strength of boning used, and b) how tight you can snug up the lacing. To ensure you are comfortable while wearing your corset you can only tighten and lace up to a point, the remainder of the functionality is provided by the support delivered by the boning.

A good choice in boning material is steel covered with nylon that is typically a light color and is found in different length, thickness, and widths. When you select a spring steel for your favorite corset style the thickness is of primary importance. When the right spring steel is used it is pliable but it is really hard to bend.

Busk front closures are sometimes used, they open and are found on the front of corsets to enable you to slip into and out of your corset unassisted. The busks were created in the 1860's and began with straight busks, the complications of the spoon busk was developed around 1870. These items can be found in either our online superstore or our online auctions.