Corsets seen as couture: These luxury undergarments are for the ultra wealthy

A floral bustier at the showroom of Cadolle, a company that has been making custom lingerie for almost 140 years. Photo: The New York Times

In a subterranean workroom of a building on Rue Saint-Honore in Paris, there are cabinets filled with bags of Chantilly lace in myriad shades: Yves Klein blue, sherbet orange, a silvery periwinkle.

Nestled between the furniture are some half-dozen sewing machines, at which a small staff of seamstresses works while constructing corsets for Cadolle, a company that has been making custom lingerie for almost 140 years.