Corset
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What is a corset?
A corset is a garment worn to shape the waist and support the bust, functioning either as a foundation or as outer decoration. Early corsets, called stays, used heavy boning to mold the upper body into a V-shape while flattening the breasts. Corsets have been found as far back as the Minoan civilization, with waist-shaping garments appearing in Europe during the Middle Ages for both sexes.
Initially worn by the aristocracy, the corset was later adopted by bourgeois women. Although the corset lost some popularity in the 1920s, it remains in use for bridal fashions and costumes.
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What is the main purpose of wearing a corset?
The main purpose of wearing a corset is to shape or constrict the waist and support the bosom, functioning either as a foundation garment or as outer decoration. Corsets, known as stays before the 19th century, were made stiff with heavy boning to mold a womanâs upper body into a V-shape while flattening and pushing up the breasts. They have also been used on young children to ensure straight spines and pleasing body shapes later in life.
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What materials are traditional corsets made from?
Traditional corsets were crafted to mold the upper body into a specific shape, using heavy boning for stiffness. In earlier times, these garments, known as stays, aimed to create a V-shape for the upper body while flattening the breasts. Materials such as wood, bone, or horn were placed between two fabric layers to provide support. A rigid rod, called a busk, was a predominant feature.
Lower classes often made corsets from less expensive cloth, using reeds for support. Corsets in the 19th century were hourglass-shaped, reinforced with whalebone and metal. Steam-molding techniques were later introduced, involving starching and shaping corsets with steam.
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How did corsets change fashion in the past?
Corsets have significantly shaped fashion trends throughout history. Initially, corsets, known as stays, were crafted with heavy boning to mold the upper body into a V-shape while flattening the breasts. As fashion evolved, the hourglass-shaped corset emerged, accentuating the female figure.
Mass-produced corsets became accessible to working-class women with the advent of the sewing machine in the mid-19th century. Corsets were made longer to cover the hips as fashion dictated dresses to have a flat front and a bustle behind.
Although the natural figure made a comeback around the 1920s, and corsets became less popular, they remained in use in bridal fashions and costume wear into the 21st century.
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What health concerns are linked to wearing corsets too tightly?
Wearing corsets too tightly has been linked to adverse health effects, such as stunted muscle development and respiratory problems. Although criticisms of tight corsets and their negative health effects were common in literature from the late 17th century onward, corsets continued to be worn.
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How has the use and style of corsets changed in modern times?
The use and style of corsets have changed significantly in modern times. Once essential for shaping the body, especially the waist and bosom, corsets lost popularity as everyday wear around the 1920s with the rise of more natural figures and comfortable alternatives like brassieres and girdles.
However, corsets have maintained a presence in bridal fashions and costume wear into the 21st century. They have also seen a resurgence as outerwear, particularly in alternative fashion, and are sometimes featured in high-fashion designs. Additionally, tightly laced corsets remain popular among those engaged in certain forms of body modification.
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Corset, article of clothing worn to shape or constrict the waist and support the bosom, whether as a foundation garment or as outer decoration. During the early eras of corsetry, corsetsâcalled stays before the 19th century and made stiff with heavy boningâmolded a womanâs upper body into a V-shape and flattened and pushed up the breasts. Some were attached to petticoats or could be fastened to them in order to preserve a flat shape at the waist. Young children were also often fitted with corsets or stays in order to ensure straight spines and pleasing body shapes later in life. Later, as fashions changed, corsets became more hourglass-shaped to emphasize the female figure.
The first evidence of corsetlike garments can be found in the art of the Minoan civilization, which depicts women wearing metal plates that slim the waist and accentuate the bust. Waist-shaping garments appeared sporadically in Europe during the Middle Ages, worn by members of both sexes. About the 15th century women began to wear bodices stiffened with paste, known then as a pair of bodys. In the 16th century that type of bodice became a separate article of underclothing, laced together either in front or in back and eventually supported throughout with strips of a firm materialâsuch as wood, bone, or hornâbetween two layers of fabric. Corsets that were laced up the front were often covered by a decorated panel known as a stomacher that concealed the laces. The corset of 16th-century Spain was supported in the front by a vertically placed wooden or bone rod (or two, if the garment laced in the front) known as a busk, which produced a flat shape, and was reinforced elsewhere with whalebone stays. The busk became a predominant feature of later corsets, despite other changes.
The corset was first associated with the aristocracy but was adopted by bourgeois women by the 18th century. Women of lower classes often made their own corsets from less-expensive cloth, using reeds for support and reinforcement. After the French Revolution the corset went out of fashion because of the ascendancy of Directory and Empire fashions, which were high-waisted; the corset regained its fashionability about 1815. Subsequent corsets of the 19th century were shaped like an hourglass and were reinforced with whalebone and metal.
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With the advent of the sewing machine in the mid-19th century, working-class women were able to purchase cheap mass-produced corsets. As fashion dictated dresses to have a flat front and a bustle behind, corsets were made longer to cover the hips. Steam-molding was introduced about that time, in which finished corsets were starched and shaped using steam. Although polemics against tight corsets and their adverse health effects (e.g., stunted muscle development and respiratory problems) were common in literature from the late 17th century onward, corsets continued to be worn. About 1910, when fashion began to emphasize a slender, straight figure, corsets were cut longer so as to cover the thighs.
About the 1920s the natural figure started to make a comeback, and corsets became less popular. Corset designs became more flexible, with less boning. In the late 1930s there was an attempt by designers to bring back the boned corset, but World War II cut short most fashion innovations. By the 1950s the guĂȘpiĂšre, also known as a bustier or waspie, became fashionable.
During the 20th century the corset was gradually replaced as everyday wear by the brassiere and girdle, but it remained in use in bridal fashions and costume wear into the 21st century. Corsets and corset-style tops without structural supports retained an amount of popularity as outerwear, especially in alternative fashion, and were sometimes featured in the works of respected fashion designers. Tightly laced corsets also remained popular among those engaged in certain forms of body modification.