Corset Chronicle

Corsets have been worn by both sexes for the last several centuries. The construction techniques and the shapes they form have been upgraded with newer technology and so have the components and materials used. If you are trying to create the figure you covet, you need to have an understanding of the materials available to you on today’s market.

Body Shaping and Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those with a minimal amount of curves. Your breast shape tends to be compressed and the subsequent reshaping of the breast mass gives a minimized appearance. To create this shape you have to compress and reshape the regular curves and general shape of a woman's body.

Busks and Boning

The design of a corset is dependent on two underlying factors to be successful: a) the properties of the boning material, and b) how tight you can snug up the lacing. To ensure comfortable wear you are only able to tighten the laces so much, the rest of the support is provided by the boning.

A popular boning material is nylon coated spring steel that is usually a lighter color and is built in a wide variety of lengths, widths, and thicknesses. When you are deciding on the type of steel boning for the corset best suited to you the width takes precedence over thickness. You know when you have selected a corset with the correct steel boning because it is clearly flexible but is is extremely difficult to bend.

You can construct a corset with busks that open and are usually located on the front of corsets to enable you to put on your corset without assistance. The earliest busks were invented around 1860 and initiated with the straight busk, the more intricate spoon busk followed. Both of these items can be located in our online corset superstore.