Corset Record

There has been an attraction to corsets by both sexes for the last several centuries. The construction techniques and the shapes they form have changed due to new technology similar to the changes in materials used. In order to develop the correct shapes, you need to have an understanding of the materials available to you on today’s market.

Shaping the Body with Corsets

The oldest corsets are typically those with moderate amounts of reshaping. The breast flesh looks to be extremely compressed and deliver the appearance of a minimal breast silhouhette. 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, you should rely on the boning for providing the rest of the support.

A popular boning material is nylon coated spring steel that is usually a lighter color and comes in a group of thicknesses, widths, and lengths. When you are making a selection for the type of 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. When the proper thickness of steel boning is selected it is quite flexible and it is extremely hard to bend.

There are also busks which open and are used in the front of corsets to allow you to slide into and out of your corset without another person's help. The first time busks were used was near 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.