What Are Corsets Made Of?

Corsets are meant to modify the shape of your body. I do that by cutting a stable, tightly woven fabric into an ideal shape, and inserting a flexible steel strip (called a bone, as they used to be constructed of whalebone) into each seam. Without the bones, your corset would slide up into a little roll around your waist.

Once the shape is established, you need to be able to get in and out of it. Typically, the front of a corset closes with a busk, two lengths of 1/2″ wide steel. One side has little steel buttons, and the other side has steel loops that hook over the buttons. The back of the corset has rows of grommets to hold laces or ribbon. The laces can be tightened or loosened to adjust the corset’s fit. Corsets can also be made with lacing in the front as well as the back, or with no closure in the front at all, just laces in the back.

Choosing busk vs. lacing is largely an aesthetic issue; your corset will fit just as well no matter which closure you select. The front busk is the more traditional corset look, and is also the easiest style to put on by yourself. If you’d like, adding a fabric cover over the busk is an inexpensive option that hides the hardware. If you prefer a bodice look, or you want a lingerie piece that will look smooth under clothes, you’d opt for back lacing only. This is the most difficult style to put on alone, and takes more work to get in and out of, as the laces have to be undone a fair amount in order to step into the corset. Front and back laces are a little easier to put on than a back lace only, and provide yet another style choice.

Whatever you select for exterior fabric, my corsets and clothes are all lined with a very soft cotton-backed satin. This satin is tightly woven and holds a shape well, but also has a little give to it, so you can move and bend without being chafed. I also use a very flexible type of bone called spiral steels. They flex, bend, and even twist, allowing a fine range of motion without digging into your soft spots. They also have a memory, so the bones will return to their original shape if you bend way over or lace too tight, unlike traditional steel bones, which will adopt a permanent kink.

How Are They Made?

The techniques and materials that I use are adapted from my more than twenty years spent as a costumer for Broadway, ballet, opera, and the circus. Dance, opera, and performance are all athletic activities, but many costumes need to be tight fitting, heavily boned, and constructed to withstand hundreds of performances. Combining the basic construction truths of corsetry with the arcane art of theatrical costuming, I’ve designed corsets that create the right amount of body modification, while allowing freedom of movement unusual in boned garments.

Is Wearing a Corset Painful?

Only if it’s badly made. The most important thing I’ve done is to focus on comfort. I am personally a big fan of breathing, so there’s lots of room in the ribcage of my pieces. After all, I’ve corseted opera singers, and they have pretty stringent requirements for breathing. I’ve also paid close attention to the proportions of the pieces. If the line extends too low, you won’t be able to sit comfortably. The busk and bones will jab you whenever you bend or sit.

Aesthetics matter, too. I’ve kept compression to a minimum around the top of my corsets to avoid that most unattractive of sights, tortured flesh spilling out over the top. I do the same thing around the hips. If the bottom line of the corset is too tight, your hips seek escape at the bottom, spoiling your effect completely. The principle is simple: if you squeeze it here it’s going to come out there. You’d better know where it’s headed, and have a plan for dealing with it.

Will You Torture My Waist?

Only if you beg. You can expect about 4″ of waist reduction, on average, adjusted to your measurements. That’s a fair amount on a 24″ waist, since once you’ve compressed the available body fat, squeezing organs comes next, and that’s not right. On the other hand, 4″ is not going to do much for a 45″ waist. With more body fat to work with, a little more waist reduction is possible. How tightly you lace your corset will also effect how much waist reduction you get, although my pieces are designed to be laced fully closed once you’ve become comfortable in them.

How Will They Fit?

Beautifully, of course. What a silly question. Truthfully, all of the comfort and aesthetic issues ultimately come down to fit. Drafting the proper proportions doesn’t make any difference if those proportions aren’t right on your body. That’s why there are no standard sizes at The Other Woman. Every one of my pieces is custom-made, and fit to your precise measurements.

It’s bad enough buying an off-the-rack dress, cut to some imagined ideal size. It may not fit perfectly, but it’s not a tragedy. An off-the-rack corset, on the other hand, is simply unwearable. You can’t have something meant to hug and modify your body that wasn’t made expressly for your body. That’s why we need your measurements, that’s why it takes 4-6 weeks to turn your order around, and that’s why you’ll be amazed and delighted with the fit of your custom-made corset or garment.

My goal with the pieces I’ve designed for The Other Woman is simple: I want to make clothes that make you feel gorgeous and comfortable. Each piece is a special challenge for me, and I look forward to making it a special pleasure for you.

Why make corsets

Why Corset?

Fashion changes constantly. It is a responsive art form, influenced by economics, politics, technology, and, most strongly, sex.
The battle to attract and hold a mate, to win the sunniest chaise lounge by the gene pool, is relentless. Visual cues are the primary weapons deployed here.

For women, the basics of sexual attraction are variations of full hips to assure easy childbirth, large breasts to provide nourishment for offspring, and small waists as proof that reproductive services have not been provided to a previous mate.

Nature does not distribute these ideal proportions with any sense of fairness, however. Genetics, time, and circumstance render many of us less than ideal breeding partners visually.

This tyranny of the visual has created a marvelous device: the foundation garment. Against the onslaught of time, gravity, and carbohydrates, women gird themselves for the battle of the sexes.

Girdles, push-up bras, & control top pantyhose. These are the bright armors that shield us as we fight for the right to reproduce. But Spandex is no match for the forces that render us average. To compete with those splendid images of feminine perfection, we need body modification: steel, canvas, & engineering, brought together in the corset.

The Slippery Slope

Ten years ago I was making costumes on Broadway, and thought corsets were a nasty Victorian torture. When I left New York, I discovered that Broadway, selfishly, had stayed put, and I fell into making kinky clothes for a living.

Looking at other corsets, I marveled at how willing people were to put up with bad fit. I became a woman on a mission, vowing to keep people from wearing corsets that hurt and squeezed their skin into unappealing folds and lumps. Along the way, I began to get the idea that corsets weren’t just fetishwear. Take away the leather and latex, and your corset will make you look more like Cinderella than Mistress LeatherBoy.

Well, What Are They, Then?

I think of my pieces as fashion rather than fetish. Being based on ideas that start out kinky just gives them a little more style. After all, a subversive undercurrent is what keeps fashion interesting. I like the idea of people responding to the beauty and elegance of a garment before they realize that it breaks one of their taboos.

I also love the idea of temporary beauty. I’m a relaxed-fit kind of gal, with two kids and a passion for cake. But I have another woman, and she lives in my closet. She’s hourglass-shaped, removable, and much simpler to deal with than the high-maintenance body she replaces.

But Will I Like Them?

Since our corsets are made to order from your measurements, they’re going to feel nice and fit properly. There’s a range of colors, fabrics, and style options, so you can create the piece that’s guaranteed to make you happy. And because they lace, there’s a certain amount of adjustment to the fit. If you feel like slouching a little, you don’t have to lace all the way down. A well made corset is more comfortable than the squeezing, binding wads of spandex that make up control top pantyhose or cheaply manufactured bustiers.

Still, it’s important to remember these are not gym clothes. Your corset will make you sit up straight, and you won’t be able to pack in the pasta while wearing one. In general, your corset will make you more aware of your body. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; moving with more awareness of your body imparts a certain grace. My goal is to give you a way to share that grace and beauty with the rest of the world.

The Famous Corset tops

If you have it, flaunt it. That’s what they say. At present, it is more applicable to women who have sexy curvatures even more enhanced by sexier clothing. The most popular amongst this type of clothing is the corset top, a tight fitting garment worn by most women today young and old alike. The corset, which was normally worn as an undergarment in the olden days has definitely evolved through the years.
In the olden era, a corset was a staple for women, with preference for those who had more money. Those who were more privileged had more time to prep up themselves for parties and special occassions. These women even had servants who helped them adjust their corsets to a tighter fit, to the delight of the men in that time. Women’s bodies were tightened to emulate an hourglass figure to exaggerate their busts and hips.
In those days too, even men wore corsets. It was mostly used to provide back support for men who would go horse back riding or hunting. However, there are those men too who use them to broaden their shoulders, a more fashionable look for men during those times and even at present.
However today, corset tops are mostly worn by women. Numerous fashion houses have made it a part of their design whether as an undergarment or as a one piece top. What was once just lingerie can now be worn in public. Famous celebrities have done it from Dita Von Teese, Victoria Beckham to Kim Kardashian. Prices may vary based on the material used but there is a piece for every market.
Other designers have gone over the top in designing the corset top. Their designs make the corset tops made to be seen as they add more embellishments to their corset tops. Lace is a popular accessory to the corset top as well as wires which make the corset top even more figure enhancing for the women.
Wearing a corset top definitely changes a woman’s look. A makeover could easily be done on a conservative woman by dressing her up with a corset top. Not only does the top show a little more skin but it also emphasizes the right curves to make a woman look sexier. Finding ways of exploring one’s sexyness is not merely to attract the opposite sex, however. Women dress up to further increase their confidence not only towards men but also towards other people in general.
Corset tops are probably one of the most innovative inventions that were made for women. Corset tops may come in different designs such as long sleeved corset tops or sleeveless bustier ones. Whether it is for a day out or a night out, one could pair these sexy corset tops with a skirt or a pair of pants. It all depends on what look a woman would want to have. It can range from having a sexy and seductive look to an elegant and classic look. For the more adventurous and daring type however, the prefer wearing sleeveless bustier tops with tight fitting jeans and a pair of heels while they strut their stuff around the city. Definitely nothing can be sexier than that!