Corsets were cemented as the trend of the moment during this year's Met Gala – but the OG shape wear is no longer exclusive to women. Below, we explore the wonderful world of modern wasp waists made for all genders
At this year's Met Gala's 'Gilded Glamour' theme – cemented in the late 19th-century fashion of The Gilded Age – brought out bustles, opera gloves and lavish textiles. This wealthy period in fashion history has served as inspiration for designers like Charles James (His "Butterfly" dress of 1955 is a marvel of manipulated fabrics), Rei Kawakubo ( Who took great inspiration from the exaggerated silhouettes of the era in Comme des Garçons’ 1997 “Lumps and Bumps” collection), and John Galliano in his take on opulent gilded fashion. But the sartorial element of the era to burst onto the fashion scene as of late – and onto the red carpet – is the corset.
If you look at runways, street style images, TikTok or fashion magazines you will notice corsets are everywhere right now. Looking at the Gilded gala fashion, corsets were worn by both genders, as seen on Lenny Kravitz, Ben Platt, Evan Mock as well as a plethora of female attendees. The garment has always been there throughout fashion history; think of Madonna on the Blond Ambition tour, Billie Eilish’s British Vogue cover, Marie Antoinette or fashion designers from Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier to Thierry Mugler and Alexander McQueen, and of course, Mr Pearl, the pioneer of corsets.