Corset Story

Corsets have been worn by both men and women for hundreds of years. 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 should have an education of the types of items available in today's marketplace.

Corsets for Shaping the Body

The corsets from earlier times have usually been those with a minimal amount of curves. Your breast shape looks to be contained and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To attain this shape you have to contain and fight the usual shape and typical curves of a woman's body.

Busks and Boning

A successful corset design is related to two components: a) the type and strength of boning used, and b) the level of lacing tightening. If you want the corset to feel comfortable when you are wearing it you are only able to tighten the laces to a point, the rest of the support is delivered by the function of the boning.

A useful boning material is nylon cased spring steel that delivers a pale color base and is constructed in a wide variety of thicknesses, lengths, and widths. When choosing a spring steel for your corset the "thickness" is more important than the width. Spring steel, when it is of the proper thickness it is pliable and flexible, but it is nearly impossible to bend them.

You can also use busk fasteners that open and are typically used with the front of corsets to allow you to dress yourself in the corset without assistance. The busks made their debut around 1860 and initiated with a very simple busk, the more complicated spoon busk was developed in the 1870's. Any of these corsets can be found in our corset superstore.