Derivation: Old French ‘Corps’ meaning ‘body.’

You know what it does. It holds your body in and pushes your Tigers out.

Lady Benefits

• Slims down the torso
• Celebrates your breasts (here they are)
• Can take up to 4 inches of your waist (a bit less if you want to breath)

It’s a fashion thing; something we do to make ourselves more attractive. The sensation is containment and feminine exaggeration. When did the corset start? How do you care for a corset? Which makes the perfect corset gift?

Way Back

In the 16th century the corset or ‘payre of bodies’ was worn to help hold out a lady’s skirts. The ‘stays’ turned the upper body into a cone; flattening the stomach and pushing out the breasts and so creating a contrast between the rigid panel of the front of the bodice and the curving tops of the breasts peeking out of the corset.

18th Century

Around 1796 the high waisted Empire style came into vogue and took away the emphasis on the natural waist.
The Victorian Age

This is when the corset used to create an hourglass figure took off and woman, who were fashionable, went to some lengths to achieve an exaggerated figure.

The Edwardian Corset

For some reason only known to the Edwardians this corset was also known as the health corset or straight-front corset.

After WWI

During the war there had been a shortage of steel for the ‘bones’ and the corset declined in popularity. The culture had changed and woman, with the aid of rubber, were more likely to wear a brassiere and a girdle to shape their bodies.

Now

We wear corsets for special events and for the sensual aspect. A corset can be a winner when considering your wedding lingerie. A woman when she wishes to show her shape and please herself can don a corset and wear it anywhere and make an impact.

Designers

If you’re planning your wedding outfit there are plenty of specialist designers like Chantal Mallett or Venacava Design who can create a unique corset to your specification.

Make Your Own Corset

There are a vast array of corset makers who even run workshops on this old art. Have a look at these two. Cottesloe Weddings and Bridal Originals.

The Growth of Fetish

Many designers use elements of the fetish subculture into their creations to shock. Well its not that shocking now is it?

Check out the early Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood BDSM styles that helped cloth the early punks. More recently other brands have rejigged the corset in all its glory; Torture Garden Clothing, Vex Latex Clothing and Madame S of California

Corset Care

It’s always best to have them dry cleaned or you can wash them in luke-warm water by hand. But it does depend on the material as that PVC model will only need some a damp cloth and the leather corset you like to wear to shock will demand a little leather ‘food’ now and then.

Venacava Design - http://www.venacavadesign.co.uk/

Chantal Mallett - http://www.18thcenturycorsets.com

Cottesloe Weddings - http://www.cottesloeweddings.com/

Bridal Originals - http://www.bridal-originals.co.uk/costume-workshops.htm

Alice