Corset Report

Corsets have been idolized by both women and men for a long time - 100's of years. The construction methods and shapes they produce have changed due to new technology similar to the changes in materials used. In order to reproduce the correct shapes, you should have an understanding of the items and materials you can select from.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those with the least amount of curves. Your breast shape tends to be compressed and the subsequent reshaping of the breast mass gives a minimized appearance. To develop this shape you have to constrain and work against the typical shape and inherent curves of 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) 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.

A popular boning material is nylon coated spring steel that is usually a lighter color and is created in a group of lengths, thicknesses, and widths. When selecting the spring steel boning 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. 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 use busks that open and are sometimes used on the front of corsets to allow you to slide into and out of your corset without another person's help. The first appearance of a busk on a corset was near 1860 and initiated with the straight busk, the more complicated spoon busk was developed in the 1870's. Any of these corsets can be found in our corset superstore.