To achieve and enhance the separation of the bust, the “busk” was used. The busk was essentially a large rigid “Popsicle stick” shaped bone inserted into a casing down the center front of the corset. These busks were made from either wood, ivory, bone, or baleen and were often elaborately carved and given as gifts.
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What was the purpose of a busk with a corset?
A corset busk, or stay busk, in its original form is a solid rod made from wood, bone or metal which is inserted into the front panel of a pair of stays (old word for corset) to keep the fabric taught and straight over the abdomen.
Do corsets need a busk?
Corsets can also be made without a busk closure, but typically, they are more difficult to get into. It does leave more options for decoration, and are always stiffened in the front with flat bones. To put one of these on, you can either pull them up over your hips, or over your head, then lace up the back.
What is the front closure of a corset called?
Busks
Busks refers to the front closures you see on most corsets. They are considered a traditional closure and use a simple loop and stud system to keep your corset closed. We use half-inch, flexible steel busks in all of our corsets.
Why was whale bone used for corsets?
Corset late 1760s
Stays were made from baleen, which was harvested from the mouth of the Right Atlantic Whale and commonly referred to as whalebone. This material was firm but flexible and could be cut into very thin pieces without any loss of strength.
Does busk mean stay?
Single-piece busks were used in “stays” and bodices from the sixteenth to early nineteenth centuries and were intended to keep the front of the corset or bodice straight and upright. They were typically made of wood, ivory, or bone slipped into a pocket and tied in place with a lace called the busk point.
What is a stay busk?
They were an essential part of a woman’s undergarments, forcing the body to the fashion shape of the season. When tightened the stays could damage a woman’s body by distorting and repositioning her internal organs. Stay busks were inserted into the front of stays to flatten the wearer’s stomach.
What is the extra piece that comes with a corset?
Bust gussets are just extra pieces of fabric that help the corset fit around your bust. They can be a bit tricky, since they are inserted into just part of a seam between two other full-length pieces, but I find them very satisfying when put in correctly.
What are the bars in a corset called?
Binding: A strip of fabric that encases the top and bottom edges of a corset.
What are the lines in corsets?
Lacing: Lacing refers to the cords that are used to tighten the corset and create the waist reduction you desire. Laces are typically placed at the back of a corset, but it can be at the front or both the back and front too.
What are the circle things on corsets called?
Grommets. The round, metal holes the run up either side of the back panels (through which laces are threaded) on your corset are called grommets, and they add reinforcement at the location of highest tension, where the laces pull tight.
What is a corset modesty panel?
A modesty panel, as the name implies, is an extra piece of fabric that spans this open gap beneath the corset laces, providing the wearer with added coverage, ostensibly for modesty, although many women also enjoy added comfort when grommets and laces are no longer in direct contact with their skin.
Do corsets cause damage?
Women were often laced so tightly their breathing was restricted leading to faintness. Compressing the abdominal organs could cause poor digestion and over time the back muscles could atrophy. In fact, long term tight lacing led to the rib cage becoming deformed.
How much does a corset weigh?
Between the steel boning (flat, spiral, or both), steel busks, and likely three layers of thick fabric, you can reasonably expect the average corset to weigh approximately 1.5 to 3 pounds.
When did they stop using whalebone in corsets?
It also assists in dating it to the turn of the 19th century, a time when whalebone for corsets was largely replaced with sprung steel. When worn, real whalebone becomes soft and pliable from body heat, and the corset comfortably moulds to the torso, making real whalebone corsets an expensive luxury.
When was the corset busk invented?
The spoon busk corset was invented in 1879. The metal spoon shaped busk at the front of the corset was designed to compress the abdomen without creating a bulge of flesh at the bottom of the corset. By the 1880s the corset was a much longer garment that hugged the hips from all sides.
When was the split busk invented?
The split busk was invented in the 1850’s, and with it came the ‘typical’ straight lacing you see on corsets to today.
What is busk length?
The busks start at 6″ (15 cm) in length to use for the tiniest waist cincher, all the way up to 16″ (40.5 cm) to make an extra long over bust corset.
What was a busk clothing?
In the early modern period, women often wore something called a busk in the bodices or bodies (early corsets). The busk was a long piece of wood, metal, whalebone or horn that was placed into a channel in the front of the bodice, and the busk-point, a small piece of ribbon that secured the busk in place.
Whats the triangle thing that came with my corset?
A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman’s gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset.
What is the difference between a corset and a bustier?
The clearest difference between both pieces of clothing is that the corset holds your waist tight for better curves while the bustier pushes up your breasts to give them a boost, per Recollections.