Corset Chronicle

There has been an attraction to corsets by both sexes for the last several centuries. The construction techniques and the shapes they form have been upgraded with newer technology and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to reproduce the shape you covet, you need to have an understanding of the materials available to you on today’s market.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The corsets from earlier times are typically those with a minimal amount of curves. Your breast shape looks to be extremely compressed and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To attain this shape you have to constrain and work against the typical shape and inherent curves of woman's body.

Busks and Boning

A corset of high quality depends on two main factors: a) the characteristics of the boning material used, and b) the level of lacing tightening. If you want the corset to feel comfortable when you are wearing it you can only lace up and tighten so much, the remainder of the support is done by the boning.

A useful boning material is nylon cased spring steel that is white in color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When choosing a 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.