Corset Story

There has been an attraction to corsets by both sexes for a long time - 100's 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 correct shapes, you need to have an understanding of the materials available to you on today’s market.

The Corset Body Shaping Story

The oldest corsets have usually been the ones with minimal amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh appears to be significantly pressed down and their shape changed to represent a minimized silouhette. To create this silhouette you have to work against the general curves and shape of a female's profile.

Boning, Busks and Other Corset Techniques

A fabulous corset depends on two primary factors: a) the type of material used in the boning, and b) the amount of tightening allowed by the lacing design. If you want to feel comfortable while in your corset you are able to lace and tighten up to a point, it is therefore more practical to use the proper quality of "bone".

A fine choice in boning is the use of spring steel cased in nylon that typically is rendered in a lighter color pallette and is delivered in a variety of thicknesses, widths and lengths. When looking for a particular type of spring steel for your choice in corsets the width is secondary to the thickness. When the correct thickness of spring steel is used it is flexible but it is very hard to bend.

Busk fasteners are also used, they open and are often used on the front of corsets to enable you to slip into and out of your corset unassisted. The busks were created in the 1860's and began with the straight busk, the spoon busk appeared shortly afterward in about 1870. Both items can be found in our online shop.