Research: Boning

Boning definition:

• To remove the bones from.
• To stiffen (a piece of clothing) with stays, as of whalebone.

Boning in Fashion:

• In fashion, boning refers to rigid strips of material used to maintain the shape of a corset or bodice. Each strip of boning material is called a bone or a stay. The bones are sewn vertically into the fabric of a corset or bodice. Bones may also contribute to the cinching properties of a corset, depending upon its strength. Stays were historically made of whalebone, ivory, other types of bone, and wood, but today they are made primarily of steel or plastic.

• The earliest types of corsets, worn from the 16th to 18th century, were designed to transform the upper torso into a very stiff, inverted cone shape. For this reason, very tough materials were used as boning, and there was little room between bones. In addition to whalebone, great cane was a popular support material in early corsets.
• In the 19th century, corsets became less restrictive, and stays were often used only on the front of the corset. The first steel boning dates from around this time, and when whalebone became scarce and expensive in the latter 19th century, people looked to different materials for corsetry. Bones were sometimes made of cork, a plant fiber called Coraline, or Featherbone, made from the quills of feathers.
  
  
  
  

  

  Alexander McQueen

  
  

  

  Artifice Clothing

  
  

  

  Clairelafaye

  
  

  

  Flower Brocade Metal Boning

  
  

  

  Jasz Couture

  
  

  

  Maya Hansen