How the corset made its comeback

No longer exiled to just period dramas or Victorian-themed costume parties, the corset is back and bolder than ever. From haute couture runways to bridal collections, on the red carpet and even pervading streetwear, the corset has claimed its space in our wardrobes once more. When news recently broke of iconic on-screen character Carrie Bradshaw hanging up her Manolos, there was one image from the final season of And Just Like That that went viral—actress Sarah Jessica Parker sporting the ‘Cinderella dress,’ complete with silk boned corset.

She was, however, far from the first to harness its shape-hugging silhouette. A little history lesson – the corset’s origin as an undergarment traces back to Italy, but it rose to popularity in the 16th century, when it was introduced to the French courts by Catherine de Medici, and from then on, it was used to mould the body into a fashionable shape, with the laces of the corset tightened to the point of extreme rigidity.

By the Victorian era, it had become synonymous with female confinement, worn beneath layers of fabric to create a coveted hourglass silhouette. In the 1950s, Dior’s New Look hung upon a silhouette defined by a tiny, corseted waist and full, swirling skirts, but by the close of the 1960s boxier, loose-fitting dresses signalled a step away from a cinched midriff.

It was Madonna who catapulted corsets into pop culture in the 1990s by donning Jean Paul Gaultier’s cone bra corset on her Blond Ambition tour, transforming the undergarment into an emblem of female empowerment. Meanwhile, Dame Vivienne Westwood injected punk sensibility into 18th-century corsetry, regularly fusing rebellion with elegance in her ready-to-wear collections, in a way that still shapes corset culture today.

With the resurgence of 1990s trends in the last few seasons, the corset has been creeping further to the fore, and the red carpet has become its runway: Bella Hadid, the inarguable queen of the contemporary corset, has incorporated the silhouette into many of her awards ceremony looks.

At the 2024 Met Gala, Bones and All breakout star Taylor Russell turned heads in a sculptural high-neck, wooden corset by Loewe. It was undeniably ethereal, anatomical, and unforgettable. The corset was custom-made for the starlet—3D printed to fit her perfectly, before being painted using a method called hydro-sublimation, a technique which Loewe had previously used in their 2023 collection.

And then there’s Sabrina Carpenter, who has harnessed the corset for many of her performances and red carpet appearances—part showgirl, part pop princess, she continuously proves how the corset has found new life in the hands of Gen Z icons.

But the corset’s evolution isn’t limited to avant-garde couture or pop songstresses. Streetwear has taken a bite out of the craze too—think leather corset tops over baggy jeans, or corset-laced hoodies that nod to the silhouette while staying rooted in casual cool. On TikTok, #corset has billions of views, as creators style theirs over crisp white shirts or sheer dresses, layering rebellion in new, tongue-in-cheek ways.

Bridalwear has long championed the corset, but structured bodices have dominated recent couture collections. From Vivienne Westwood’s whimsical bridal corsets to Danielle Frankel’s deconstructed elegance, designers are using corsetry to sculpt silhouettes while still allowing space for softness, romance, and individuality. It’s no longer about cinching in to oblivion, more about emphasising the natural form.

In 2025, the corset is no longer just an undergarment; it’s a piece of wearable history made modern. And as long as there are bodies to dress and rules to bend, the corset will continue to evolve: tighter, looser, louder, softer. Any which way we please.

This article originally appeared on Harper'sBazaarArabia.com

Lead image: Getty Images

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