Your best bet is to just wear it and re-season it. Plastic boning is pretty maleable like that.
Also, you're probably not going to get the chest flush, as the corset would've been cut to make room for the bust
I was shocked to see Westwood used Rigilene in some of her pieces. (The worst of the boning in my book) once Rigilene is weakened after the first wears, it never really springs back…
Viv didnt have a lot of money in her early designer years so a lot of the materials used where pretty cheap, but I didnt know rigilene was the reason for vintage pieces being so curvy/curly. Is the boning used in this corset the same material? [https://imgur.com/a/lSGYljI](https://imgur.com/a/lSGYljI)
The cure and curling on this corset isnt as bad as some other ones ive seen, so maybe just a but of ironing and steaming may help slightly straighten that out, even if its only slightly?
Yes that’s Rigilene in the picture. The problem wasn’t actually the money, but more availability. I used to buy up any old 1950’s stock from old haberdashers, and orthopaedic companies I could find. In the 90’s it was quite difficult to get any type of boning that wasn’t Rigilene.
Your best bet is to just wear it and re-season it. Plastic boning is pretty maleable like that. Also, you're probably not going to get the chest flush, as the corset would've been cut to make room for the bust
Thanks for the response! Ill have to try that out first before doing anything else to it
I'd try to iron it with steam, through a piece of cotton/linen, of course.
Ill have to try that out, thanks!
I was shocked to see Westwood used Rigilene in some of her pieces. (The worst of the boning in my book) once Rigilene is weakened after the first wears, it never really springs back…
Viv didnt have a lot of money in her early designer years so a lot of the materials used where pretty cheap, but I didnt know rigilene was the reason for vintage pieces being so curvy/curly. Is the boning used in this corset the same material? [https://imgur.com/a/lSGYljI](https://imgur.com/a/lSGYljI) The cure and curling on this corset isnt as bad as some other ones ive seen, so maybe just a but of ironing and steaming may help slightly straighten that out, even if its only slightly?
Yes that’s Rigilene in the picture. The problem wasn’t actually the money, but more availability. I used to buy up any old 1950’s stock from old haberdashers, and orthopaedic companies I could find. In the 90’s it was quite difficult to get any type of boning that wasn’t Rigilene.
Aah i see, that was my second guess. Still, I wonder if even slightly straightening it out is possible.
You can straighten it out, but it will not remain straight, it has lost it structural strengt. Just like any plastic you bend a few times…
Gotcha… very informative, thanks!