Corset Story

Corsets have been used as a fashion item by both men and women for the last several centuries. The form and construction techniques have been on a continual pattern of change and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to reproduce the best shape for you, you might be better informed if you have an understanding of the types of materials used in today's corsets.

Corsets for Shaping the Body

The ancient corsets have usually been those with minimal amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh appears to be contained and give the look of a minimized profile. To develop this profile you have to contain and fight the usual shape and typical curves of a woman's body.

Boning, Busks and Other Corset Techniques

A successful corset design is related to two components: a) the type and strength of boning used, and b) how snug the lacing can be tightened. 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.

One of the best boning materials is nylon covered steel that delivers a pale color base and is constructed in a wide variety of thicknesses, lengths, and widths. When specifying the steel boning 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.