Corset Background

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The types of shapes and construction techniques have changed over time. and so have the materials used. In order to reproduce the correct shapes, you should have an understanding of the items and materials you can select from.

Using Corsets to Shape the Body

The oldest corsets are typically those with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and their appearance reshaped. To develop this silhouette you must work against the curves and shape of of a woman's body.

Busks, Boning and Corset Construction

A corset of high quality depends on two main factors: a) the characteristics of the boning material used, and b) the ability to tighten the lacing. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably you can only lace up and tighten so much, you should rely on the boning for providing the rest of the support.

Spring steel boning is nylon-coated steel that is white in color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When you are making a selection for the type of steel boning 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 quite flexible and it is extremely hard to bend.

You are able to also find busks that open and are mainly used on the front of corsets to enable you to put on and take off your corset without calling someone in for help. The first time busks were used was near 1860 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.