Corset History

Corsets have been worn by both sexes for the last several hundred years. The shaping forms and construction techniques have come from a variety of backgrounds. and so have the basic types of items used. If you are trying to reproduce the figure you covet, you should have an education of the types of items available in today's marketplace.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The corsets from earlier times have usually produces figures with a minimal amount of curves or shapes. The breasts appear to be in compression and their appearance changed to look minimized. To create this profile you have to contain the general shape and curves of a female's body.

Corsets: Lacing, Boning and Busks

Any top quality corset design relys on two fundatmental 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 should only tighten and lace up so much, you can rely on the boning material to deliver the remainder of the support.

One of the most popular types of boning is steel boning covered in nylon that is usually light in color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When choosing a spring steel for your corset the "thickness" is more important than the width. You can tell when you have selected the proper spring steel boning because it is really flexible but it is almost impossible to bend.

Busk fasteners are also used, they open and are located on the front of corsets to enable you to put on and take off your corset without calling someone in for help. The busks made their debut around 1860 and initiated with a very simple busk, the spoon busk appeared shortly afterward in about 1870. Both items can be found in our online shop.