The Corset

Not just sexy lingerie!

Figure shaper, usually to fit the fashions, corsets have been around for a long time, though not necessarily recognizable to our modern eyes. Artwork from ancient civilizations shows corseted women. Some may have been to provide support for breasts. Some appear to have been fashion statements of one kind or another.

In the 13^th and 14^th centuries, lacing and stiffening fabrics were used in the dresses themselves to control the figure. The precursor to the corset was the coche or busk, which gave a smooth rigid line to the front of the bodice. The earliest known busk was made out of iron in 1556.

In the 16^th century corsets were indicative of wealth and rank in clothing. The tighter the lacing the more constrained movement. These under-bodices became more and more elaborate, so much so that it became fashionable to wear clothing that showed off the undergarment.

During the 1700s busks made of wood, ivory, whalebone or metal were inserted into the front of corsets. Some were made into daggers. Unwanted admirers beware!

During the 1800s a French doctor invented the metal eyelet. This meant that corsets could be laced tighter without damaging the fabric. Next came the Minet Back, which was a back closure with loops. A whalebone bar was inserted into the loops, though lacings could be used as well. These corsets were worn over soft undergarments such as a chemise.

In the early 1900s lighter weight corsets were made to allow more freedom of movement. In the 1930s elastic undergarments replaced corsets.

Corsets made a resurgence in the 1970s, but this time to be worn on the outside of clothing.

The Albert and Victoria Museum has lots of pictures of the corsets in their museum. Click here. You can also read about the changes of the corset since the early 1800s at this site.

Corsets have not just been for women, however. Spanish and French men wore them in the late 1500s. In the Regency Period (early 1800s) high society men wore them to create a slim waist. Even in the 20^th century men have worn them to support their backs and present a trimmer figure.