Corsets are very easy to buy online as there are many shops to buy from. Choose a shop that offers easy returns and exchanges, which will allow you to try different sizes on. It can be tricky to get the correct sizing when you buy a corset for the first time. There are two types of corsets available: a fashion corset top or a steel boned corset. Only the steel boned variety of corset will give you the sought-after ‘hourglass shape’, because it reduces the size of your waist. This guide to wearing a corset will provide the advice you need to choose the correct corset for you.

If you suffer from back problems or find restrictive garments uncomfortable, then you should choose a fashion corset top. A fashion corset top is made of normal fabric and has lots of soft plastic boning in the seams, which gives you support and shape in all the right places. Fashion corset tops do not change the shape or size of your waist but will usually give a little boost in cleavage. A fashion corset top is worn like a normal top and usually fastens down the side with little hook and eye fasteners, or it fastens at the front with steel hooks. When you want to buy a corset top just order it in your usual clothes size, e.g. size UK 16.

A steel boned corset is made of layers of very strong fabric and finally covered with an outer layer of pretty fabric such as satin or lace. Steel boning can be quite flexible and it gives the garment support when the corset is firmly laced. A ready-to-wear steel boned corset will usually reduce your natural waist size by 5cm to 10cm. Also when you lace a corset and it becomes tighter, your cleavage is pushed upwards to give you a gorgeous sexy look!

When you buy a steel boned corset you will see that corset sizes are provided in waist size inches. It is important to note that the size you need to order is the ‘resulting’ waist size and not your natural waist size. This is how you calculate what size you need: measure your natural waist size in inches by holding your stomach in as you would normally hold it when standing up straight. Now take your natural waist size, in inches, and deduct 4″, e.g. if you have a 28″ waist and you deduct 4″, your corset size will be 24″. If you are between sizes then you would normally opt for the larger size if you have never worn a corset before, or the smaller size if you have worn one before, e.g. if you have a 29″waist, deducting 4″ means you will need a 25″ size. Round this up to size 26″ for new corset wearers or round it down to 24″ for experienced corset wearers.

Whatever corset type you’ve chosen from this guide to wearing corsets, you can be sure that you’re going to look and feel gorgeous with your new corset!

To see a wide selection of corset tops please visit Love Burlesque to see a selection of Corset Tops and Steel Boned Corsets

To make matter worse, the 1800′s, which was when corsets were at the real height of their popularity, perhaps the reason that ladies were forced to wear them was because they were considered to be weak in body and mind. Maybe the opinion was that the tightening of the corset around the middle would allow these poor weal creatures to be able to stand on their feet for the course of the day. Women who came from nobility or the upper classes would be wedged into their corset on a daily basis, often with the help of several servants who would tug on the cords to pull it tighter. The fact that the lack of circulation and ability to breathe freely often caused fainting only served to promote the idea of their weakness.

Corsets were also worn by the less well to do ladies of the time, although they weren’t necessarily required to wear them quite so tightly. The fact that they actually had to work meant that their corsets had to be much looser so that they could more readily perform their duties. What’s interesting to note is that the term “loose woman” came from those working ladies who were deemed to be lesser than their noble women, although given that all women were regarded with something close to contempt, it really isn’t saying much.

Thankfully we are now well beyond those days, with women proving that they are much more than just a pretty face. That doesn’t mean that the corset disappeared when women’s rights finally entered the picture, but it does mean that how corsets are viewed is completely different. The modern corset is made in styles and materials that make it a very stylish garment, as well as being one that still serves the function of slimming the waist, without crushing the internal organs in the process as they once often did.

The sexual revolution has also helped women realise that the corset can be a very effective weapon in their arsenal when it comes to soothing the savage man beast. There is nothing quite like a beautiful looking corset to accentuate the figure in all the right ways, and that has helped turn the tables in the favour of the ladies. Let’s face it, when that corset is revealed, it’s the man who becomes a weak, fragile thing who is nothing but putty in the hands of his woman.

Nina Young designs and makes corsets. To see a delightful selection of her designs please visit her boutique loveburlesque.com