Corset Shopping Advice, Please!

[SmilesByMiles]

I'm not sure if buying a corset online is such a great thing to do, personally I'd like to try it on before I buy as there are so many different sizes and shapes out there

 

[CorsetLvr]

I'm not sure if buying a corset online is such a great thing to do, personally I'd like to try it on before I buy as there are so many different sizes and shapes out there

In the case of an off the rack corset you are correct.

In the case of a custom corset that is usually not a problem. In addition, most women are not lucky enough to have a corsetier in their immediate area. In your case, being in the UK, there are several good corsetiers, especially in the London area. In my case, for example, I am not aware of any within 1000 miles of where I live. As long as you supply accurate meausrements to the online corsetier you should be OK. When I was making them I liked to do a final fitting before completing the corset and making sure everything fit properly. However, I wasn't making the large number of corsets that a professional was and that may have more to do with my inexperience than the actual need for a fitting.

 

[snowy ciara]

I really want a corset (well, more than one, but I've gotta start somewhere, right? ), but really don't know what I should look for, steer clear of, or where to shop.

Sadly, spending hundreds on a beautiful, custom-made number isn't in the cards for me right now. I'm not interested in permanently modifying my figure, just looking and feeling great when I put it on. My fuller figure also seems pertinent here.

What say you, CM, Etoile, and anyone else with corset experience?

I have nearly two years of corsetry under my be- er corset, due to some serious injuries sustained in a horse riding accident. Not going to go into painful detail here, but basically, I broke A LOT of stuff. My needs were different than yours will be, (you kinkster you!) but I do have a suggestion. If you have any sort of back injury or chronic back pain, you may need to get a prescription for a medical corset. (For example, I have a large busted friend with back pain from her bust. Her insurance will cover 75 percent of a corset, but will not cover breast reduction. They'll cover enhancement though. But that's another rant.) If you have decent insurance, you may be able to get all or part of a custom made corset paid for. I got a prescription, looked around, found a medical corset and bra maker who not only made serviceable garments, she made them pretty for me! When I got the first two made (long line, over bust corsets) I didn't have her dress it up. Honestly, I was in too much pain and too upset over everything to really care how pretty it was, but later my mum found an old pattern for a "busk cover" in our attic at home and ran me up several in different colors. She added bits of Velcro so that they could be placed over the corset and look nice. My next one (long line, under bust) I took a little more care in choosing fabric for the covering and the style. The shop that made mine charged a little extra for the modifications, but I was able to cover it easily, since the lion's share was covered by my insurance. I eventually had 6 made, (3 of which are still in use), and paid less than 100 usd for them. I sold two through a resaler, and made back a bit.

I found the over bust a bit more comfortable than the under bust, but I'm kinda small chested. I think that maybe they're more comfortable for me because I wasn't trying to accentuate my breasts. Most fetish corsets raise the bust and lift it, which gets uncomfortable after a while. I was merely trying to support my ribs, pelvis and hip. I'm flexible enough again that I can do the back laces myself, but I had to have help for a long time. Like CM, I frequently ended up wearing mine for 20+ hours a day. Now it's only like 8 or so, when I'm working and stuff. Right now I'm working on wearing mine for less hours a day, which means lots of strengthening exercises and such.

 

[Jezebel77]

I haven't picked the corset, but I've picked the fabric.

 

[snowy ciara]

how pretty!