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 should have an education of the types of items available in today's marketplace.

Body Shaping and Corsets - The Perfect Match

The oldest corsets 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

The design of a corset is dependent on two underlying factors to be successful: 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 the best looking corset for your shape 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 busk fasteners were developed near 1860 and began with the straight busk, the spoon busk appeared shortly afterward in about 1870. Both items can be found in our online shop.