Corsetiers cutting out and fitting in the 18th century
A corsetmaker is a specialist tailor who makes corsets. Corsetmakers are frequently known by the French equivalent terms corsetier (male) and corsetière (female). Staymaker is an obsolete name for a corsetmaker.
Corsetmakers are tailors with knowledge of anatomy that enables them to construct well-fitting, 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[1].
Corsetiers cutting fabric in 1928.
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[2].
Several companies employed travelling saleswomen, known as corsetières, who took orders for tailored corsets. Well-known are Spirella (1904–1989), Barcley, and Spenser.
Catherine Allsop Griswold - a Connecticut corsetmaker who held 30 patents, the most of any woman in America at the time.[4][5]
Thomas Paine - 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.[6]
See also
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