sealing wax and string

You may think the fashion of breasts enlarged by various means is relatively new, but that is not the case.

In The School for Fashion published in 1800, Madame Thicknesse related the true story of a girl about to be married who fainted at a party. A number of women eagerly flew to her assistance, and upon loosening her gown to give her more air, were shocked to see a beautiful pair of wax breasts tumble out on to the floor.

Anita Ekberg disdained wax

In the early 19th century, ladies who did not need an enlargement bought a special corset called a ‘divorce’. It was designed to separate what the hand of the Creator had brought into the most graceful union…. a piece of steel or iron, of a triangular form, gently curved on either side… covered with soft material… placed at the centre of the chest to divide the breasts. The idea was to push the breasts apart to prevent the appearance of cleavage.

Elaborately carved whalebone was often used as a separator. It would be inserted in a panel down the centre of a corset such as the one below

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To facilitate the lacing of their corsets, many women had a lacing bar installed in their boudoir. It was a horizontal bar positioned high enough above her head that she could grab and hang from it. This position lengthened the body and narrowed the waist so tighter lacing was possible.

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Often a ‘perineal strap’ was included with a corset. This was used to attach sanitary napkins but also as a way of preventing exploration.

No need for a perineal strap here

Even Tom Cruise’s ex, Mimi Rogers, likes a bit of corset action. Here she is in a yellow and black combination that holds her assets up nicely

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Lacing is not restricted to body corsets. BME have many interesting variations including this leg lacing effect which would make it all but impossible to break into a run

For a completely different take on corsetry, check out Ira Sherman’s Impenetrable Devices.

Many of Sherman’s pieces are, in fact, “prostheses” created around a humorous social concept. These are worn on the body, and may be shockingly intimate. The devices have names like Bear Trap Corset (below), Saber Tooth Speculum and Intimate Electric Fence. They are mostly steel and brass, with some electrical wiring and small mechanical parts.