Corset Account

There has been an attraction to corsets by both sexes for quite some time going back several centuries. The shapes formed by the various construction methods have come from a variety of backgrounds. 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 and items you can use in today's marketplace.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those with a minimal amount of curves. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To develop 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. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably 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 provides a light color base and is made in an assortment of widths, lengths, and thicknesses. When you select the 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 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. All of these corsets can be found in either our corset superstore or our corset auctions.