corset rant
I got into a rather lengthy corset discussion yesterday. It was interesting. I know my corset isn't the St. George preferred corset and I really don't give a rats ass. It's comfy and it works for me. The last couple years Kate has been pushing these metal boned battle armor corsets that I loathe. I picked up Niki's yesterday and the thing seriously weighs 5lbs or maybe a tad more. I kid you not, we did everything but drop it on the bathroom scale. More than likely next year's corset will have straps, but what really irks me is that everyone who is pushing the period fabrics and such is saying use corset coutil (whether it be the cotton or satin coutil) and use metal boning. From what I understand metal boning was around--sort of in the 16th century, but nothing like what we have now and was used very sparingly. I'm pretty sure that the two big surviving corsets were actually reed or hemp, but PoF is in the other room and I don't feel like looking it up right now. The other thing is that they go WAY overboard with the boning and doesn't make any accomodation for body size. "Well, the pattern called for three pieces of 1/2" boning in the channels..." Okay, you're a size 10 and an A cup, you don't need something that will stop a bullet, if you were a 22 and a DDD then I could see it if that is what it would take to support and give the right shape. Satin coutil and 2-3 deep pieces of metal boning, no wonder Kate was begging to be let out of her corset after half a day in the heat because her core temp kept going up. Fuck that. I'll stick to my custom corset pattern generator corsets and my reed boning. I like having a corset that weighs 15oz., and period materials that actually let my core breathe. Next year's corset will more than likely be entirely made out of heavy linen and more reed. If I really wanted to torture myself with a pretty metal boned corset (because it really is beautiful) I'd put on my Vic. This isn't meant against anyone who likes metal boning, but it isn't the end-all be-all of boning, and to just think outside the conventional box.