How the corset is shaping up to be fashion's latest trend

After a first, but short-lived, foray into fashion in 2021, the corset now seems to be back on the scene. Image: Pushba / Shutterstock

Back from the dead in 2021 thanks to the growing influence of TV shows on fashion, the corset could well become a must-have item in 2022. Once considered constraining, even oppressive, for women—a far cry from the body positive and #MeToo movements—the garment now seems to be viewed in a different light, somewhere between emancipation and self-assertion.

The corset first made an appearance in the Spanish court, where its function had nothing to do with the one that women attribute to it today. At the time, it was a question of keeping the female torso straight, upright and tall, apparently making it much more aesthetically pleasing. As such, it quickly became an essential piece of the aristocracy's wardrobe. It was certainly constraining too—although women weren't explicitly aware of it at the time—but it brought that extra touch of presence or authority that high society could ill ignore.

It took decades for women—ever more active—to free their bodies from these useless fetters and rid themselves of this garment once and for all. Or at least, that's what they thought. Who could forget the scene from the "Titanic" movie where Rose (Kate Winslet) is manhandled by her mother, impertinently lacing her corset to further refine her perfectly cinched waist? Who would ever want to force themselves back into this tyrannical accessory?

A tentative return

It only took one TV series—and one style, "Regencycore"—to revive this previously shunned item. Released just over a year ago on Netflix, "Bridgerton" takes viewers into a world of high society during the English Regency era in the early 19th century, once again putting the corset in the spotlight. The effect was immediate, with the historical romance boosting, almost irrevocably, searches for this item of much (female) misfortune. One month after the release of the drama, the global fashion search platform Lyst observed a 123% increase in searches for the category. And that's quite a feat at a time when emancipation and self-affirmation seem to be challenging conventions and diktats in the fashion and beauty sectors.

But the phenomenon quickly faded away, at least in appearance, relegating the corset to the rank of an outdated accessory, at best intended to embellish a daring costume party disguise. In real, day-to-day life, it was more about slimming down your waist, playing with lacing and lingerie pieces—whether under or on top of clothes—than about impairing women's ability to breathe. But that was before the artistic directors of the biggest fashion houses decided, in turn, to propel the corset onto the catwalks. And so the eternal cycle of fashion starts again...