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 shape you covet, you need to have an understanding of the materials available to you on today’s market.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The corsets from earlier times are typically those with a minimal amount of curves. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and create the appearance of a minimized profile. To attain this profile you have to contain the general shape and curves of a female's body.

Busks, Boning and Corset Construction

A corset of high quality depends on two main factors: a) the characteristics of the boning material used, and b) the ability to tighten the lacing. In order for the corset to fit you comfortably you can only lace up and tighten so much, the remainder of the support is done by the boning.

Spring steel boning is nylon-coated steel that is white in color and comes in different widths, thickness and length. When choosing a spring steel for a corset that will look like it was designed for you the width is of minor concern while your primary focus should be on the thickness. The steel boning characteristic makes a perfect corset because it is quite flexible and it is extremely hard to bend.

You are able to also find busks that open and are mainly used on the front of corsets to enable you to put on and take off your corset without calling someone in for help. The first time busks were used was near 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.