A corset can be defined as a close-fitting piece of clothing that has been stiffened by various means in order to shape a woman's torso to conform to the fashionable silhouette of the time. The corset as an undergarment had its origin in Italy, and was introduced by Catherine de Medici into France in the 1500s, where the women of the French court embraced it from then on corsets have been an important part of women’s wear throughout the ages.