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My Experience Breaking in/Seasoning a Waist Training Corset (Miss Bee Townsend)

Posted on by Rachel Barb
My Experience Breaking in/Seasoning a Corset (Miss Bee Townsend)
22
Jul

Video Transcription

Hello tipsters and tricksters, welcome back to my channel. And welcome to another tips and tricks video.

Today, I have something a little different for me. I am going to share with you my experience, my first-time experience, with a corset. I have worn a corset previously for a photoshoot that a friend made. It was obviously made to her specifications and she was much smaller than I was. And I found it very, very, very uncomfortable. They also did lace it really tightly on me for the photoshoot. So, obviously, I hadn’t broken in the corset. The corset wasn’t designed for my body, so it wasn’t kind of the best situation. So, I’d say, my first time wearing a corset wasn’t a hugely positive one. And it left me thinking wearing corsets was really, really uncomfortable. And that you couldn’t breath or move in them.

But when this lovely company, Glamorous Corsets, bring it up, nice and close. They contacted me by email actually. And said to me that they were a small female run business out of New York who were interested in working with me. And wanted to know if I might like to make a video about the process of breaking in a corset and starting some waist training. And I thought, “Why not?”

I know some people have asked if I wear a corset. It’s not something that I’m about to start doing all the time. I like my comfort. And I also change up my look pretty regularly as you can see. But definitely for some particular vintage pieces that I can’t do unless I’m wearing structural undergarments, this is really, really good. I usually wear a waspie, but I wanted to see how it would go with the corset. What kind of silhouette it would create and also for different types of outfits and eras, which would look better. Whether it be the waspie or the two different types of corsets. So, I was intrigued and wanted to give it a go.

So, hopefully it’s something that interests you guys. I know I’ve mentioned it on my Instagram. And quite a few of you have said, “Yes, you are looking forward to seeing the videos.” So, here it is.

So, they did send me two corsets. The first one I asked for was the Jolie short corset. I had seen this on Rachel Jensen and really, really loved the silhouette. And so, I was interested in getting that one first and foremost. So, here it is. It is absolutely beautiful. They are cotton. And they do recommend that underneath you wear a singlet or something. I haven’t done this, in this video, just because I didn’t have one at the moment. But I was only wearing the corset for like an hour to break it in and a situation that I definitely wasn’t going to get sweaty. But I will be investing in some sort of undergarment or slip, something that I can wear, so that I don’t dirty the corset. Because obviously you don’t’ want to be washing them all the time. You want to keep them in as much as new condition as possible. So, yes, you want to put something underneath.

But here is the back with all of the eyelets, lacing, and everything. My waist measurement is a 26. So, they recommend going down from your waist size. So, you don’t actually order your waist size. You order the waist size that you want to get to with the corset on. So, they recommended a 22 inch for me as someone with a 26 inch waist. There is a whole process. They ask you to measure certain parts of your body and stuff in a certain way. So, really do make sure you communicate with them rather than just going ahead and purchasing the corset. That would be my recommendation anyway. Because you want to make sure that it fits properly. It’s how you are going to have the best experience and have a corset that is more comfortable and also much more suited to your body. So, that’s important, I would say. My experience this time around was really, really different to the previous experience that I have mentioned.

The other corset they gave me was the Bella. This one is a satin finish rather than a cotton one. And you will see that it is short, whoops, it’s starting to come undone on me. Okay, here we go. It’s another short corset. It’s quite a different shape, this one you will see when I show you the video of me trying them on, it is a completely different shape. They offered me two corsets to try, two different types. And I went for the white in this one because I wanted to be able to wear it underneath a particular dress, the pretty dress that you will see. I will link that video up above.

But these do look really, really good under dresses, particularly the pretty dress dresses. I have seen them again on Rachel Jensen and I knew they were going to look fantastic. So, that was the thing that I was the most excited to try them with.

I guess, without further ado, I should get into showing you the video of me doing some of the breaking in of the corset. I recorded three days worth of it. I did do the full seven days. So, I’ll let you watch that. And then we’ll come back here to have a chat of my overall experience.

So, it is the first day that I received the corsets that I decided to pop the corset on and start seasoning it. So, seasoning just means that you break in the corset. And you get the corset used to your body and your body used to the corset. So, on the first day, you just put the corset on, lace it up, and you don’t do it too tight. You basically just put it against your body, fitted to you, and wear it for about 45 minutes to an hour to just get that initial feeling to wearing the corset. So, I’m going to show you what it looks like. Please excuse my shevelled, at home look. It’s like doing an at-home class today. I’m wearing my yoga gear.

But this is what the corset looks like on. Trying to come in a little bit closer so you can see. And from the back, hope you guys can see all right. But I just put it on and laced it up. I haven’t gone very tight because I’m just getting used to it and it’s my first day of wearing it. I have no real experience wearing corsets. I’ve worn one like 10 years for a photoshoot and it was horribly, horribly uncomfortable. So, this one is like a really good option. This is the Jolie short corset from Glamorous Corsets. And this one they recommend for using for waist training and for tight lacing. I think it’s a good start.

And I have to say, compared to my waspie, this is actually way more comfortable I think because it puts really even pressure. And as you are lacing up, you are like lacing up to the shape of your body, not squishing your body into the shape of the corset or the waspie, if that makes sense. So, yeah, so far so good.

And for comparison, here is the Bella. Again, same thing. I haven’t tried to do it up tight. I’m just popping it on for about 45 minutes to an hour to see how I go with it and how to break it in. You can see like they have a different sort of silhouette to them, which I like. I think this one would be good to go underneath dresses and things because this would be less prominent. Obviously with my tailor outfits. I’m puffing because I just laced myself up. It is a little bit of a workout guys. But yeah, I think under my dresses this will be obviously less obvious. So, I asked for them to send me one in white. So, I’m interested to see what they look like underneath a garment. But I won’t be doing that today. I will try that throughout the week as I share with you guys.

Okay, it’s day 2 of breaking them in. And I’m wearing the white Bella underneath a pretty dress, dress. If you can see in the back, I haven’t done it up that tight because I’m a bit bulky here. But it certainly gives beautiful definition. I really, really like that shape. And it’s good because it makes the dress sit better on me actually than it usually does. And I’m not taking it in or anything. The dress is hugging to the form of it. So, very, very impressed. Must say.

So, in the video here you can see me lacing up the corset. The recommendation ins that you tighten the laces from the top, down, and then you pull on the strings rather than just trying to pull at the strings. Because you want to make sure that both sides of the corset are really, really even. So, that you don’t warp the corset or bend the bones or stretch the fabric. You want to make sure that any change in the shape of the corset happens evenly and is representative of your body because the idea is to get the corset to mold to your body. It will be more comfortable then. And that is essentially the idea of breaking in the corset. It is to loosen it up and get movement in it that is representative of your body specifically. Which is why it’s really important to do that 7 to 10 day period of wearing it for 45 minutes to an hour, just to break it in or season it as they say.

You can really, really see the difference between the two corsets. So, the Jolie as a very extreme shape to it. You can see why it’s more of the tight lacing style corset. It makes a huge difference to my waist. Whereas, I think the Bella gives more of a natural silhouette. Which I quite like for a more everyday thing. And because of the shortness of it and the way that it sits on my hips, it is a little bit more comfortable to kind of do daily things in. But my preference is the shape of the Jolie. I just think it looks phenomenal. And it is very much that new look waspie shape that I really, really love. And that I was aiming for with my pretty dress dresses.

Yeah, they definitely both have their benefits. I will say, I was very surprised at how comfortable it was. I didn’t expect that at all. But I guess, like I said, that it has to do with the evenness of the compression and also, I guess having a corset that is really, really well made. I can bend, move, and breath, and do things that I wasn’t really expecting to be able to do in the corset. I haven’t worn the corset for a whole day yet. I don’t have anywhere to go at the moment. I’m still in lockdown. Week 17 and counting. But I have worn it for like three hours in one kind of stint. Just around the house, not doing anything particularly straining. But it gave me an idea of how it feels to wear the corset for an extended period of time. And I have to say, it’s surprisingly comfy.

I mean, you are still wearing a corset. Is it as comfortable as not wearing a corset? No. But it is much more comfortable than I find wearing a waspie or a pair of tights. I can’t stand wearing tights. I don’t mind stockings with a suspender belt. But tights, I always find that they give me the worst stomach ache because the pressure is just in one place around your waist. And that’s the same thing I find with my waspie, where it digs in the most, where it hurts my body the most. Whereas, the corset is just even and felt way more comfortable. And I guess, because it also has so much structure to it, it’s keeping your posture really good. I think the thing about tights and a waspie is you can kind of sag in it, sit badly, and it digs in. Whereas, you can’t do that in the corset. And I think that makes a huge difference to the comfort factor. And also, the more that I wore a corset, the more days that I broke it in, the more comfortable it got, I could feel the material and everything just kind of loosing up a bit. And being a bit easier to move in. So, that made a really, really big difference.

So, I would say, overall my experience was very positive. I would definitely be wearing them. Obviously, I mean, I received them so I’m going to wear them. But I will wear them more I think than I was expecting to. And more of on a regular basis. As I say, I’m not going to be someone that starts wearing a corset everyday on a daily basis, I want comfort. And also, most days I’m hanging around at home in my gym gear. So, it’s just not my thing.

But also, I’m just, like- I’m quite happy with my body the way that it is and I’m not looking to change the shape of my body. But sometimes, I want that really kind of hourglass or new look with certain pieces of clothing. And these are definitely going to fit the bill for that. So, I am very pleased.

I don’t really have anything negative to say. I mean, honestly, yeah, I’m just kind of blown away. I love that it’s an all women run company. And that there is kind of a lot of communication in making sure that you have a corset that fits you and works really well for you. I think that’s all really, really cool.

If you guys are interested in buying a corset, the link is down below. It is an affiliate link. But all that means is that I will get a little bit of commission for you guys using the link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra. It just means that it’s another way to supporting me. And there is also a discount code down below for 15% off. So, do check that out. I’ll also link it up here.

And, yeah, if you guys like the corsets or you buy one, let me know. If you are a corset wearer, I would love to hear in the comments below if you are someone that wore a corset for a long time if there is any tips for me. I’m always interested to hear what you guys have to say. And obviously, I’m a complete newbie when it comes to wearing a corset. So, yeah, if you have any advice, you want to tell me anything, or you just want to talk about experience, down below do. Leave it in the comments. I look forward to reading those. And that is the video, guys. I hope you liked it. If you did, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe. Comment down below and let me know what you thought of the video and any ideas for future videos. Come and follow me on my Instagram. Don’t forget to check out my page if you are interested on more content and the monthly follow along activity meter. Otherwise, I will see you in the next video. Bye.

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