How to Put on a Corset with Hooks by Yourself

When it comes to dressing yourself, you’ll find that most garments are pretty self-explanatory. Pull tees on over your head, like the torso-hugging tubes they are. Step into pants one leg at a time, or if you’re feeling bold, do both legs at once. Of course, some garments are a bit more difficult. If you’re called upon to purchases a convertible dress as a bridesmaid, all I can say is, watch the videos and do your best – those mothers are tricky as hell.

When it comes to how to put on a corset with hooks by yourself, it might look pretty simple. As long as the back is laced, you just open the busks, wrap the garment around yourself, and pop the pins in the loops in front. Easy peasy! Right?

If you’ve ever tried this, you know it’s about as easy as opening a stuck lid on a jam jar. The amount of pressure produced by a tightened corset makes it all but impossible to hook or unhook on your own. However, it’s not a completely futile task. While a rubber jar opener won’t help you much here, you can learn how to put on a corset with hooks by yourself. Here are a few tips and tricks to get the job done.

Getting Started

If there’s one universal to getting a corset on and off easily, it’s this: loosen the laces. Consider how hard it would be to put your high top Converse on and take them off with the laces tied tight. Maybe not impossible, but certainly impractical. The same basic principle applies here.

While it can be tempting to keep the laces tightened to your desired level of compression and then simply pop the pins in and out of loops for corset wear, this is not only difficult to accomplish (especially when it comes to getting into your corset), but you’re likely to end up harming your garment and/or yourself in the process.

There’s just no getting around the fact that you’ll have to loosen the laces in order to make the space needed to catch or release the busks. In an emergency situation, you could try to undo busks without loosening laces, but it would actually be far more expedient to cut the laces.

How to Put on a Corset with Hooks by Yourself

There’s some contention over the best process for hooking and unhooking busks, and with a bit of trial and error, you’ll find what works well for you. Some say the best option is to hook the middle pin first and then work your way up or down the busks.

This might work fine if you’re wearing an underbust corset, especially one with minimal spring. However, if you have to lock and load your bosom into an overbust model, you’re sure to find that starting at the top is a much better option, as working your way up from the smallest part of your torso is not only difficult, but it could result in spillage at the top that you’d rather avoid.

In truth, it’s easiest to start by hooking the second pin from the top and then working your way down. Pinching the pin side of the busk between your thumb and first two fingers is ideal, as it allows the best leverage to accurately position the pin inside the corresponding loop while you hold the loop side steady. Once you’ve reached the bottom, return to the top to hook the last pin before tightening laces.

A Note on Different Corsets

You may naturally wonder how much to loosen the laces, and it could depend on several factors, including the corset style, the spring, the fabric, and more. While an unforgiving leather corset or a longline, overbust model might require fully expanding the laces, a flexible mesh or shorter, underbust corset may only need minor loosening. You’ll simply have to experiment to find the ideal positioning to put on and take off each garment.

Visual Learner? Watch this Helpful Video

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