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 is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting eff ...
s. Corsetmakers are frequently known by the French equivalent terms corsetier (male) and corsetière (female).
Stay-maker is an obsolete name for a corsetmaker.
The best corsetmakers are highly skilled tailors with a knowledge of
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the 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 science, having i ...
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 or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
The term also was tradition ...
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.
Famous corsetmakers
*
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 th ...
, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
*
Roxey Ann Caplin
Roxey Ann Caplin (1793 – 2 August 1888) was a British writer and inventor.
Biography
She was born in 1793 in Canada. Around 1835, she married Jean Francois Isidore Caplin (c.1790-c.1872).
From 1839, Caplin was a corsetmaker working at 58 Be ...
.
*
Catherine Allsop Griswold
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...
, a Connecticut corsetmaker who held thirty patents, the most of any woman in America at the time.
Most prolific women inventors - 1790-1895
Travelling corsetiers
Some companies had travelling saleswomen, corsetières who order 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 .
Considerations
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 where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
, 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 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 may also be a skilled corset-maker.
See also
*Corset
A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting eff ...
*History of corsets
The corset has been an indispensable supportive undergarment for women, in Europe for several centuries, evolving as fashion trends have changed and being known, depending on era and geography, as a pair of bodies, stays and corsets. The appearan ...
*Hourglass corset
An hourglass corset is a garment that produces a silhouette resembling an hourglass shape characterized by wide hips, narrow waist ( wasp waist), and wide bust.
History
Hourglass corsets first became fashionable in the 1830s in Europe and the ...
* Tightlacing
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