The Care and Lacing of Your Corset

Wearing a corset, whether as part of your lingerie seduction or as a stylish outer garment, should be an experience that makes you look and feel gorgeous no matter your gender or body type. Getting that feeling of standing tall and being hugged by luscious textiles and a beautiful structure depends a lot on investing in a quality piece that’s the right size and silhouette for you, for starters. Once you have that perfect corset, the next step is to make sure that 1) you know how to fit it and lace it properly, and 2) how to care for it so that it lasts you for years and still looks as great as the first time you put it on.

Let’s start with lacing:

A well-made corset will usually come with heavy-duty, woven laces that will seem extremely long and will have “rabbit ears” at about the middle of the corset rather than loose ends at the top or bottom– meaning that you’ll be tying two loops together to fasten the corset when you’re laced in. If you get a corset that has thin shiny ribbon lacing instead (which is unfortunately common), you can buy heavier corset laces online and replace the ribbons.

The rabbit ears will usually be placed either closer to the middle of your back, or slightly down towards the lower back, when you buy your corset. You can adjust them as needed. When tied, they should sit right around your true waist. To find your true waist, put your hands on your hips and bend to the side (as if you were singing “I’m a Little Teapot”). Where you bend is your true waist. If you put the corset on with this marker in mind, it will be easier to adjust a little up or down, depending on how it sits on your chest/breasts.

You’ll know that your corset is tied correctly when you have the rabbit ears at the back of the corset as long as possible (and comfortable). This means that the excess slack has been removed from the middle laces and the corset is on its way to shaping your body!

First, you’ll want to widen the laces enough to be able to close the front of the corset easily, with a little wiggle room. Take your time, loosening the laces roughly evenly up and down the full length and gently pulling the panels apart. You may have to do this a few times.

Next, put on the corset and make sure all the busk hooks on the front are connected or that the zipper is all the way up. If they aren’t, the tension is unevenly distributed and that can ruin the connection points. You don’t want to stretch and damage the corset! From there:

1. Take the rabbit ears and hold them in your non-dominant hand.
2. With your dominant hand, pull the top X (where the strings intersect), then reach down with your fingers and pull the second X, letting go of the first (this is important!), and so forth until you reach the middle. Don’t try to tighten them as much as you can on the first pass. You’ll be going back and forth a few times.
3. Pull the rabbit ears that are in your non-dominant hand.
4. Now, you’ll do something similar on the lower half. Working from the very bottom, pull the bottom X, then the second to the bottom, and so forth until you reach the rabbit ears in the middle.
5. Pull the rabbit ears in your non-dominant hand.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 6 until the corset is the tightness you want. You should try to make the sides of the strings as parallel as possible. This means that the line of metal rings holding the strings go straight up and down like I I –not curving ( ) or slants \ /. Of course, this will vary depending on corset, body type, etc, but aim for parallel and you’ll be headed in the right direction.
7. Tie the rabbit ears in a tight bow. You can leave them hanging or you can tuck them in.

How to know if the corset is tied correctly:

• The corset is correctly tightened when you can still breathe, but have the feeling of tight pressure. If you are having difficulty breathing normally, it is not tightened correctly.
• There is a modesty panel- a flap of fabric that creates the illusion that the two sides of the corset are connected in the back and covers the skin on the back. If the skin (or fabric, if you are wearing the corset over a top) between the laces is not covered with the modesty panel, feel free to tuck it to one side, and show off the lacing over your back or top.

How to adjust an overbust corset so it sits just right:

If you have breasts and are wearing an overbust corset, at some point before the corset is completely tightened you’re going to want to adjust your breasts so that the corset doesn’t squish them down. To do this:

• Bend forward a bit at the hip (not the knees);
• Cross your arms;
• Put both hands inside the corset,
• Lift from the bottom of the breast and push your breasts against each other to create cleavage;
• Finish tightening the corset.

There shouldn’t be a significant gap between the top edge of the corset and your breasts. When this happens, usually the corset isn’t positioned correctly. If the gap occurs, try moving the corset down an inch or so, so it sits lower on your chest. If you’re small-busted but have a larger waist, you may find that some corset styles are built with larger breasts in mind. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about measurements if you’re ordering online. If you’re being fitted in person, you can ask for recommended styles for your shape, and you might find that you just prefer underbust corsets in general.

One final tip- The corset should be the last thing you put on. Panties, stockings, and shoes are all much easier to put on when you don’t have to try to bend in a freshly-laced corset!

Caring for your corset

When you remove your corset, make sure you untie and loosen the laces before you unzip or unhook the front, to avoid damaging the busk or bending the boning up– tempting as it may be to just unfasten the front and exhale! Drape it over the back of a chair with the inside facing outwards and the strings across the top of the chair back. This takes the weight off the corset, giving it the break it needs. To clean it, lightly spray the interior with watered-down rubbing alcohol (about a 15-20% mixture). To clean the exterior of a leather corset, use leather cleaner. We recommend Leather CPR as an easy-to-find option. For satin, brocade, or canvas corsets, spot cleaning with water is the gentlest way to remove debris or stains. Do NOT toss your corset in the washer or dryer!

When you wear your corset for the first several wearings, try not to wear it as tight as possible (in fact, wear it a little loose) and only wear it for 1-2 hours at a time. If you can manage it, do that about 3 days a week for a couple of weeks. This will help “season” the corset, meaning that it will bend to your curves without damage. After that, you can wear it tighter and for longer periods of time.

You can store your corset lightly rolled or folded and laid flat. It can go in a drawer, but try to make sure it’s not stuffed in a too-small space so that it keeps its seasoned shape. Storing it on a shelf, or in a box or bin to prevent it from getting dusty, is a good bet.

If you take a little extra time to fit and lace yourself properly, and give your corset some TLC between wearings, a well-made corset will last for years and fit you like a glove every time.