How to Wear a Renaissance Corset?

A Renaissance corset is a structured garment inspired by the fashion of the Renaissance era. It is designed to shape the waist, enhance posture, and create an elegant, historical silhouette. Often adorned with intricate details like laces and embroidery, it is both functional and decorative, making it a timeless choice for themed events, costumes, or unique fashion statements. you can explore about Renaissance corset at corset lifestyle.


Choose the Right Size: Ensure the corset fits comfortably by measuring your bust, waist, and hips accurately.

Loosen the Laces: Before wearing, loosen the back laces to easily wrap the corset around your torso.

Position the Corset: Align the corset with your waist and secure the front busk or fastenings.

Tighten Gradually: Tighten the laces evenly from the top and bottom toward the center. Adjust to a snug but comfortable fit.

Style Your Outfit: Pair with a Renaissance dress, blouse, or skirt for an authentic look.

Enjoy your graceful, timeless Renaissance style!

I haven't tried a Renaissance corset (also known as stays) yet, but it looks fascinating.

I did end up wearing a Victorian one for working around the farm for a few years to help with back pain.  I've been thinking about digging it out again.

https://permies.com/t/155656/bought-corset-Etsy#1219564

https://permies.com/t/135544/sewing/Corset-pain#1062000

The most important thing that is too often overlooked, is to have a good quality linen shift or under layer so that the corset doesn't touch the skin.  It extends the life of the corset, reducing washing needs, and increasing comfort.

r ranson wrote:I did end up wearing a Victorian one for working around the farm for a few years to help with back pain.

Interesting. I only think of corsets as being used nowadays by historical reenactors or museum guides in costume. It never occurred to me that they would have a practical application in modern times. Especially for a homesteader, but back pain is a compelling reason to consider it.

Are there differences in corsets from the different periods?
Could I make one myself?

I like the renaissance era clothing yet I don't own any.

We have had several threads about corsets.

I am most familiar with the ones from Gone With the Wind so I guess those a Civil War Era Corsets.

Here is a thread that you or others might find interesting:

https://permies.com/t/135544/sewing/Corset-pain#1062000

I will be the first to say that I don't know a lot about historical clothing pieces so I might be completely off base so forgive me.

Is a renaissance corset the same as a renaissance bodice? Are those two things interchangeable?

Alina Mikel wrote:A Renaissance corset is a structured garment inspired by the fashion of the Renaissance era. It is designed to shape the waist, enhance posture...

Garments to help improve posture sound like a wonderful thing. To find the balance of aesthetics, durability, and ergonomics as it were would be like striking gold!

I had to look this one up - it appear that supportive corsets were made popular by Catherine de Medici who banned women with thick waists from her court (ref).


Catherine de Medici from Spanish 'blog on corsets

From history of the corset these corsets  had "lacing from both the back and front and a "stomacher" to conceal these laces" I think the interesting thing about them though is that they were worn as outerwear, rather than underwear. A bit dirndl style perhaps?

I think it's very important to recognize the huge difference between a "working corset" and a "tight, tiny waist" corset. The former supports the back using many of the same principles as a lumbar back brace for men working in heavy labor jobs.

Women are a different shape, so if they try to wear a lumber back brace designed for men, they are likely not going to have it fit properly. If they buy or sew a working corset that fits their body, they can achieve the same pain relief.

Be aware, if a corset is supporting muscles, those muscles aren't working. It would be important to have strengthening exercises to try to strengthen the back muscles as opposed to being completely reliant on the brace if at all possible (this depends on diagnosis for example).  

As someone who finds bras extremely difficult to fit, I may well try the corset approach at some point.

(speaking of Western European in general and English in particular)

In the renaissance, the "corset" would be basically a garment with bra-like function.  but instead of putting the weight on a narrow band around the rib cage like we do today, it distributed it across the entire torso and a little bit on the hips.  The secondary function was to create the desired illusion of a fashionable shape.  

The word corset comes much later into English and usually corresponds with the Victorian times, when we see a lot more boning, opening in the front as well as lacing in the back, and it putting the weight on the hips a bit more. The Victorian corsets, with VERY FEW exceptions, mostly padded out the parts that were not the waist so that the waist would look smaller.  Most of history opted for optical illusions to achieve the desired shape, usually with padding or stich lines.  It's not until we get to the 1950s on where we see a lot of garments compressing the body.

The tails of tightly laced corsets and women fainting were so popular because they are so rare.  Like women getting punctured lungs from underwire bras in our day and age.  Or land owners being mean to their peasants in the day of Robin Hood.  It makes a good story because it is so out of the ordinary.  

So I have a 1700s style corset, which, due to my bone disease, I can only wear for short periods of time and be safe/healthy.  Most people can successfully wear them all day without issue and even find benefit (though I would not advise it every day).  Anyways it goes over top, rather than underneath.  Mine was made custom many years ago by a friend and we used springwire which in my opinion is the best way to make a corset, plastic boning is lower quality and doesn't last as long and breaks etc.  Back in the day whale bone was used for a while, which of course added to the "fainting risk" because it didn't give properly like other materials do.  Mine laces up from the bottom to the top.  I don't wear it when I'm performing because singing in a corset, unless you're only singing like one song or two, is disadvised.  But for things like the big pirate ball this weekend, where I'm only going for around four or five hours and I'm not performing are the perfect time for me to wear it.

Jay Angler wrote:I think it's very important to recognize the huge difference between a "working corset" and a "tight, tiny waist" corset. The former supports the back using many of the same principles as a lumbar back brace for men working in heavy labor jobs.

Be aware, if a corset is supporting muscles, those muscles aren't working. It would be important to have strengthening exercises to try to strengthen the back muscles as opposed to being completely reliant on the brace if at all possible (this depends on diagnosis for example).  

As someone who finds bras extremely difficult to fit, I may well try the corset approach at some point.

I shifted to almost exclusively corsets about 3 years ago when the Covid 'gift' that keeps on giving was causing excruciating pain and tenderness across my upper back and shoulders.  Needing a 36dd or more (thanks Ma..NOT) made bras really hard to put on, anything requiring upper arm strength and mobility was misery. Corsets aren't much harder to put on and left my upper back/neck free for voltaren, tens pads, muscle hook, massage gun etc.
surprise!!  Way more comfy and I haven't gone back to reg bras even though physically I don't have a problem putting them like I did.

so- I can't imagine how a corset would have to be built and tightened for it to keep you from using your back and core muscles.  if anything, it helps me with my posture.  I babysat for a kid decades ago who had to sleep in a plastic shell thing for his spine- a corset is not anything like that.  guys who wear a belly wrap back support brace don't need special exercises to help them with their back...

there are almost Zero custom corset makers anymore- I just bought a dozen different makers and styles and found some that really work great and are super comfortable.
a real corset for function ( not Ren Faire or bedroom play) is sturdy cloth with wire braided almost, to be rigid but flexy

corsets suck for hiding them under modern clothes- they make weird lines across the upper back and if they are the long-line type they can fall below a shirt or sweater, but for corral-ing excess boobage they are primo!!

any questions, hit me up!
Lee

Long time wearer of corsets here.  My youngest daughter is very into cos-play and as I sew, (I'm working on a set of winter skirts today), she dragged me into the world of costumes.  Well, costumes as actual wearable art that is, meaning from the skin out as much as possible.  I sewed my first corset for a costume party we were to go to together, and began to wear it to work to break it in for the big night.  By the time it was worn enough for me to wear daily, I was hooked.  They are so much more comfortable for those of us with more than we'd like up top.  I haven't worn a bra in almost 10 years.  The important things to remember are:

First of all find the right size.  All corsets are, by design, adjustable.  A good place to go is corsetstory.com, they have a sort function on their website for sizing.

Second, wear something underneath to keep the corset clean and to keep your skin from rubbing on the lacing and hardware of the corset.  Yes, most come with a modesty panel, but some don't bother and still others come with lacing along the sides or fronts.  These NEED to be on top of a layer of cloth for cushioning.  

Third, yes they can be worn for almost any occasion, but wearing them daily means that you must take some time off and work those back muscles.  Yes, people did wear them constantly during some parts of history, but those muscles did get weaker - not fainting weak, but weaker than I liked.  I only wear mine to work and go without anything on the weekends to help keep my muscles strong.  

Forth, never tight-lace.  A corset should have a hand's width between the edges on the back.  That's where that modesty panel comes in.  Tight-lace and you get into the so called reasons no one should wear a corset.  Not that you feel it when you wear a tight-laced corset, but yes, tightness of breath, too squished organs, etc - all come from a too tightly laced corset.  When you first put your corset on, take a deep breath and then lace up.

I find that the support I get from the overbust style is tremendously helpful.  I hadn't been able to run in years because of the pain of bouncing.  Now, if necessary, I can run for as long as I have wind for it.  I no longer get blood blisters from pinching underwires, dents in my shoulders from straps trying to hold up far more than they really should be, and back pain from simply having large breasts.  The process to get into my corset actually takes less time than getting into a bra did.  The first time you wear one, yes it takes a bit of help and time to 'set' to your personal shape for the first wearing, but after that it goes on super fast.

I would recommend a corset for anyone who isn't a small breasted person.  They literally last for at least a year, and most often far longer than that.  The support cannot be denied, and as long as you don't tight-lace, you aren't harming your body.

Annette