Glossary

If you are unsure about what some of the words and terms specific to alternative clothing and the gothic scene mean, you can now look up the most common definitions in use in our online store.

Detailed descriptions and definitions for the most common clothing styles associated with the gothic scene, like cyber, punk, bondage or rockabilly are provided, along with clothing examples directly from our store.

We provide explanations and definitions to most of the fabrics our clothes are made along with their specific attributes, from common cotton and wool to satin, velvet and voile!
 
Corset

A corset is an elegant piece of clothing with extremely tight fit, whose primary purpose is to emphasize the womanly curves by reducing the waist, and thus exaggerating the bust and hips in comparison. Corsets divide into two main categories, overbust corsets that enclose the torso, and which extend from under the arms to the hips, and underbust corsets that begin just under the breasts. A third, shorter kind of corset which only covers the waist are, is commonly called waist ‘chincher’.

A genuine corset is made by a corsetiere (or corsetmaker) and is not to be mistaken for one of imitations commonly seen in the fashion industry, mimicking the look of a corset, sometimes even providing lacing and boning, but without any noticeable effect on the shape of the body when worn. Even in the gothic fashion scene, these fakes are also commonly misnamed corsets, but at The Black Angel, when we use the word corset, we refer to a genuine corset, made on demand for us by a renowned corsetiere.
 

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