corset & basque

Janet Reger

Summary

Cream stretch Lycra entirely covered with turquoise-green ruched silk. Basque CF with decorative criss-cross ribbon lacing. Six bones with decorative casings. Half cups for bust with lace trimming. Shoulder straps and suspenders. CB fastening. Unworn.

Display Label

Glamorous richly-textured "retro" corsetry was revived by lingerie designers such as Janet Reger in the later 1970s and 1980s. Together with a return to romanticised "Edwardian" lace trimmed camisoles, frilled petticoats, camiknickers and negligees, corsets were produced for the "sexy" underwear market, often in alluring pastel colours, and made of luxurious silks and satins, edged with machine lace. Janet Reger is perhaps the most celebrated exponent of this luxury lingerie, still prospering today as her company retails widely in both Europe and the United States. Her products are seen as quintissentially feminine and sexy; and they are often bought by men as romantic presents. This corset from around 1980 is covered in ruched turquoise silk with decorative criss-cross ribbon lacing over the basque. It incorporates 6 bones with contrasting white casings, and also 4 suspender belts to attach to the stockings, and it is very similar is style to the early twentieth century corset pictured below. This revival corset was purchased on impulse by the donor in London, but was never worn.