Corset Background

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The various shapes and construction methods have come from a variety of backgrounds. and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to create the figure you covet, you should have an understanding of the items and materials you can select from.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The first corsets have usually produces figures with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and the subsequent reshaping of the breast mass gives a minimized appearance. To attain this profile you have to contain the general shape and curves of a female'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 are only able to tighten the laces so much, the boning provides the remainder of the support.

Steel boning is typically coated in nylon that is typically a light color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When choosing a spring steel for your corset the width gives way to the thickness in what is most important. 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 slide into and out of your corset without another person's 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. Both items can be found in our online shop.