Corsetry - a history

Corsets have been worn, in some shape or form, since 3000 BC. The concept of a garment which pulls in the waist is considered to have been originally thought up by Cretan woman and this trend continued on through to the Middle Ages. The early forms were structured similar to a ribbed belt and used materials such as linen and kid.

In the 14th century tailors started to introduce the use of stiffened linen and lacing to pull the garment in tight close to the body. Each corset was custom made to the wearer and they created accurate shaping by moulding onto the person. They did this by sandwiching 2 layers of linen with a form of stiff paste which was then pressed and held against the body.

The use of whale bone was introduced in the 16th century. This was the start of a much more rigid design for corsetry. It was also around this time the length of the corset was extended beyond the natural waistline forming a similar structure and shaping as a medical back brace. By 1930 corsets had become a lot more flexible in structure with the development of elastic and latex, these were known as a roll-on or corselet.

I am interested in taking inspiration from both the rigid whale bone corset and the more flexible ‘corselet’. Maybe the same design can achieve the benefits of both !?