Corsets, torso undergarments made to accentuate the waist and bust, have been around since the 1800s. The initial material used to make the corsets used to be heavy cottons and animal boning, but modern designs have seen the use of steel rods and plastics covered with polyester, rayon, nylon and cotton blend materials amongst others. This has seen more flexible and more comfortable corsets for everyday wear and special occasions like weddings. However, their applications have not changed much since the 17th century.

Achieving a Sexy Hourglass Figure
This remains the fundamental reason women wear corsets. The hourglass figure is characterised by a tiny waist and ample bust and curvy hips. Through its stiff bodice, the corset flattens the stomach area while pushing out the bust and hips for that figure so desired by many.

Supporting the Back
Wearers of corsets will find out that the rigid structure gives them an upright posture. This pose was common, especially in the Victorian era, and usually oozed a look of sophistication and good upbringing. The stiff back discourage slouchiness for a more upright posture that eases the pressure off the spine, lower back and neck area.

On the medical side, orthopaedic corsets have been found to provide spinal support while relieving skeletal and muscular pains. It is also highly recommended for women with large breasts, as they relieve the backaches that come with such endowments due to straining. The orthopaedic corset is recognised in many countries as a medical device. This insurance covered medical wear is meant to relieve the body of pains and soreness accompanying musculoskeletal disorders. They come in innovative styles to ensure that the wearer can easily match it up with normal wear.

Training the Waist Area
Training the waist involves gradual reduction of the waist size for a more balanced and sexy look. This can be achieved easily through wearing a corset. This is however best achieved through combination of the corset wearing, a good balanced diet and proper exercise. When done correctly, the effects are visible and quite positive.

Over the years, some health risks like back problems and chest compression have been associated with wearing corsets. This however has been noted amongst those who do not wear the corset correctly, or the wrong sizes and styles. To be on the safe side, pursue the services of professional stylists as well as personal physicians to determine the risks and benefits associated with certain designs and sizes of corsets.

Before purchase of the corset, consider the intended application. Will it be an outerwear feature to wear over long full shirts and dresses or as an innerwear to shape the body? The choice between the two determines the choices to pursue in terms of material and boning. Those meant for outerwear should of course match or compliment the accompanying clothing, while this often does not feature as much for inner wear and body shapers.

Material
Materials used to make corsets are available in two types, rigid and elastic.
Rigid materials include cotton, silk, rayon and nylon. They aerate more easily, are easy to clean and do not stretch. This however makes them more costly.

Elastic materials on the other hand fall tend to stretch quite easily. They are made of highly elastic rubber covered in cotton, silk, rayon or nylon. They are mostly used in lightweight corset, especially those designed for orthopaedic use. The types that fall under this category include leno plastic, elastic batiste, cable net etc.

Boning
One of the most fundamental sections of a corset is the boning. Boning determines the success of the corset in meeting the intended function, whether body shaping or back support as well as the comfortability of the garment. There is quite a varied array of boning materials. The most commonly used include polyester boning, nylon coated spring steel, galvanised steel wire, fusion-coated carbon steel and plastic.
Polyester boning comes in widths of 12mm and 8mm. the soft and non-cracking material makes it possible to sew it by hand. They however offer very light support, making them un-usable for extreme body shaping corsets and waist reducers.

The nylon coated spring steel usually comes in ¼, ½ and 1 inch widths. The nylon coating ensures resistance to washing detergents, rusting and other liquids. They result to strong and rigid boning structure with one-direction flexibility. They however are prone to buckling and therefore cannot be integrated in curved channels.
Galvanised steel boning comes in ¼ and ½ wide strips. The material used enables their use in curved designs since galvanised steel is flexible in two directions. Ideal for long term and frequently worn corsets with curved designs.

Fusion coated carbon steel is quite rigid and features widths of ½ inch. Though they cannot be used for curved designs, they offer bulk reinforcement necessary for heavy support corsets.
Lastly, plastic boning allows for durable pieces resistant to washing detergents. The high flexibility of plastic ensures widespread use in light support corsets. This however limits their application in curved channels and waist reducing corsets.

The choice of material and boning of course depends on he intended purpose of the corset. The above guidelines should guide the corset enthusiast on the best choice.

Garments accentuating the waist, like the corsets, initially introduced in the Middle Ages, became wardrobe must-haves in the 16th century. The corset was then meant to accentuate the body, with the stiff upper bodice and fashionable fabric helping mould the busts of women for the then sexy hourglass shape. The basque on the other hand came about in the 1800s, with its bodice designed to accentuate and accompany shirts and long dresses.

Early Designs
The corset was initially composed of two pieces. The pieces are laced at the back and front. Initially, the pieces were made from slender boning interlaced into a heavy cotton fabric (coutil) for a stiff garment. The early materials used include whalebones, heavy wood and ivory. The compact boning resulted to corsets that were very stiff and inflexible. Through tightening the laces, the two pieces could then be brought together, very tightly at the waist, thereby compressing the body into a V shape (compressing the waist section while accentuating the bust).

The basque on the other hand, adopted from the basque dress, featured a hard outer garment bodice. Basque county is an area stretching from southwestern France to northern Spain. It came to be part of everyday wear, more like the jackets and nowadays coats. It was usually made of the same material or one complimenting the skirt fabric material and colour. The more common materials used included velvets, heavy silks and muslins.

Modern Designs
Modern corsets usually lace up at the back, with a standard bust opening at the front. With tightening of the lace, the can act as a body shaper for an hourglass figure. Others like the winchers (shorter corsets) are belt like and only fit around the waist to make it appear smaller. Their rigidity provides more body shaping function than the basque. Latest designs feature steel rod, plastic and coated polyester rods and wider variety of materials to include rayon, nylons, polyester blends and light cotton. The added design considerations like boning often makes the corsets cost much more than basques.

Modern basque designs on the other hand feature metal hooks and eye fastening on the front section (mostly for attachment to stockings or clasping like a bra). They also feature bust cups for enhancement of the breasts. Unlike the corset, the basque will often feature more body enhancing fabrics and designs with minimal body shaping effects.

Fashion Applications
Corsets are mainly used for body reduction, orthopaedic use, back support and creating an illusion of a more hourglass figure. The basque is nowadays mostly used in bridal gowns, lingerie and a few pieces of contemporary wear. They mostly come in two body pieces, with or without the tough boning. This has allowed for a wide range of designs, with extensive use of different fabrics like satin and silk. Unlike the corsets, which just push up the bust, basques have allocations for underwired bust cups that offer more breasts support for a sexier look. The designs of the corsets and basque have changed over the years. However, they remain important pieces of today’s fashion.

The corset comes in a variety of styles and designs. The common ones include the Tudor style, 18th century corsets, wasp waist or early Victorian styles and the late Victorian style corsets. Each style is further described below.

Tudor Corset
The Tudor (Elizabethan) is a back lace-up conically shaped corset. It rarely extends below the waist area. When worn with the right skirt design, it gives the illusion of a smaller waistline. The design is also maximised to push up the bust. On the downside however, frequent repositioning of the cleavage is necessary and the design has been known to be quite bothersome, especially around the armpits.

18th Century Corsets
They feature more subtle and fitted curve lines that the Tudor. It extends just below the waist, with decorative tabs attached. It features two lace-ups, one at the front and the back. The front lace-up however, can be closed, or covered up with a pastron to cover the laces. The shaping and extent of this 18th style corset makes body and waist reduction much more comfortable. It is however, more exposing (front lacing) and focuses more on figure enhancement than body reshaping.

Wasp-Waist Corset
This is the earlier Victorian edition of the corset. It focuses on sharp drawing in of the waist, while following the normal lines of the rest of the figure. The bust line features a very straight edge, offering firm support of the breasts. The sharp indentation of the waist has made it quite popular especially in the modern women. Its basic design however fails in proportionally enhancing and reducing the body, succeeding instead on giving off an odd shape of a square bust line and an extremely reduced waist.

Pipestem
The Pipestem refers to a reduction category, rather than a style or corset era. It involves a combination of lengthening and reduction of the waistline. The reduction and lengthening area extends well above and below the normal waistline, giving an impression of a small rectangle in between two circles. The two extremes may look quite odd, but when nicely done, it is acceptable looking.

Late Victorian Hourglass
Though similar to the wasp-waist style, this features more gentle curves, with the upper bust sweeping effortlessly to the waistline, and then gently rising to the hip area. Since it does not extend that much over the hip area, the untamed buttock area can produce quite a dramatic swaying motion that enhances the overall hourglass effect. With all-rounded support and gentler curves, this style is more popular with most women.

The above corset designs cater for all tastes of corset enthusiasts. The choice to pursue will often depend on availability of the design, personal preference, the desired effect and of course, cost.

For many people corsets and basques are looked upon as cloths to be avoided for normal day to day wear or worn only by girls who are young and wild. But do you know that women are now adapting to include corsets in their wardrobe for day to day wear. With the many possibilities that corsets bring it is becoming more and more indispensible. From making you appear thin, to extra support and also to define the waist are all amazing positive facts people look

These positive factors make you wonder whether you should keep the corsets only for special occasions. You can wear it under any clothing, whether casual or official or corsets are now even acceptable to be worn as a external clothing at any occasion like a party or get together.

To ensure that you get the best out of corsets you have to ensure that the corset fits you perfectly. This can only be achieved out of tailor made corsets as readymade corsets may not fit your exact measurements. This will also ensure that you get the style which is perfect for you. This will add to the comfort and fit you so well that you can wear it under any clothing without any sign that you are wearing a corset.

From the age old days when corsets where looked upon as clothes with various restrictions and as a barrier to day to day activities, the corsets have been redesigned various times to meet the changing requirements of the public. The corsets may still be tight fitting, but are not meant to be a discomfort as in earlier days. To achieve this new materials are used in designing corsets such as spiral bones which retain the shape while giving a more pleasant wearing experience. These contemporary designs are adapted to suit the lifestyle of modern women. It gives the freedom to be more functional and yet the corsets remain very durable. Made from the finest materials like sating and silk adds to the style while making it easier to wear.

With the availability of a wide selection of corsets, it will not be hard to find the perfect match for you.