They are seen by many as uncomfortable relics from the Victorian age . But it seems corsets are undergoing a revival – as well as the hourglass figures they create . One leading retailer , What Katie Did , which specialises in the garment , said it had seen sales grow by half in the last three months . Online retailer eBay also boasted of a 54 per cent surge in modern corset sales since December . Scroll down for video . Reality TV star Kim Kardashian posted a picture of herself wearing a corset in October , sparking a trend . What Katie Did founder Katie Thomas said she believes part of the rise in popularity is down to reality television star Kim Kardashian 'with her tiny waist and big hips ' . Miss Kardashian posted a picture of herself wearing a corset on her Instagram page in October last year with the hashtag 'waist training ' . Mrs Thomas said : 'It 's more about being confident , powerful and being in control while looking good as well . It has absolutely nothing to do with men at all . ' She added : 'This year is a peak year and the last peak year was 1955 ; before that it was 1895 . ' More recently , actress Lily James has shown off a tiny corseted waist in pictures for the Disney film Cinderella . Actress Lily James , 25 , wears a pale blue ball gown , which goes in at the waist before billowing out . In pictures released ahead of the film , which will be shown in cinemas later this month , actress Lily James came under fire for her tiny waist . In the film , Miss James , 25 , wears a pale blue ball gown , which goes in at the waist before billowing out . Rather than an extreme diet , Miss James , who rose to fame in television series Downton Abbey , revealed that her slimline figure was created by a corset . Speaking to American entertainment website E ! Miss James told of how she had been restrained to a liquid diet in order to fit into the contraption . She said : 'If you ate food it did n't really digest properly , and I 'd be burping all afternoon [ … ] and it was just really sort of unpleasant . ' I 'd have soup so that I could still eat but it would n't get stuck . ' In an interview with The Huffington Post , Miss James added : ' I 'm very healthy and I always have been . 'The costume is beautifully designed ; it goes in at the waist and the skirt is big and full and accentuates the shape . I felt like a princess in it . Corsets are always hard to wear . ' Miss James said she had been restrained to a liquid diet in order to fit into the tight-fitting corset . Madonna ( left ) sported a risque custom-made Givenchy corset at The Grammy Awards last month , while Kylie Minogue ( right ) wore a scarlet bodice during a performance in Australia last night . Costume designer Sandy Powell said that getting Miss James into the corset took up to 10 minutes . In an interview with fashion magazine ELLE , she said of the corset : 'Of course it feels different from wearing a T-shirt—it 's restrictive . 'If the corset is made well by a proper corset-maker and fit to the exact measurements of the person wearing it , there should be no pain whatsoever . You put it on , it feels tight , and eventually it loosens up and molds itself to your body . ' Stars including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Madonna have also been photographed in corsets . Actress Cate Blanchett , who was awarded a BAFTA for her portrayal of the queen in 1988 film Elizabeth I said of her costume : ' I 'm one of those strange beasts who really likes a corset . ' Yet now the type of underwear , which can reduce waist size by up to four inches , has also soared in popularity with normal women . Corsets are also being used by some as a weight loss technique . One online business The Corset Diet , claims that wearing a corset , which comes with a pricetag starting at £55 , can help shed weight 'within weeks ' . Yet critics of the corset warn that the garment can damage muscles and affect breathing . If too tight , a corset could bruise the kidneys and liver , experts have warned .
One leading retailer - What Katie Did - reported sales boom in three months . Founder Cinderella says rise in popularity down to Kim Kardashian . Miss Kardashian posted picture of herself wearing a corset in October . More recently Lily James has shown off tiny-corseted waist for Katie Thomas .