Corset Story

Corsets have been worn by both men and women for a long time - 100's of years. The construction techniques and the shapes they form have been upgraded with newer technology 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 available to you on today’s market.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The oldest corsets are typically those with moderate amounts of reshaping. Your breast shape tends to be compressed and the subsequent reshaping of the breast mass gives a minimized appearance. To create this silhouette you have to work against the curves and shape of of a woman's body.

Boning, Busks and Other Corset Techniques

A fabulous corset depends on two primary factors: a) the type of material used in the boning, and b) the amount of tightening allowed by the lacing design. If you want to feel comfortable while in your corset you can only lace so tightly, it is therefore more practical to use the proper quality of "bone".

A fine choice in boning is the use of spring steel cased in nylon that is usually light in color and is delivered in a variety of thicknesses, widths and lengths. When looking for a particular type of spring steel for your choice in corsets the width gives way to the thickness in what is most important. You are able to judge when the correct spring steel boning is selected because it is very pliable but it is difficult to bend.

Busk fasteners are also used, they open and are located on the front of corsets to allow you the freedom to get into your corset without requesting help from anyone. The busks were created in the 1860's and began with straight busks, the elaborate and intricate spoon busk was invented a decade later. The entire collection of thse corsets can be found in our online auctions or superstore.