Master Corsetry Thread (Post A Review!)

[Flynn MacCallister]

I have a question- Other than busks in the front, what other ways can a corset be closed in front? I just don't have the money to buy more busks at the moment... On the other hand I have plenty of grommets to work with..

Lacing down the front as well is pretty common, as is not having a front opening at all. You can put a nice contrasting panel in the front if you don't have front lacing or a busk, which is a definite plus. The big minus, of course, is that you have to have the laces a little longer than otherwise so you can wriggle in, so you may need to do some creative knotwork to get rid of the excess.

Gallery Serpentine's Femme Fatale is laced down the front, and I did a shoot wearing one the other week, specifically to show off the degree of waist reduction that thing will give... and I'm going to have to say that anyone claiming you can't lace as tight in a front-and-back-lacing corset.... you're way off the money. If you use the same type of contruction for the front opening as the back, you're not going to have any issues with that.



(^ That's not me.)

[Flynn MacCallister]

Lady B., I can suggest that Timeless Trends has some with straight-cut top but of course it depends on what you think is breaking your wallet. The corsets are $99, but absolutely worth it. I made the mistake of buying a cheap one, thinking it wouldn't really make much of a difference and I had to sew the whole thing back together. :/

Sum, that's an idea, but I don't think I'd ever be able to go into public without feeling mortified. x.x I'm thinking about maybe getting a decent sports bra that has support and such but doesn't make me look horrid. The thing that stinks is it works with my silhouette (the opera lady feeling, that is), since I'm a fairly curvy girl. I do have this one that seems to at least hold it in, so I might use that for now. It's the crazily uncomfortable barmaid cleavage that makes it yuck. But I think I've got a handle on it, so we'll see! Thanks, though. :]

I don't remember if you said... have you tried with just a regular minimiser bra?

[AlegrahEredschtadt]

I don't have a real minimizer, no, since I find them terribly uncomfortable for everyday wear. I have one full coverage that acts sorta like a minimizer that will do because it manages to make it where I actually don't have cleavage. I guess going from an overbust and getting smushed to an overbust that lifts was a bit of a shock. It doesn't look decidedly bad, just not something I thought of for some reason.

[Ms Fisher]

Flynn that feme fatal corset is gorgeous, previously to this i've only encountered corsets with back and front lacing that are more bodice/belt less corset, that is clearly all corset.

To hazard my opnion on the underust/bra debate I recently brought a bra quite by accident (damn the sales!) which is very comfortable with my underbust corset, the description is a touch on the scandolous side, but since I think its what made it work

Spoiler: ShowHide

 its underwiered, with a cup whos bottom half is padded and top half is stretchy netting, I normally wear a DD but this is a generous D so the wire is further from my armpit and the netting part is serious all over coverage kind of triangle style along with the padding in the bottom which I think stops the splaying everything is where it should be

. 
Yes the push up effect of the corset is still a little staggereing but I find I like it alot more with a decent bra

[AlegrahEredschtadt]

That rather makes sense. I've found a sports bra like that, actually. Almost bought it but the damned straps are too long no matter what I do. We'll see when I start having to wear the corset in public, I suppose. Which shouldn't be too much longer, hoping. I also need to post a better picture than my avatar, considering it's all rainbow-fied and such.

[Flynn MacCallister]

EEEE MY GOSH. I just ordered a new GS corset -- the Edwardian with alternating pannels of black satin and this gorgeous limited edition green oriental brocade. Love love love!

[aldebaran]

EEEE MY GOSH. I just ordered a new GS corset -- the Edwardian with alternating pannels of black satin and this gorgeous limited edition green oriental brocade. Love love love!

Yay! I'm having a new corset and overskirt made for my GS wedding outfit, so I can wear it again without looking all bridal. So the chemise and petticoat will be white satin, with a burgundy taffetta Lucretia corset and burgundy overskirt.

[Flynn MacCallister]

EEEE MY GOSH. I just ordered a new GS corset -- the Edwardian with alternating pannels of black satin and this gorgeous limited edition green oriental brocade. Love love love!

Yay! I'm having a new corset and overskirt made for my GS wedding outfit, so I can wear it again without looking all bridal. So the chemise and petticoat will be white satin, with a burgundy taffetta Lucretia corset and burgundy overskirt.

Oh, wow, that sounds gorgeous!

(Are you in Sydney, by the way?)

[aldebaran]

Oh, wow, that sounds gorgeous!

(Are you in Sydney, by the way?)

I can't wait until it's finished! If I'd been sensible, I'd have got one of their gold/red wedding outfits instead of ivory - but what can I say, they had it in my size and it was instant love. At least I can add modifications and wear it again.

I'm in Canberra.

[Ms Fisher]

Hi, has anyone tried to take in a corset ever? I have one i'd like to take in by about four inches. It has frayed panels around three of the bone cases, should I be scrapping it for parts?

[lady joanna]

Four inches is quite a lot, but if you can spread it out evenly amongst the seams it's doable. It's a lot of work though and it depends on how  aesthetically pleasing the finished result is.

I had to let out a corset yesterday and insert a gusset. It took ages to unpick the binding and then just two half seams! Am pleased with the finished result though and was a lot easier than putting in two new panels :-)

[Ms Fisher]

Thank you Joanna, I opend it up at all the seams and discovered the construction of the corset was such that the decorative layer was almost bound to fray-not impressed (The corset wasa brocade one by leatherotics). So its up a layer of drill, down about 5 inches in the waist, and still in a number of pieces!
I'll post some picks of it being worn soon I hope

[Kayt]

Question: What's the easiest way to get all the front closures like this to close, to latch in place? I bought a corset (might return it...it's more, er, flattering than I am comfortable with) and it was rather difficult getting them all in place without displacing others. Is there a certain order (top to bottom, or bottom to top) you recommend doing it in? Some trick to it?

[aldebaran]

Question: What's the easiest way to get all the front closures like this to close, to latch in place?

Loosen the lace at the back and wrap the corset around you. As long as the corset is loose, it doesn't matter whether you close the busk from top to bottom or the other way around. My personal preference is to start from the bottom and work upwards. The bottom line is, don't put pressure on the busk when you're opening or closing it.

[Flynn MacCallister]

Lookit me!
Lookit me!

Ahem.

Anyway.

Kayt, first up, that type of closure is called a busk, and I agree with Aldebaran. You have to loosen it right out at the back, wrap it around yourself, and then hook them together. I personally like to start from the middle and work up and down at the same time. Exactly what works best will depend on you and on your individual corset. It does take a couple of goes the first few times, but you get the hang of it pretty fast.

You should not have any pressure pulling on the busk as you're doing it up or undoing it. The corset should be very loose around you in both cases.

As for it being "too flattering", you can tuck/leave your breasts down a little bit, rather than pulling them up like you would into a bra. Just be careful not to make any folds, as a tightening corset around folded skin can hurt. (You are wearing it without a bra, right? If you aren't, and it is an overbust like in the picture, I strongly recommend you do; the bra and the corset try to push you into different shapes, and you can get some really funky effects happening.)

[Kayt]

Thanks, Aldebaran.

Flynn, mine's an underbust corset, and it fits well and all, but being on the modest side, once I tried it on I wasn't comfortable with how much it showed off my figure. I decided to keep it and experiment with different looks, though.

[AlegrahEredschtadt]

After going through the same situation, Kayt, I've found that wearing a less structured bra with minimal to no padding tends to make it a bit more to comfortable standards. Also, though, it depends on if you plan on wearing it under or over clothing.

[Ms Fisher]

Good luck with working out how you like wearing it Katy. My underbusts only get worn with high kneck lines, or in bar-maid cleavage appropriate situations also-the more I wear mine the better I like my chest to ribs right angle in it.

[LadyAsprin]

I have just got a corset from http://www.corsets-uk.com/ I stumbled over their site while looking for a shop to buy from in Edinburgh.  I got the WT-004 (pictured below), mainly since I needed a 26" and I have quite a large bust to waist.  I don't plan on using it for waist training but I needed a new corset for Whitby (I know I left it a bit late) and didn't want to spend too much.

Spoiler: ShowHide

They were very helpful although they forgot to send a email with the RM tracking number and when  we rang up to ask for the number they did say they had trouble finding the order,  we did get the number in the end.  With the cheap delivery it came in two days and when we found the corset I was going to get had sold out in my size they managed to change the order over the phone so it could be dispatched that day.

[clairdelune]

I've also ordered from corsets uk recently.  As someone from the states I was a bit worried about shipping times since there were loads of complaints of delayed shipments on their facebook page.  Luckily, my in stock item came in at the 10 day mark. 

For off-the-rack I thought the quality of my underbust was pretty good.  I ordered a steel boned green brocade corset which had the nice detail of a coordinating back panel to go under the laces. 
http://www.corsets-uk.com/authentic/underbust-corsets/steel-boned-underbust-corset-in-green-brocade-my-089-azl.html

With regular shipping my total came to US $67.50, which I consider a bargain for steel boned.

[LadyAsprin]

I've also ordered from corsets uk recently.  As someone from the states I was a bit worried about shipping times since there were loads of complaints of delayed shipments on their facebook page.  Luckily, my in stock item came in at the 10 day mark. 

For off-the-rack I thought the quality of my underbust was pretty good.  I ordered a steel boned green brocade corset which had the nice detail of a coordinating back panel to go under the laces. 
http://www.corsets-uk.com/authentic/underbust-corsets/steel-boned-underbust-corset-in-green-brocade-my-089-azl.html

With regular shipping my total came to US $67.50, which I consider a bargain for steel boned.

I must admit I hadn't read their Facebook page before ordering but their prices were so good I decided to take a gamble on it arriving on time.

[LadyAsprin]

My new corset has a modesty panel at the back.  Does anyone have any tips on how to put the corset on making sure the panel is properly in place without creases or showing skin through the gap - not because the panel is not wide enough but because it is not lying flat and has bunched up. ( I rarely have the assistance of a lady's maid).

[Ms Fisher]

lady asprin
The modesty panels are very very akward as far as i'm concerned and always end up abit wrinkled.
Actually, I found an early edwardian pattern for a knitted modesty panel on the web recently -designed to combat these problems.
Someone else may have a better solution(s) than mine but:
1) lace slowly, and pull the modesty panel tight everytime youve tightened the laces.
2) if its long enough-make sure the corners are sticking out top and bottom, tighten the corset most of the way then grab and pull with the corners of the modesty panel to pull it under the laces and get rid of the wrinkles. Then finish tightening the corset.

And, the unthinkable-if its all more hassel than its worth you could get rid of it

[LadyAsprin]

I have a few cheap vest tops which I have always worn under my corsets before and I think I will probably be removing the panel.

I have tried pulling it while lacing but I seem to just loosen the laces and then when I tighten its as if I did nothing at all.

[Ms Fisher]

I just realised I often end up having to slide my hand in under the lacing holding the modesty panel-particularly when I start to put a corset on. But, i'm happy if my panel covers the gap. I've never managed to get it flat