A corsetmaker is a specialist

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

who makes

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

s. Corsetmakers are frequently known by the French equivalent terms corsetier (male) and corsetière (female). Staymaker is an obsolete name for a corsetmaker.

Design and distribution

The best corsetmakers are highly skilled tailors with a knowledge of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

that enables them to make well-fitting, long-lasting corsets. Corsetmakers who reproduce historical styles must be familiar with historical fashions and

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...

s that span centuries of history. Individual corsetmakers often favour a certain style, and frequently have differing theories and opinions about the physical impact and benefits of various corsets, thereby influencing their corset design and creation. The main consideration of corset design is duration of use. For short-term use, e.g. used for a special event such as a

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

, a corset will be worn briefly and so is not subject to wear, therefore need not be of the highest quality of construction. For long-term use, e.g., by

tightlacing Tightlacing (also called corset training) is the practice of wearing an increasingly tightly laced corset to achieve cosmetic modifications to the figure and posture or to experience the sensation of bodily restriction. The process originates in ...

or waist training, corsets must be made to exact standards and are best custom-fitted and designed for the individual wearer. Single weakness or flaws tend to be visible. Some custom-made gowns have corsets built into the design; a talented

dressmaker A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable dr ...

may also be a skilled corset-maker. Some companies had travelling saleswomen, corsetières who ordered the tailored corsets from the company. Well-known are

Spirella The name Spirella refers to the Spirella Stay which was invented by Marcus Merritt Beeman in the US in 1904 and made from tightly twisted and flattened coils of wire. The founders were Beeman, William Wallace Kincaid and Jesse Homan Pardee. O ...

(1904–1989), Barcley, and

Spenser Spenser is an alternative spelling of the British surname Spencer. It may refer to: Geographical places with the name Spenser: * Spenser Mountains, a range in the northern part of South Island, New Zealand People with the surname Spenser: * Dav ...

Notable corsetmakers

Roxey Ann Caplin Roxey Ann Caplin (c. 1793 – 2 August 1888) was a British writer and inventor. Biography She was born in about 1793 in British North America. Around 1835, she married Jean Francois Isidore Caplin (c.1790-c.1872). From 1839, Caplin was a cors ...

- British writer and inventor *

Catherine Allsop Griswold Catherine Allsop Griswold was a corsetmaker whose 31 apparel-related patents played a role in the Dress Reform Movement of 1876. Griswold had the most patents held by any woman in the United States of America at the time. Among Griswold’s appar ...

- a Connecticut corsetmaker who held 30 patents, the most of any woman in America at the time. *

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...

- American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary. He trained to become a staymaker as a teenager, as it was his family trade, but did not stay in the profession after his teen years.

References

Books

* Doyle R. (1997)''Waisted Efforts, An Illustrated Guide To Corset Making''. Nova Scotia, Sartorial Press Publications,
''Tight Linings and Boning'' Mary Brooks Picken, 1920

* The Basics Of Corset Building, A Handbook For Beginners by Linda Sparks (Author) * Caplin - Health and Beauty (1864) {{Corsetry Corsetry Artisans

Design and distribution

Notable corsetmakers

See also

References

Books