What's the point? I'm talking about items like the Spoil Me basque ( http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/product.cfm?p=32859 ) - experience shows that the stays don't do anything for my figure. Yes, they do stop the fabric from riding up, but that's more than outweighed by making it impossible to sit down. So I ended up removing the front and side stays and guess what: The basque feels and looks just the same - except now I can actually wear it :)
Going to try the same thing with the Indulge Me basque, if necessary... (and if it fits when standing up)
I can guess they are plastic boning? If so then they aren't designed to significantly alter your shape but they do give a light structure to a piece, help the garment stay in place and make for a lighter and more wearable garment. As you have found not all ready made pieces suit all body dimensions; I would probably have the same problem as you as I have a short distance between the bottom of my ribcage and hips. Plastic boning can give a very small amount of definition in shape when used in a suitable pattern and with the right materials. I have a waspie which does gently emphasise my waist but nowhere near as much as my steel boned corsets. It achieves this by the use of some power mesh, the construction of the garment, some interior waist tape and the plastic boning. However that pushes up cost. It is very gentle but very wearable. Custom fitted articles while they will fit you perfectly, cost more and while I know many places that will custom size lingerie they sell, not all do because of the costs and the capacity to offer such a service in making such pieces but also additional costs involved. There are a good few articles about the costs related to producing lingerie online which are quite enlightening. But for many places they have to cater to a wide range of sizes and shapes so plump for ones that will cover what is average, what past sales analysis shows and feedback from customer reviews.
Sorry for all that but I do find this side of lingerie interesting as I did toy with learning about how to make it and follow a few blogs and small brands where they detail many of the matters when it comes to that.
Ready-made steel boned corsets can present the same problem if you don't find out the length at various points, some places do provide these though and it helps with that part of fitting. I can imagine such information may help with basques and added guidance on the sizing for such garments. That said you have found that altering it has made it better for you and with no difficult changes needed. Sometimes a minor alteration to a ready-made piece is all it takes to get it to suit you better.
I can guess they are plastic boning? If so then they aren't designed to significantly alter your shape but they do give a light structure to a piece, help the garment stay in place and make for a lighter and more wearable garment. As you have found not all ready made pieces suit all body dimensions; I would probably have the same problem as you as I have a short distance between the bottom of my ribcage and hips. Plastic boning can give a very small amount of definition in shape when used in a suitable pattern and with the right materials. I have a waspie which does gently emphasise my waist but nowhere near as much as my steel boned corsets. It achieves this by the use of some power mesh, the construction of the garment, some interior waist tape and the plastic boning. However that pushes up cost. It is very gentle but very wearable. Custom fitted articles while they will fit you perfectly, cost more and while I know many places that will custom size lingerie they sell, not all do because of the costs and the capacity to offer such a service in making such pieces but also additional costs involved. There are a good few articles about the costs related to producing lingerie online which are quite enlightening. But for many places they have to cater to a wide range of sizes and shapes so plump for ones that will cover what is average, what past sales analysis shows and feedback from customer reviews.
Sorry for all that but I do find this side of lingerie interesting as I did toy with learning about how to make it and follow a few blogs and small brands where they detail many of the matters when it comes to that.
Ready-made steel boned corsets can present the same problem if you don't find out the length at various points, some places do provide these though and it helps with that part of fitting. I can imagine such information may help with basques and added guidance on the sizing for such garments. That said you have found that altering it has made it better for you and with no difficult changes needed. Sometimes a minor alteration to a ready-made piece is all it takes to get it to suit you better.
I really dislike plastic boning too. I have a relatively short torso, and I have to consider this with my steel boned corsets. There are some beautiful longline styles, but I just can't wear them. :(
So why do manufacturers build a feature that's expensive (I suppose, after all the stays need to be bought, the channel needs to be sewn, the stay inserted and the channel closed - quite a bit of extra work), fulfills no purpose I can see and reduces the number of potential customers for the product?
I don't think they serve no purpose. I've worn bustiers and dresses with plastic boning in the bodice, I have bras, mainly long-line with plastic boning and my satin and power mesh waspie. All very different items of clothing and lingerie with different applications of plastic boning. What it is no good for is reducing your size significantly. It can do something combined with power mesh which does stretch but it is stronger than a lot of other elasticated materials, used with plastic boning and a good design, it can be a great control material but it is more expensive.
There's the issue, a company producing lingerie has to balance cost of materials, labour and manufacturing with profits made from sales. Even reasonably affordable lingerie is not cheap to produce as a basic bra is not easy to make. To make a profit a company has to decide if they will do that by producing lots of a product at an affordable price that will fit the vast majority or others ways such as producing more expensive pieces to manufacture and selling at an appropriate price. A lot of companies I know make enough profit to cover all costs and not much left over so they aren't exactly swimming in cash. Producing multiple sizes along different factors such as bodice length is a risk for a company and can be costly if it turns out there isn't enough demand.
You are explaining why LH uses S/M/L sizing for its products but I totally understand, I do the same thing. I do not understand why a manufacturer would install an expensive feature that makes it more difficult to sell an item!
You are explaining why LH uses S/M/L sizing for its products but I totally understand, I do the same thing. I do not understand why a manufacturer would install an expensive feature that makes it more difficult to sell an item!
^^ It doesn't make it more difficult to sell them... I'm a bit confused as to where you've got this information from, Talia.
We sell more basques than almost any other style of lingerie, and basques have one of the lowest returns rates too, so most people love the overall design.
It sounds to me as though basques may just not be the right garment for you. After all, not all products work for all people. Personally, I hate triangle bras on me: the do nothing to flatter or support my chest. This doesn't mean that the design of the product is bad - they work for millions of other women. It just means that they don't work for me. Therefore, I shop for something different.
The purposes they serve are (as you said yourself) boning helps to keep the material in place, particularly when worn without stockings. As well as this they add structure to the garment and create a different sensation for the wearer which feels more restrictive than loose lingerie, without being as restrictive as a corset.
My recommentation would be for you to browse some different lingerie styles to find something which you do like. The fact of the matter is, basques have remained unchanged for many, many years, and sales are fantastic, which tells us (as a business) that the design works. I'm sure you can appreciate that if we changed the design of a product every time a customer told us they didn't like something about it, we would never sell anything! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
The good news is there are many different styles of lingerie available to suit all tastes and preferences. If you're not a fan of plastic bones, maybe you should check out fitted chemises instead?
....We sell more basques than almost any other style of lingerie, and basques have one of the lowest returns rates too, so most people love the overall design.
...If you're not a fan of plastic bones, maybe you should check out fitted chemises instead?
Thanks for the info - as nobody here spoke out in favour of stays I was just assuming (and making an ass of me in the process ;) ) that other people have the same problems as I. And yes, I do prefer fitted chemises if they create a nice breast shape.