Corset Chronicle

Corsets have been attractive to both men and women for hundreds of years. Shapes and construction techniques have been upgraded with newer technology similar to the modernization in the materials and items used. For you to develop the shape you covet, you need to have an education of the types of items available in today's marketplace.

Corsets for Shaping the Body

The corsets from earlier times have usually been those with minimal amounts of reshaping. Your breast shape looks to be contained and give the look of a minimized profile. To attain this shape 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.

A useful boning material is nylon cased spring 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 started with a straight simple busk, the complications of the spoon busk was developed around 1870. These items can be found in either our online superstore or our online auctions.