Introduction A corset is a garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes. Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though this item was for many years an integral part of women’s wardrobes. Since the late 20th century, the fashion industry has borrowed the term “corset” to refer to tops which, to varying degrees, mimic the look of traditional corsets without acting as them. While these modern corsets and corset tops often feature lacing or boning, and generally imitate an historical style of corsets, they have very little, if any, effect on the shape of the wearer’s body. Genuine corsets are usually made by a corsetmaker and are frequently fitted to the individual wearer. History The corset has been attributed to Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II of France. She enforced a ban on thick waists at court attendance during the 1550s. For nearly 350 years, women’s primary means of support was the corset, with laces and stays made of whalebone or metal. Other researchers have found evidence of the use of corsets in early Crete. In the past, a woman’s corset was usually worn over a chemise, a sleeveless low-necked gown made of washable material (usually cotton or linen). It absorbed perspiration and kept the corset and the gown clean. In modern times, a tee shirt, camisole or corset liner may be worn.
Fig 2: Woman’s corset (stays) 1730–1740. Silk plain weave with supplementary weft-float patterning, stiffened with baleen; Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 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 18th and early 19th century, thin strips of baleen (also known as whalebone) 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 Fig 1: A drawing of a luxury hourglass corset from and generally better quality corsets. Other materials used for boning have included 1878, featuring a busk fastening at the front and ivory, wood, and cane. (By contrast, a girdle lacing at the back. 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-todo woman’s corset laces would be tightened