Corsets for Today’s Fashion

A corset is an item of clothing worn to help shape the upper body into a desired shape for aesthetic or sometimes orthopedic reasons. But still the most popular use of corsets is to shape the body into a beautiful, fashionable silhouette shape. For women this usually emphasizes a curvy figure, by reducing the waist, and thereby exaggerating the bust and hips. However corsets have also been worn to achieve a more tubular shape although this is less common. On the other hand for men, corsets are customarily used to slim the figure.

Corsets are usually made of flexible fabric like satin, velvet and even denim. They are stiffened with boning (also called ribs or stays) inserted into channels in the material. Steel and whalebone were favored in the Victorian period but plastic is now the most commonly used material. Today corsets are not only used to shape body but are also used as outerwear. This trend has been driven by popular culture, such as the rise of Madonna in the 1980’s. Corset as outer wears are perfect for a night on the town or at a club and can be combined with a jacket. In addition, some fashion designers now include corset-like features in their designs.