Corsets have been around for a very long time, most notably in the Victorian Era when corsets were used by both men and women to give a desirable shape for underneath elaborate clothing. Women would force their waists in as tiny as possible for the sake of fashion. Back then, corsets were made with actual bones. In todays world, corsets are still very popular for special occaisions like bridal wear, burlesque dancing and fashion, or just for fun bedroom seduction.
The wonderful thing about the form fitting quality of a corset, bustier, or basque is that no matter your size; from slim figured to plus size, they make you feel like a goddess accentuating your womenly curves.
What’s the difference between a Basque, Corset, and Bustier?
Basques: A basque is made of a lightweight material usually with plastic boning in the important areas around the waist and bust. The fit is usually snug emphasizing and accentuating your shape. Usually it features a hook and eye closure. The Coquette Dot Mesh Teaser features burlesque styling and soft boning for a gorgeous fit. The Satin and Lycra Set is a wonderful basic that can be worn easily under clothing right into the bedroom for an evening of seduction! Sweet and sassy styles with vintage inspirations are the new Vintage Rose and Victorian Dreams sets.
Corsets: A corset is made from steel or plastic boning that will significantly bring in the waist and push up the breasts. This greatly accentuates the womenly hour glass shape by cinching in the waist and widening towards the bust and hips. They can be worn as outerwear or underwear and features a lace up back for cinching the corset closed. The burlesque inspired Burlesque Corset, Skirt, and G-String set is stunning and can even be worn as outerwear, but if you preference is more demure and vintage the I’m Yours Vintage Corset brings out the inner Contessa with its old world styling.
The White Brocade Corset is lightweight and perfect for underneath bridal gowns.
Bustiers: Bustiers are generally shorter, reaching just past the ribs or at the top of the waist. They are usually made from stretchy and sheer materials and do not feature boning but use under wiring and tailored fitting for a snug form fitting look. Some sexy sheer styles include the Embroidered Lace Lingerie Set and the Cupcakes Retro Cami and Thong Set.
Which Boning to Choose?
Plastic boning is nice because it is strong but still pliable, it will help you create the hourglass figure without significantly changing your bodies measurements. Plastic boning is great if you are wanting to wear the item out on the town or for performances such as burlesque or giving your partner a fun strip tease as you can still have ease of movement.
Metal boning is very strong and can reduce your waist measurements by up to 4 inches. Metal boning is very strong and supportive but it will reduce your ability to slouch or twist your body easily while wearing it.
Getting the Right Fit
For plastic boned corsets, basques or bustiers you want to fit it to your bra size. For example if you are a 32A,B or C cup you would choose the size 32. If you cup size is larger then a D you would want to choose to go up a size to a 34. If the sizes run according to a small, medium, large; the measurements usually refer to the rib cage size. For example a small would fit a 32, medium a 34 and a large would be 36. A bust size is not included because a plastic boned corset is flexible enough to range between an A – D easily.
Metal boned corsets are sized by the waist circumference as they are designed to reduce your waist size so you would want to go with this measurement.
To get your waist measurement you need to stand up straight and measure the slimmest part of your stomach just under the ribs.
Since you are trying to reduce your waist size you need to then take your natural waist measurement and then deduct 3 to 4 inches to get the size of your corset. For example if you have a 28 inch waist then you will need a corset that is a size 24. If you are concerned about that size being too tight then you can only reduce by 3 inches from your natural waist. The point of a steel boned corset is to slim the waist and to boost the bust, so it should be a snug fit.
Getting it on!
Bustiers and Basques are generally quite easy to get into as they usually use hook and eye closures like a bra but getting into a Corset can be a little tricky at first, but with some practice you should be able to slip it on without any help.
First you need to loosen the laces enough that the corset fits around your natural waist easily. Next you should wrap the corset around you so that it is sitting correctly, turn so that you can see what you are doing in a mirror and begin tightening the laces one by one starting at the top and working your way down. To stop them from re-losening you hold onto the first lace you tightened then pull the one beneath it while still holding the one above, work you way down this way until you reach the middle of the back where the first laces stop. Give them a final pull and tie them in place.
Then tighten the bottom set of laces working in the opposite direction from bottom to top, tighten at the middle and tie away the excess.
Getting it off!
Getting yourself out of a corset is a lot easier then getting it on. Simply untie the laces until it is loose enough that you can easily undo the clasps at the front. Taking the time to loosen the laces and not forcing the front will help lengthen the life of your corset so take care.
Trying a bustier, basque, or corset for the first time can be quite fun and the effect it has on your partner will be memorable!
