Corsets

Learning more about this timeless lingerie piece...

Corsets are a part of Pin Up lingerie and this is a garment worn in order to hold and shape the torso to create the illusion of a petite waist and beautiful hips - an hourglass shaped figure which is most appealing to men.

The word “corset” is derived from the Old French Word corps and the diminutive of body, which itself derives from corpus which is Latin for body.

It has been attributed by Catherine de' Medici, the wife of King Henry II of France.

She enforced a ban on thick waists at court attendance during the 1550s.

For almost 350 years, the primary means of support for women was this lingerie piece with laces and stays that are made of whalebone or metal. A little bit crazy!

Yes, it has undergone a lot of changes since the beginning days.

Originally, in the early 16th century, it was a simple bodice with tabs at the waist, stiffened by horn, buckram, and whalebone.

The center at the front was reinforced by a busk made of ivory, wood or metal.

It was usually laced from the back, and was at first, a garment reserved for the aristocracy.

"Stays" (ie. the corset) took a different form in the 18th century when whalebone was used more and there was more boning used in the garment.

The shape of the stays changed as well. They were low and wide in the front while at the back, they could reach high as the upper shoulder. It had the option to be strapless or to use shoulder straps.

Today they come in many, many different shapes and colours. Short, long, bright pink, black, dark blue, made of leather, made of plastic. Keep reading to discover this world of today...

The main use of it is to slim the body and make it conform to a fashionable silhouette.

It helps emphasize the curvy figure of a woman by reducing the waist and exaggerating the bust and hips.

Just don't forget to breathe okay!? :)

What is an overbust corset?

This type encloses the torso extending from just under the arms to the hips.

...and what is the underbust corset?

This begins just under the breasts and extends down to the hips.

There are some stays that can extend over the hip and in some and very rare instances, reach the knees (back in the day they were more common - I certainly haven't seen anyone wear them today).

Waist cincher...

This is another type which is shorter and covers the waist area from low on the ribs to just above the hips.

This is very similar to an underbust corset. They are generally made of softer material then the stays.

A little more comfortable for everyday wear!

This lingerie piece can be spiced up by adding garters and hold up stockings.

These lingerie pieces are very lovely and beautiful.

A lot of pin up models today wear them on their photo shoots or when they were being drawn by famous artists.

There is something about these pieces, its timeless beauty and the way it emphasizes the body.

Just the sight of it can take you back to the 1550's when in all started.

It's like a blast from the past.

Most pin up models prefer the use of them because it makes them look even more feminine and it looks very seductive which is the perfect adjective that they are portraying in their photos.

Lover of all pin ups,
Sorelle <3

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Photo by Sassy Studios

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