Corsets

by Rachel Dirksen | Photography by Will Chapman

The elegant and opulent fashion of the Victorian Era is usually defined by one staple piece: the corset. The structure of the first corsets was supported by baleen, the bones that make up a whale’s jaw. There are several reasons for the popularity of the corset; some historians believe they were a status symbol, limiting the mobility of wealthy women who were able to delegate housework to servants. Others believe they controlled a woman’s physical desires — women were meant to be straightlaced.

While 1800s women were fastened into their cages of innocence, their figure was enhanced into the perfect hourglass shape. Corsets gave women the voluptuous look that men desired. Men of the Victorian era gawked while the beautiful corset made it difficult for the wearer to breathe. Studies have now shown how the corset visibly changed the spinal shape of many Victorian women.

The corset is now the unofficial uniform of the femme fatale, a woman who uses her power for the demise (literally or figuratively) of her suitors. Designers such as Viviene Weestwood and Jean Paul Gaultier transformed the corset into a fashion piece that has empowered women to enhance their natural curves. Madonna’s infamous cone bra corset from her Blonde Ambition tour in the 90s created shock waves in the fashion industry, leading to trends as recent as the popular Urban Outfitters Corset top.

The evolution of the corset perfectly encapsulates how the intended purpose behind your clothing choices means everything. Not much has changed about corsets over their evolution, besides the fact they are no longer made from whalebone. The garment remains traditional, but the intentions have not. The modern day woman laces up what was once a women’s enclosure, to feel the ultimate freedom of confidence.