Corsets & Bustiers

A corset or bustier does something no other piece of lingerie does: it changes the shape of the body rather than covering it. Boning at the waist, structure under the bust, and suspender straps hanging ready for stockings. It is also the piece most often bought in the wrong size, and that is worth twenty seconds of measuring.

Corset, bustier or basque

A corset laces at the back and pulls the waist in. That lacing is the point: it is what lets one garment fit several sizes and what creates the shape.

A bustier does not lace. It is boned and fitted but closes with hooks, so it shapes without cinching. More comfortable, less dramatic.

A basque is a longer bustier that reaches over the hip. Almost everything in this department is technically a bustier with suspender straps; the word corset is used loosely.

How to get the size right

Two measurements, and only two. Measure your underbust, snugly, just under the breasts. Then measure your natural waist at its narrowest point.

Buy by the underbust. Almost every size chart in this range is built on it, and it is the measurement that decides whether the cups sit where they should.

A laced corset gives you five to eight centimetres of adjustment at the waist, which is why the waist measurement is the second check rather than the first. A hook-fastening bustier gives you almost none, so there the waist has to be right too.

Between two sizes: with lacing, go down. Without lacing, go up.

Boning, and what it is made of

Plastic bones are what you will find in this price range. They shape and they hold for an evening, and they are the reason a bustier does not roll down. They also take a set over time and should be stored flat rather than folded.

Steel boning appears in the higher end of the range and is the difference between a garment that holds a shape and one that suggests it. It is heavier and considerably less comfortable to sit in.

More bones is not better. What matters is where they sit: at the side seams and either side of the closure.

The suspender straps

Nearly every piece here has four or six detachable straps with clips. Detachable matters: it means you can wear the same bustier with and without stockings, and it means the straps do not dangle in the washing machine.

Six straps hold a stocking straighter than four. Four is enough for an evening that does not involve dancing.

Stockings are not included, and the model in the photographs is almost always wearing a pair. The matching thong usually is included, and the product page says so.

Wearing it comfortably

Put it on loose, settle the bust, then tighten the lacing from the waist outwards. Tightening top-down is how people end up unable to breathe.

If it digs in under the arm, the underbust size is too small, not the waist. That is the single most common mistake.

Care

Hand wash only, lukewarm, and never wring it: twisting bends the bones permanently. Press the water out in a towel and dry flat.

Store flat or rolled, never folded at the waist.

Frequently asked questions