Whether you are new to corsetry or a corset veteran, it is important to stay on top of the the various terms and phrases you might not be familiar with. Skinister decided to put this quick guide to help you learn some key vocabulary and help you know how to accurately describe your corset. This information covers the various parts of your corset, the main types of corset, and a number of corset terms and slang used by tailors and on internet forums.

These thin pieces of steel provide the rigid support that keeps a corset’s shape. Some corsets may have as few as 8 bones, while others may have a couple dozen bones.

Material sewn into the corset around the steel boning, keeping them secure and in place.

The center front of a corset which contains claps for closing a corset. These are often made of high quality steel so as to not break while tight lacing.

The extra material sewn into the top and bottom edges of a corset. This provides extra security for the boning while providing extra comfort for the wearer.

Often in the back of a corset, the lace is used to secure and tighten a corset around the waist. Lace can be adjusted to give a corset wearer a desired shape and level of comfort.

Reinforced steel rings added vertically to the back of the corset. Grommets hold the lace in place while providing extra strength to the corset, ensuring the corset sits flat and neatly once laced.

A small section of cloth behind a corset’s lace. This helps cover the middle back of the skin which would otherwise be exposed by the laced section of a corset.

A type of corset that is long enough to cover up the breasts. These corsets typically act as a replacement for a bra. The overbust styles will vary. Some styles may include more comfortable cups, while others will provide compression along the bust. Overbust corsets can be strapless, but some may include straps or sleeves. These corsets can sometimes be worn alone as a top with no other garment.

A type of corset that ends just below the breasts. These corsets are typically designed to be worn with a bra and and with a top or dress. Underbust corsets are often designed to be worn underneath clothing to create a stealthing effect.

Similar to a corset, waist cinchers provide a light amount of waist reduction when worn. These garments are often lighter than traditional corsets. Instead of utilizing tight lacing to achieve waist reduction, waist cinchers use elastic cloth to provide limited waist reduction. Waist cinchers don’t include any boning, so they are often more flexible and easier to wear than a traditional corset.

The process of slowly breaking in a corset, similar to breaking in a pair of shoes. A corset’s fabric and steel bones need to adjust to your natural curves before being able to provide you the best figure. Seasoning involves lacing the corset snuggly, but not tightly, so you may easily slide several fingers under the corset. After seasoning a corset for a couple hours each day for about a week, your corset will now be seasoned and ready for tighter lacing.

When someone wears a corset consistently over time with the goal of creating a semi-permanent figure modification. The practice involves wearing a corset daily for many years in order to achieve the desired shape.

The practice of wearing a corset laced as tightly as possible to create a maximum slimming effect. This term is often used to infer a more extreme style of waist training.

When one wears a corset under their clothing so nobody will notice the corset. Achieving this requires a well fitted and well seasoned corset. Ideally, the top and bottom of the corset will lay smoothly against the skin, as to help hide the corset.