Corset History

Corsets have been used as a fashion item by both women and men for quite some time going back several centuries. 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 education of the materials and items you can use in today's marketplace.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The first corsets are usually those with the least amount of curves. The breasts look to be constrained and their appearance reshaped. To develop this silhouette you have to constrain and work against the typical shape and inherent curves of woman's body.

Busks and Boning

A successful corset design is related to two components: a) the strength and other factors of the boning material, and b) the ability to tighten the lacing. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably you are able to lace and tighten up to a point, you should rely on the boning for providing the rest of the support.

A popular boning material is nylon coated spring steel that is usually a lighter color and comes in a group of thicknesses, widths, and lengths. 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. When the proper thickness of steel boning is selected it is quite flexible and it is extremely hard to bend.

There are also busks which open and are used in the front of corsets to allow you to slide into and out of your corset without another person's help. The busk fasteners were developed near 1860 and launched with simple busks, today's spoon busk was created more than a decade later. All of these corsets can be found in either our corset superstore or our corset auctions.