To Busk or Not to Busk

A busk is a set of wide steel strips with loops and studs on it, located in the center front of a corset to provide support and an opening. There seems to be a lot of question from inexperienced buyers about whether or not you need a busk in your corset so I'm taking a few minutes today to de-mystify this odd piece of hardware.


Busks add cost to your corset, and if you are wearing your corset under clothing, the busk will make little bumps in the front where the studs are. So why would anyone want such thing?

Busks add strength. A busk is usually an extra 1" total of steel right at your stomach, where most of us are interested in a little extra control. Some corsets without busks still incorporate the extra steel boning, but it may depend on the design.

Busks also make things a little easier. What do I mean? A busk adds a center-front opening to your corset, meaning you do not have to completely lace and un-lace it every time you get dressed. With a busk, taking off your corset is as easy as loosening the lacing in the back and unhooking the front. You can even do it alone. Getting dressed is also so much faster! Instead of standing there for ten minutes while someone laces up your back, you wrap the thing around you, hook the front, tighten the back, and you are ready to go. Without a busk, you need to completely unlace each time you undress.

So why aren't standard hooks and eyes good enough for your steel corset? They bumps they make are smaller, and they don't add as much expense. The truth is they're perfectly fine on a standard modern control garment. They can take a moderate amount of tension, but with any real waist reduction, you will begin to see them buckle and fail--not something you want happening with your very special corset!


So the question remains: busk or no busk?

It comes down to what you are doing with your corset. Think about how you will be wearing it. Is this for a special occassion, like a wedding or Renaissance Faire, where you will have time and help getting dressed? How about time for undressing? Or are you planning to wear your corset regularly or where you will be getting dressed alone?

While some brides especially may have concerns about the little bumps a busk causes in the front of their dress, you might stop and think why you are concerned. Are you worried that someone might realize you are wearing a corset? They'll probably know, because nobody but Dolly Parton is that shape naturally! Corsets create a stylized figure that is instantly recognizable, and no tiny bumps on your front seam are needed to figure out that you've got steel under there.

Besides, with the increasing popularity of fine corsetry amongst the celebrity set (everybody loves to feel shapely), the public is becoming more and more used to the look of a corseted body.

If you are buying a garment this special, pick what is going to meet your needs. So don't be afraid to shell out the extra fifteen-to-twenty-five bucks for a corset with a busk if you think you are going to need one. Or, if you dont, and that means ensuring that there's a friend there to tie your corset strings, you tell that friend to feel honored!