The presence in contemporary wardrobes of a garment from the 19th century, physically oppressive and associated with women’s inferior status, suggests that somehow the image of the corset still finds an echo in our societies - though perhaps its meaning has evolved and changed. The disappearance and reappearance of the corset in 20th century fashion seem to be linked to the cyclical changing of fe
male shapes, especially to the waist being enhanced or concealed. During the 20th century, the corset was regularly revived as outerwear when part of a revival, or simply suggested by designs that try to obtain the hourglass figure inherited from it. Today, corsets are still worn by enthusiasts and as part of fetishistic, cross-dressing and burlesque practices; and while they may no longer be part of the average woman’s everyday routine, they have never truly disappeared from fashion. In the '70s, Vivienne Westwood began using corsets as part of her historicist punk aesthetic; Westwood imagined her corsets as empowering women rather than binding them. Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler incorporated corsets into their designs in the 1980s. Stella McCartney, Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga have all experimented with corsets or corset-like tailoring in their designs, sometimes layering the corsets over garments rather than under them, subverting them from underwear into outerwear. Corsets also have a long tradition in fashion photography, where they are used to symbolise female sexuality., corsets are still very much on trend.
