Corsetmaker
A corsetmaker is a specialist tailor who makes corsets. 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.[1]
- Catherine Allsop Griswold, a Connecticut corsetmaker who held thirty patents, the most of any woman in America at the time.[2][3]
Travelling corsetiers
Some companies had travelling saleswomen, corsetières who order the tailored corsets from the company. Well-known are Spirella (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
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
- ^ MADAME CAPLIN'S INVENTIONS FOR THE ADAPTATION OF THE DRESS TO THE BODY; THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH; The Cure of Deformity, and the Display of Beauty.
- ^ "AmericanHeritage.com / THE CHAMPION OF WOMEN INVENTORS". Archived from the original on 2008-01-13. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ Most prolific women inventors - 1790-1895 Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
Books
- Doyle R. (1997)Waisted Efforts, An Illustrated Guide To Corset Making. Nova Scotia, Sartorial Press Publications, ISBN 0-9683039-0-0
- Tight Linings and Boning Mary Brooks Picken, 1920
- The Practical Corsetiere Mme Ruth A. Rosenfeld 1933
- The Basics Of Corset Building, A Handbook For Beginners by Linda Sparks (Author) ISBN 0-9737358-0-5
- Caplin - Health and Beauty (1864)