Crinolines, Crinolettes, bustles and corsets from 1860-80

This could be done through making the corset longer and by using separate pieces of fabric than had been previously been done in the 1840s. Rigidity was increased and reinforced by using lots of strips of whalebone or by cording pieces of leather. Although heavy in structure, this procedure helped by preventing corsets from riding up or wrinkling up at the waist. Steam moulding created a more curvaceous figure. It was developed in the late 1860s by Edwin Izod and was still being used in the late 1880s to create a more elegant corset. A corset was dipped in starch and placed on a steam heated copper torso form until it dried into the required shape. The spoon busk was another invention which increased comfort, reserved health, reduced bulges and enhanced the figure ( V & A, 2015:7).


http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/crinolines-crinolettes-bustles-corsets-1860-1880/