Corset Report

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The construction methods and shapes they produce have changed due to new technology and so have the materials used. In order to reproduce the correct shapes, you may be a better consumer if you have an understanding of the assortment of materials and items you can choose from.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those the a minimal amount of reshaping. Your breast shape appears to be in compression and their appearance changed to look minimized. To develop this shape you have to constrain and work against the typical shape and inherent curves of woman's body.

Busks and Boning

Success depends on two things: a) strength of boning used, and b) tightness of lacing. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably you can only lace up and tighten so much, the remainder of the support is done by the boning.

Steel boning is typically coated in nylon that provides a light color base and is made in an assortment of widths, lengths, and thicknesses. When you select the spring steel for a corset that will look like it was designed for you the width is of minor concern while your primary focus should be on the thickness. The steel boning characteristic makes a perfect corset because it is pliable and flexible, but it is nearly impossible to bend them.

There are also busk fasteners that open and are used for the front of corsets to allow you to put your corset on and off without help. The busks first appeared in the 1860's and started with a straight simple busk, the complications of the spoon busk was developed around 1870. These items can be found in either our online superstore or our online auctions.