Corset Wearing 101: An Introduction to Corsetry with Dafna Bar-el [VIDEO]

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Corsets featured in video:

• Jolie Short Black Cotton Corset
• Lara Black Mesh Corset

Video Transcription

Hello, and thank you for joining me for this video. Today I want to talk to you about corsets, of course. I want to tell you all the basic stuff you should know before buying and wearing your first corset, just everything you need to know. And how to wear it and how to close it on yourself, by yourself.

And also, I want to tell you about this brand that the corset I’m wearing, they gifted me two corsets, which I’m going to compare. This brand is called Glamorous Corset. They are women owned, New York City based brand, specializing in corsets that are really like heavy duty and steel boned, which are topics we’re going to cover. But they’re also very affordable. So, I’m going to talk to you about that as well.

So, I hope this video helps you get some basic information so you can make your first corset purchase and wear your corset for the first time. I’m personally obsessed with corsets. I’ve always been. I recently even started sewing corsets, which is just an insane project. Every time I start one, it just consumes me. I dream about it. It’s pretty crazy. I even have a tattoo here, of a corset which I got like eight or nine years ago, that’s pretty long ago. And I was already obsessed by corsets at this point. Obviously, if I got it tattooed on my arm.

I like the historical aspect of it. But also, the body modification thing that you can actually like alter the shape of your body using just a clothing item. That’s pretty cool, I think.

Corset Anatomy

So, let’s start by discussing the anatomy of a corset. So, the first thing you should know, this is this part over here. It’s called a bust. And this is always on the center front area of the corset. It’s used to open and close the corset. Not all corsets will have this. If you don’t have this part, you would need to open it completely before you wear it, which means lacing up the back and needing someone help to do so. So, I would highly recommend just buying corsets that have this bust, so you can actually worth and wear it easily.

Next part you should know about are the bones of the corset. This is what actually makes or breaks the corset. This is what holds the shape and makes it firm and makes it a corset. So, usually, you would have either plastic boning or steel boning. Just because usually it will mean it’s stronger and of higher quality.

Next, is the fabric. Corsets come in many different fabrics. Usually, it will have a lot of layers of fabric. The stronger the fabric is or the more layers there are, it will hold on tighter and you can tight lace it tighter.

And the last part, are the laces in the back. So, this is the part where you close the corset and kind of adjust it to your size or the amount of tightening you’re trying to accomplish with this corset. The lace section should be pretty strong so you can actually tight lace and maybe reduce a few inches off your waist if this is something you’re aiming towards, which we’re going to talk about.

Corset Shapes & Sizes

So, next topic is shapes and sizes. Usually if you’re more pear shaped, that means your lower area is wider, than it will be easier for you to wear a corset. If you’re more of an apple shape, I mean, most of your weight gain might be in your stomach area. Then a corset may be harder for you to use. But on the other hand, you might like it better because it really will make a big difference in your body shape. So, if you want to achieve a more like 1950s silhouette and have a smaller waist, you should definitely try out making a corset. And the amount of reduction you want from your corset changes and you need to try and see. But if your body tends to be more pear shaped, it’s easier for you to wear a corset, then you might be able to reduce about six or seven inches. If you are less hourglassed in your silhouette, then you might just want to try and reduce like between two to four inches off your waist.

Also, if you’re pretty athletic and you have abs, maybe, it will be harder to actually reduce a few inches off your waist. Because there’s more resistance compared to if you have like a more loose or squishy stomach, which is easier to lace and kind of spread the fat in a different shape. You should usually look for corset that doesn’t reduce too much of the upper and lower area because you don’t want to just get, you know, other fat out of the corset. You just want the waist reduction. So, you would want something that is more extreme on the waist. But it is more loose on you in these areas. So, there is usually the sizing charts that you can use. But as a general rule, you should just measure your waist and kind of try to reduce how many inches you would want to reduce. An average amount might be four or six inches. But you can always start and do it gradually.

Which brings me to my next topic, which is seasoning a corset. Seasoning is the process of breaking in your corset. Which means also letting your body adjust to the corset. But also, the opposite to let the corset adjust to your body. There are bones, as we said, and there are seams and there is fabric. So, all of this needs to accommodate. And after you wear a corset for a certain amount of time, you will see it becomes much more comfortable because it will adjust to your body.

This brand, Glamourous Corset, recommends doing so by wearing the corset every day for two weeks for one to two hours, a process I was not able to complete. But I just wear it here and there. And slowly it becomes more comfortable. The recommendation is not to close it all the way, not to tighten it, but to wear it gradually. So, for two weeks, try not to close it too tightly. But close it to a comfortable level.

So, let’s talk about how to wear a corset. So, personally, I prefer to have my husband, Alonzo, help me because it’s like really rough with closing a corset, which really reduces a lot of the waist. And which I personally like this feeling. I know it’s weird, but I really like it. And there is also a lot of bad reputation about corsets and how they harm the body, and they hurt, and you can’t breathe or anything. But if you wear it correctly, one that is high quality and actually in your size, it shouldn’t be like this. Especially if you did the seasoning process and you wear it gradually. Like not just once and close it all the way and wear it for a million hours. But just do it like half an hour here, an hour there, and actually go through the process of breaking it in and getting used to it.

But I’m also okay with closing it on myself, which is super awkward. So, I’m sorry in advance and I’m just going to show you how I do it now.

So, let’s talk about this corset I’m wearing by Glamorous Corset. And I’m also going to show you another one, which is really nice. This one is called the Jolie Corset. But the short version of it, because it’s not the long line. They actually were super nice, and they have made choose which one I wanted. And they recommended I take the long line because I’m pretty tall. I’m about 5’8”. But I chose the short one because I feel it’s more retro. And it’s more easy for me to wear because I can actually sit down and just feel more free in general when I’m wearing a more short line corset. But that’s just a personal preference.

So, this corset is pretty heavy duty. I think it’s like two layers of really heavy cotton. They also have this in satin, which looks better actually. But I already have a satin corset. So, I wanted the cotton corset. I think it’s going to be more comfortable just using underneath clothes. This corset is super curvy. I like how extreme the waist is. I completely did not close it all the way. It has a lot more to go in terms of just how tight I can close it. But I don’t have Alonzo here to help me. So, I just did it in a manner that I still feel comfortable and able to talk for so long.

So, I’m just showing off how curvy is. I love this area right here and all this detail of the curves. It’s a really, really nice shape.

I am now wearing the lower corset, which is more longline line, as you can see. Which actually is pretty good because it really like wraps everything. And as I said, like this feeling this corset is made of net fabric, which you can see right here. It’s actually super strong, although it’s not like a tough material or many layers or anything. It’s really, really strong. And you can really close it pretty tightly. It has a lot of boning in it. So, this is a pretty great corset. I also like the shape here, which really makes it feel like it’s holding the tummy in. So, this corset shape, which by the way, also comes in the fabrics that aren’t net. It’s really perfect for you if you have this issue with your lower tummy or if you just like this shape and the support of a long line corset.

Thank you again for watching. I hope this was useful for you. If you have any questions or anything you would like to add, please comment below. And of course, follow me on Instagram and YouTube. And see you on my next video.

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