Corset 1786 stays

c.1786 pair of stays made from brown cotton and lined in natural homespun linen.
Stays of the 18th century were conical in shape and gave the wearer a pinched in waist and a full, pushed up bustline. They were very stiff being heavily boned with whalebone or cane and many women complained of bruising under the arms and at the waist from the sheer rigidity of the stays.
This pair of stays originally had shoulder straps which would have supported the bust while the tabs at the bottom of the corset would have adjusted to the shape of the hips and allowed for movement while the rest of the upper body was firmly corsetted. They are boned with 68 pieces of whalebone.
The stays are completely handsewn and have handworked eyelet holes at the back for the lacing. Bands of light blue linen tape provide decoration for the stays. There is a note written in ink pinned inside the stays which reads, "Grand Mother's stays when she was 17 years old. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Baker. She married Captain Jacob Coatie when she was 17. She died in 1849 aged 80 years. Elizabeth Baker Coatie, b. 1769 - d. 1849" She was probably was the wife of a New England sea captain.
Measurements: Bust 29", Waist 21", Front length 12 1/2", Back length 16 1/2".

1740 stays Corset

United States

c.1740-1760 stays made from natural homespun linen. Stays of the 18th century were conical in shape and gave the wearer a pinched in waist and a full, pushed up bustline. They were very stiff being heavily boned with whalebone or cane and many women complained of bruising under the arms and at the waist from the sheer rigidity of the stays.
Boned with 120 pieces of baleen boning which were inserted into hand sewn one quarter inch channels. The characteristic white leather binding held the baleen bones in place while protecting the wearer should one poke through the linen. Leather also reinforced the 8 pair of eyelet holes from the tension of the laces. The center 6 eyelet pairs are offset, allowing the stays to be laced up the back in a single lace, spiral fashion. The tabs at the bottom of the stays would have adjusted to the shape of the hips and allowed for movement while the rest of the upper body was firmly corsetted.
Measurements: Bust 33", Waist 26", Front length 12 1/2", Back length 14 3/4".

1830s Corset stays with blue embroidery

United States

c.1830 stays made from creme cotton sateen and lined in a natural muslin.
Soft stays of the early 19th century were not worn so much for a dramatic waist reduction but to give the body a long flowing line underneath the high waisted dresses of the era. Early 19th century stays lifted up the bustline and compressed the waist and hips into a narrower "tube" like shape so that a high waisted gown would fall unencumbered down from the high waistline.
Although waistlines were still comparatively high in the 1830's, the waist level on stays and dresses during this decade started to drop down very slowly to the natural level foreshadowing the hourglass figure of the Victorian era.
Stays from the first part of the 19th century often had a wide, vertical center slot in which a long, straight busk made out of wood, ivory or whalebone (often highly decorated with cavings or poems) which could be inserted into the center slot for support. Busks were not always worn and could be removed easily according to your activity. Generally busks were worn for formal or evening functions and taken out for leisure.
This pair is completely hand stitched and have cotton cording inserted into the narrow channels to give structure to the undergarment. The surface embroidery is worked with a teal blue floss in both satin stitch and tambour stitch.
The stays were never worn and were never finished as there are no eyelet holes present and the bottom edge was never finished off.
Measurements: Bust 33"-36", Waist 23"- 26", Front length 16".
From the collection of K. Augusta

1828 Trapunto work stays

United States

c.1828. A pair of creme cotton stays most likely worn by a young lady. Soft stays of the early 19th century were not worn so much for a dramatic waist reduction but to give the body a long flowing line underneath the high waisted dresses of the era. Early 19th century stays lifted up the bustline and compressed the waist and hips into a narrower "tube" like shape so that a high waisted gown would fall unencumbered down from the high waistline.
Stays from the first part of the 19th century often had a wide, vertical center slot in which a long, straight busk made out of wood, ivory or whalebone (often highly decorated with cavings or poems) which could be inserted into the center slot for support. Busks were not always worn and could be removed easily according to your activity. Generally busks were worn for formal or evening functions and taken out for leisure.
This pair has trapunto work for support arranged in an attractive geometric pattern. Trapunto work was often used in Regency stays for figure support and decoration and was made by inserting length of wool as the channel was being sewn not like in later corsets were the bones are inserted into the bone casings after they are sewn. The stays are entirely handsewn with back stitching and have ivory grommets (called French holes) at the back for the lacing.
Measurements: Bust 28", Waist 22", Hips 26", Busk length 13 1/2".
From the collection of L. Hidic

Corset Galleries

On this page you will find links to galleries of corset images on the web.

• Staylace Corset Galleries.
• mmmm-corsets – a Tumblr gallery primarily corsets, but some other gorgeous things too.
• FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush Corset Image Competition.
• Corset Fan Galleries
• Corset Galleries
• The Antique Corset Gallery
• The FairyGothMother / Lulu and Lush Customer Gallery (not just corsets but retro dresses, lingerie and lots more.)

Corset Resources

This page lists corset information websites covering all aspects of corsets and corsetry from historical information through to today’s fashion designers and how the corset has become the must have item in every woman’s wardrobe through to how to wear…

• The Long Island Staylace Association (L.I.S.A) – USA based website featuring many corset images plus corset features.
• Corset.dk – Danish corset enthusiast’s website.
• www.corsetiere.net – a tribute to the corsetiere.
• The Corsetorium – the corset webring.
• korsett.org
• BBC Corset page – a BBC webpage about corstes created by its readers.
• corsets.de – corsetry website in der deutschen and English.
• www.corsetinformation.com – lots of information and advice about Victorian shape corsets and tightlacing.
• V&A – London’s Victoria and Albert Museum’s fashion section.
• a V&A video:: Underwear: from corsets to bullet bras and back.
• CorsetStyles
• Foundations Revealed
• KorsettForum.de (In der deutschen)
• Corset Lovers Corner (Yahoo group)
• Corset information website (En français and in English)

Fake Designer Corsets – how good are they?

We’ve all seen them on online auction sites and on some online shops, those “corsets” at ridiculously low prices. Well here’s an interesting video comparing these “fakes” with the real thing. How the corsets differ in how they are made and what sort of body shaping you can expect from both the fake and the real thing. After watching the video we thought the vrdeo’s title could just as easily been… Fake Designer Corsets – how really bad they are!
I copy the video here courtesy of FairyGothMother and Kiss me Deadly who collaborated in the making of the video.