A corsetmaker is a specialist
tailor 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 effe ...
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 that enables them to make well-fitting, long-lasting corsets. Corsetmakers who reproduce historical styles must be familiar with historical fashions and
costumes 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, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
*
Roxey Ann Caplin.
*
Catherine Allsop Griswold
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Chris ...
, 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.
Or ...
(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 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 effe ...
* History of corsets
* Hourglass corset
* 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