Corsets, Bustiers and Basques

Rarely used for everyday wear, corsets and basques give the wearer and extended hourglass type figure.  They extentuate the hips and bust and breasts whilst slimming the waist.  They are often a deliberately tight fit and are made from a stiff material which is often laced-up at the back or front.  Basques and corsets often have garter straps for attaching to stockings, although these can normally be removed if needed.  A growing trend is for corsets to be worn as outerwear with jeans or smart trousers.

The primary difference between a basque and corset is that corsets fasten at the back, basques fasten at the front.