History & Uses of the Corset
Once only thought of as a woman's tightly cinched garment to hold and shape her body. Both men and women were known to wear corsets, however, mostly women were common wearers. In recent years, the fashion industry has borrowed the term "corset" to refer to tops to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as them. Modern corsets often feature lacing or boning and imitate a historical style, today they have little effect on the shape of the wearer's body.
The most common and well known use for corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette. For women this most frequently emphasizes a curvy figure by reducing the waist and exaggerating the bust and the hips. For men, corsets has been customarily used to slim the figure.
An "overbust corset" encloses the torso, extending from just under the arms toward the hips. The "underbust corset" begins just under the breasts and extends down toward the hips. A "longline corset", either under or overbust, extends past the iliac crest, or the hip bone. A longline corset is ideal for those who want increased stability, have longer torsos or want to smooth out their hips. A "standard" length corset will stop short of the iliac crest and is ideal for those who want increased flexibility or have a shorter torso. Some corsets, in very rare instances, reach the knees. A shorter kind of corset, which covers the waist area (from low on the ribs to just above the hips), is called a
waist cincher. A corset may also include garters to hold up stockings (alternatively a separate garter belt may be worn for that).
The original corset cover was worn under the corset to provide a layer between it and the body. Corsets were not worn next to the skin, possibly due to difficulties with laundering these items during the 19th century, as they had steel boning and metal eyelets which would rust. The corset cover was in the form of a light chemise, made from cotton lawn or silk. Modern corset wearers also wear corset liners for many of the same reasons, but tight-lacers also use them to prevent rope burn from the corset's laces.
Medical
People with spinal problems, such as scoliosis, or with internal injuries may be fitted with a form of corset to immobilize and protect the torso. Andy Warhol was shot in 1968 and never fully recovered; he wore a corset for the rest of his life.
Aside from fashion and medical uses, corsets are also used in sexual fetishism, most notably in BDSM activities. In BDSM, a submissive can be forced to wear a corset which would be laced very tight and give some degree of restriction to the wearer. A dominant can also wear a corset, often black, but for entirely different reasons, such as aesthetics.
Construction
Corsets are typically constructed of a flexible material (like cloth, particularly coutil, or leather) stiffened with boning (also called ribs or stays) inserted into channels in the cloth or leather. In the 19th century, bones of whale were favoured for the boning. Plastic is now the most commonly used material for lightweight, faux corsets and the majority of poor quality corsets. Spring and/or spiral steel is preferred for stronger, and generally better quality, corsets. Other materials used for boning have included ivory, wood, and cane. (By contrast, a girdle is usually made of elasticized fabric, without boning.)
Corsets are held together by lacing, usually (though not always) at the back. Tightening or loosening the lacing produces corresponding changes in the firmness of the corset. Depending on the desired effect and time period, corsets can be laced from the top down, from the bottom up, or both up from the bottom and down from the top, using two laces that meet in the middle. In the Victorian heyday of corsets, a well-to-do woman's corset laces would be tightened by her maid, and a gentleman's by his valet. However, Victorian corsets also had a buttoned or hooked front opening called a busk. If the corset was worn loosely, it was possible to leave the lacing as adjusted and take the corset on and off using the front opening (if the corset is worn snugly, this method will damage the busk if the lacing is not significantly loosened beforehand). Self-lacing is also incredibly difficult with tightlacing - also called waist training - which strives for the utmost possible reduction of the waist. Corset and bodice lacing became a mark of class, front laced bodices being worn by women who could not afford servants.
Come in and Cinch yourself in a Corset today. We have many styles and colours to choose from. We look forward to seeing you!
