I've worn fashion corsets for years, but never really got the real hourglass effect I was after. Earlier this year I invested in a proper, steel boned corset with a lot more curved shape. (Some of you have seen the pictures on twitter and will have seen how dramatic the difference is.) Today I managed to close it fully without any difficulty. This is partly due to me losing a little bit of weight during the last few weeks (I always lose/gain weight on my midsection first.) I haven't been seriously waist training at all. I'm now considering going down a size, but I'm slightly worried about getting too extreme. I know there are a lot of dangers associated with waist training if it's not done properly, but my first corset was an easy and completely painless experience.
I know there are a few others on here who have worn waist training corsets. I'm interested to know when you stopped and why.
I've worn fashion corsets for years, but never really got the real hourglass effect I was after. Earlier this year I invested in a proper, steel boned corset with a lot more curved shape. (Some of you have seen the pictures on twitter and will have seen how dramatic the difference is.) Today I managed to close it fully without any difficulty. This is partly due to me losing a little bit of weight during the last few weeks (I always lose/gain weight on my midsection first.) I haven't been seriously waist training at all. I'm now considering going down a size, but I'm slightly worried about getting too extreme. I know there are a lot of dangers associated with waist training if it's not done properly, but my first corset was an easy and completely painless experience.
I know there are a few others on here who have worn waist training corsets. I'm interested to know when you stopped and why.
Hi Caliente
You're right - waist training can be very dangerous if not done properly (and still carries risks when it IS done properly) so if you're thinking about doing it, please please do your research. There are loads of sites specifically geared up to support waist training so read around the subject before you dive in. Remember that waist training is not temporary, and the long term goal is to permanently change the shape of your body (much like foot binding, ear / neck / lip stretcing etc).
If you just want to create a dramatic hourglass silhouette whilst wearing a corset, I'd recommend buying steel boned corsets that are sized 4 inches smaller than your natural waist. Also, make sure your corset ties in the middle of your back (not the top or the bottom). A fully tied corset should always have a gap of 1-2 inches at the back. As soon as the back touches, your corset is too big for you.
Thanks so much, Jess. I promise I reearched a lot before I started this! I'm not looking for a dramatic reduction, only an inch or two. My first corset was 4 inches smaller than my natural waist, but now it's 2.5 inches smaller. This is definitely mostly due to me losing weight, rather than the corset changing my body. Now that it's too big I'm thinking I will buy a size smaller, so I can wear it slightly open, but I also don't want to get carried away buying smaller and smaller corsets all the time.
If you just want to create a dramatic hourglass silhouette whilst wearing a corset, I'd recommend buying steel boned corsets that are sized 4 inches smaller than your natural waist. ...
I've learnt that from Lovehoney's video on choosing and putting on a corset - which is why I'm very disappointed that LH doesn't currently sell a single corset that's sized in inches :( (or have I overlooked one? Will they be back?
If you just want to create a dramatic hourglass silhouette whilst wearing a corset, I'd recommend buying steel boned corsets that are sized 4 inches smaller than your natural waist. ...
I've learnt that from Lovehoney's video on choosing and putting on a corset - which is why I'm very disappointed that LH doesn't currently sell a single corset that's sized in inches :( (or have I overlooked one? Will they be back?
Unfortunately no one was buying them! It seems most customers who come to Lovehoney shop for fashion corsets, and don't want steel boned waist cinchers 😥 This made me sad also as I'm addicted to steel boned corsets.
There are no plans to bring them back any time soon as they weren't selling, but if you want to see them come back, I'd highly recommend posting some suggestions on the Pander to Me thread.
I have no idea where they are sold or what I would like. I bought the red Baci one http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=35531, even though at size 12 - 14 the XL should be too small for me. But I just measured it at 29.5 inches in the waist, which should be perfect. Except that when I really cinch a corset closed, I look okay in front - but at the back there's rolls of fat rising up over the corset - not a good look!
By far the best and most dramatic hourglass figure I get from a "corset" with plastic half-bones. Probably because there the hourglass shape is worked into the cut of the corset (the corset has a pronounched waist when lying flat), with ruffles at top and bottom emphasizing breast and hips. I like myself so much in it that I seriously wonder how/where I could wear it out and about as outerwear...
Talia, I have exactly the same problem with corsets that don't have enough of a curved shape to them. They don't cinch my waist properly, and just push the excess fat up my back and down my tummy when I try to tighten up more. Not sexy!
I've only worn a corset as outerwear a few times on very special oaccasions. I'm currently waiting for the right time to wear my waist training corset on the outside of my clothes. I'm a bit nervous as I'm not sure what the reactions wil be. I'm expecting a few lectures.
So you are saying that the problem is not (only) my excess fat, but the shape of the corset? Sounds logical - when I think about it I don't see how a rather straight corset could create a curved figure, seeing that the lacing goes all the way from top to bottom. I guess I'll wait a bit and if it still doesn't look good when my excess weight it gone, I'll send it back. Which would be a pity, because I rather like the colour, and even the hooks close easily.
Firstly, all corsets "squish" so even in areas where you don't carry much fat, you'll see rolls appear. This is 100% normal and to be expected - if you compress your middle, the soft bits have to go somewhere!
The key is in lacing your corset properly to control where this excess "soft stuff" goes.
Where the fat distributes is partly to do with quality, shape and cut (underbust/longline/overbust etc) of the corset, but is mostly to do with the way you wear it and how it's laced. If you don't wear and lace your corset properly, you'll get overhang at the top and a straight up and down shape rather than the hourglass silhouette you're looking for.
There are loads of guides online for this but the key rules are:
- Always make sure the bow sits in the middle of your back (not the top or bottom)
- Bend over before putting your corset on (to allow as much body fat to come to the front of your body as possible - same as you do when wearing a bra)
- Tighten from the top first down to the middle (ideally someone should lace you in to get a proper fit)
- Then tighten from the bottom up to the middle
- YANK, tighten and puuuuullll in the middle. Finish with a bow (not a knot)
- To keep your corset in good condition always loosen it before taking it off (don't be tempted to simply undo the busk without undoing the back first)
- If your corset comes with a ribbon style tie at the back, I recommend swapping it out for something more sturdy, like a rope / shoelace style corset tie. You can pull much harder on these, and they're less likely to get tangled or knotted.
Thanks for the advice, Jess. I do my best lacing up, although I have no choice but to do it myself. I think the shape really makes a difference on me because some of the corsets I've tried don't have enough hip spring for my natural shape. With straighter shaped corsets I can't find a way to make the laces stay parallel without it being far too loose on me. And I've read that not keeping the laces parallel can damage the corset?
...I think the shape really makes a difference on me because some of the corsets I've tried don't have enough hip spring for my natural shape....
I think you are right, I feel the same. I tried all of Jess's tips yesterday with the Baci corset - http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=35531 -, and the bending forward really made a difference. Untill I started to lace up (beginning at the top) - then the corset squished my breasts flat! When I tried adjusting the corset downwards, in the hope it would push my breasts up and out, the rolls in the back were bigger than ever!
So I spread the corset flat and looked at it critically, and the cut is pretty much straight, up and down. I really don't see how it could create (the illusion of) curves. Even the Sweet Streak Corset style bustier - http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=16664 - is curvier than the Baci one.
Whereas I didn't even know that the edges of the corset under the laces should be parallel, I don't manage to lace in such a way that there's more space at top and bottom and only the waist is cinched. I think I'd need to have three separate sets of laces for that: One for the breast, closed loosely, one for the hip, closed equally loosely, and one for the waist, cinched really tight.
Actually, that might be an idea - has anybody ever tried?
Talia - I don't know how much it matters about the back being parallel for fashion corsets, I'm only going by the blogs I have read on steel boned waist training corsets. The advice is always that if the corset laces are closer together in the middle and farther apart at the top/bottom (like an X shape) then the corset is too big.
Jess - I tried leaning forward putting it on and it definitely helped a little with my belly bulge. I still have the unpleasant back roll, but I think I just have to accept that I have a fleshy back no matter how much weight I lose! Thanks for the advice.