Slow progress means few updates...

So I've had little progress in the recent months, and I have been neglecting to post.
But slow and steady wins the race as they say.

I have been keeping my resolve and only had 2 days where I didn't wear my corset at all. Lazy weekends happen to everyone.

I hadn't measured my waist in quite some time and when I finally did yesterday, I discovered I have attained a 30½ inch waist. It will soon be time to switch to a smaller size.

I am looking into finding local suppliers for my corsets, it might end up being a bit more expensive, but now that I know what I want, I prefer to be able to touch and feel the corset before I buy it.

Corset review - Orchard corset, C-411 cotton

The search for a new corset is often tedious and unsatisfying. I have been trying to find good "off the rack" corsets for a long time since my budget really doesn't permit a custom made.

After much research, my dear boyfriend found me a good leather corset for a very good price. Orchard Corset is based in the United States with their warehouse in the state of Washington and a store in New York. Their corsets are made in Pakistan - I do not know who the manufacturer is – and from my knowledge (and quite a few people from the internet) the quality of their products is one of the best for the price.

My most recent acquisition, their C-411 in tan cotton, is everything I wanted it to be. Underbust corsets are my favorite, they let me wear what I want over them without giving me the seam bulge halfway up my breasts. The corset is well built and the color is beautiful. Being still in the process of seasoning it, the fit is still uncertain, but so far, it is amazingly comfortable.

My waist has been reducing way faster than I had imagined, only a month in and I already obtain an impressive 6 and a half inch reduction.

This new piece has been nothing but positive so far, and I will definitely be buying more corsets from them.

Don't wrap the laces around your waist (and other things I learned)

I've been wearing corsets for the better part of 8 years now. I only recently started waist training, but I am happy I waited to learn before I took on more than I could chew.

Here are a few things I learned:

If it has plastic boning it is not a corset.

It might be pretty and lace at the back, but if it has plastic boning, it is nothing more than a pretty bustier with lacing at the back. It is decorative and should not be laced tightly, ever. I destroyed many a plastic "corset" and wasted a lot of money before I realised this. The plastic boning will bend and follow your body instead of forcing your body, which puts strain on the fabric and gives a very unflattering figure. Not to mention being stabbed in the boobs/hips by boning trying to curve inwards.

If it does not have a waist tape, it is decorative.

Some companies sell steel-boned corsets with no waist tape. The purpose of this tape is to take the blunt force of the strain and to distribute it directly to the boning and away from the pretty fabric covering of your corset. Attempting to lace a corset with no waist tape to any measure of waist reduction will put all the strain on the covering fabric. Jacquard and brocade are usually pretty strong, but silk is not so resistant, and all fabric will give out and unravel at the seams given enough time. I had 2 such corsets, I had learned from previous experience and stopped getting plastic boned corset. The silk corset came undone within weeks and the brocade took a few months. At the time, I was not wearing them everyday, but was tight lacing when I did.

Don't wrap the laces around your waist.

It seems pretty silly, but most corset blogs and website will mention this. Doing so will put undue stress around the waist and increase wear and tear on your corset. And it looks silly if you have a bulge around your waist under your clothes. And it looks even more silly if you are not wearing anything over your clothes. I have taken the habit of making a very small bow and then hiding the remainder of the lace under the bottom of the corset, stringing it around my hips so I don't have a huge bulge trying to poke me in the back.

Seasoning is important.

Just like cooking, seasoning makes all the difference. A brand new corset is not used to your body shape. The fabric hasn't stretched, and didn't learn your curves. Wear it for short periods of time, 30 minutes to an hour; starting from barely touching your body and tightening it gradually every time you wear it. I seasoned my current waist training corset over a period of 2 weeks, wearing it for a bit, removing it for about 2 hours and starting over again, slightly tighter every time. The fit is now perfectly adapted to me. Speaking of which.

Do not share your corset.

This is not a case of cooties and germs. This is a case of a specific piece of clothing that has been seasoned (see above) to fit your body, and yours only. Lending your corset to someone else will potentially ruin it. And the person wearing it will be uncomfortable. Torso length and waist height differs from person to person.
I have a few friends (S and V) that love corsets and, as a matter of circumstance, I have become the guardian of their corsets. One of S' corsets has become heavily damaged and is now lovingly called "the loaner". I use it to show how a corset fits on to my friends who have never put one on. If I only tighten it a bit and then remove it within a few minutes, it doesn't give them time to realise that the fit is less than ideal. Recently, V came over and since she lost a lot of weight, her corsets no longer fit. She decided to wear the loaner. Now both S and V are roughly the same shape - plump with generous breasts and hips - but the big difference is that V's waist is a lot lower than S. The loaner was trying to pull in and squish V's ribs instead of her waist. And since the loaner has been worn by so many different people, I am pretty sure it is no longer shaped to S' body and would not fit her either...

Do not wear it directly on your skin.

Don't do it, ever. Corsets contain fragile fabrics like silk, and metal boning and grommets. Washing a corset is difficult. Most manufacturers recommend spot cleaning only and dry cleaning if needed. Machine washing is out of the question. Since you can't clean a corset, it is simple logic that you wouldn't want to sweat in it. The stench alone would be a deal-breaker, and the sweat would heavily damage the fabric if not washed. I find that camisoles and tank tops are perfect. I found some pretty lacy microfiber tank tops at Costco that work great as a corset liner. I can wash the tank tops after wearing them, and they absorb all the sweat while protecting the corset.

Let your corset breath when it's off.

Don't roll it, don't chuck it in a drawer. Loosen the laces as much as you can and hang it up on a hanger. I use wooden pants hangers, they are solid and straight, which is perfect. Also, make sure you hang it insides out. That way not only are you giving the fabric a rest by hanging it from the lace, but you are letting it breath and dry from having spent time on your body.

Remember, your corset is an investment that can last years, but you need to take good care of it. There are more words of wisdom that you can learn for yourself, or you can investigate other websites. there are plenty of resources regarding corsets all over the web.

Posture and poise

I have started wearing my corset to work. I put it on in the morning as I get dressed, and take it off before going to bed.
The fact that I can't bend my spine has prevented my from slouching and standing straight has given me a boost in self-confidence. The effect is purely psychological, I look more confident when I see myself in the mirror, it must be because I am confident, therefore I am more confident. It's funny really how dramatic the change is.

My posture while not wearing a corset has also been affected; I stand up straighter than before. It seems my back is getting used to not slouching, trying to slouch is now uncomfortable. I don't see a problem with that.

I have also started re-learning how to do things. Riding a car (which I have covered previously) , picking up objects on the floor, reaching across a desk or table, or even tying my shoes, can prove challenging. We have grown so accustomed to bend at the waist that it is difficult to learn to do anything differently. I have yet to find a way to pick up things from a sitting position (I'm uncertain if there is a way) but I can half bend at the hips, half bend my knees to reach objects on the floor when standing. As for shoes... summer has been my friend and I don't need to lace my shoes since I'm wearing sandals. I'll learn in due time.

I'm sure eventually I will look elegant like the ladies in the movies... for now I look slightly awkward every time I try to move the way I used to when not wearing a corset.

Sometimes you just need to lace up.

I started wearing my corset from rise to bed during the weekend. It worked great. Cars are an issue, but a cushion keeps my back straight and all is good. Corseted for a good 12 hours straight with no problem whatsoever.

Sunday, I decided to move furniture. Not wanting to damage my corset, I took it off. It also helped me move more freely when trying to move heavy things and crouch a billion times while moving various stuff. And my back started hurting. It hurt so much that when I decided I was done for the day, I put my corset back on to ease the pain.
And my spine rejoiced.

Today, I didn't want to wear my corset to work, by I brought it with me to change as soon as the day was over.
And as soon as the clock struck the end of my shift, I ran to the washroom and strapped myself in.
And my spine rejoiced.

I spent all evening with it on, the only slight issue was that we went to IKEA and picking up / moving heavy boxes is awkward when you can't even slightly bend at the waist.

It's now late evening, my corset is off so I can sleep... and my back is screaming at me, wanting the corset.

I never thought this would ever happen; sometimes, you just have to lace up.

Starting slowly, smooth progress

I decided to start very slowly, gradually. Going too fast could prove dangerous, and getting hurt would ruin my motivation.

I started with a 38 inch waist, 40 when entirely relaxed and forcing a "fat belly". My official start date is June 22nd 2014. I have been wearing my corset every day, for 2 to 5 hours, depending on daily activities.
From the time I get home to the time I shower/go to bed, I am strapped in tightly. Not too tightly, I am leaving it loose enough for me to be very comfortable wearing it, as I want to ease my body into accepting the movement restriction. So far, I have not found many issues; there is the aesthetic of the "back boob" which could be fixed by loosing weight and getting a longer corset, but that is a minimal concern at this time; and there is a slight soreness in my back, since I am not used to standing so straight for extended periods of time.

After 3 days of waist training, my waist can be compressed down to 35 inches without experiencing much discomfort. I will keep wearing the corset daily, from the time I get home to the time I go to bed, until the 4th of July. At that date, I will wear the corset from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, except when working.

I plan on keeping a semi frequent journal of my progress, at least one weekly update about my experience, and some various other posts when I feel like it.

We will see how effectively I can change my body change.

A new start, a new project

As far as I can remember,  I have always loved historical clothing. I have been in love with corsets since before I started wearing them. And I have loved them even more since I discovered metal boned corsets.

I broke my junky plastic ones within days. They would fit wrong and end up bulging strangely as my body would move the corset. I didn't know any better.

I then discovered metal boning years later,  having done research, but never finding anything in my budget. I found some pretty and cheap ones, gorgeous fabric and very good looking.  But they would break easily,  weak fabric would tear from the strain,  or the boning would cut through the edges from being badly finished.

Finally,  I discovered high quality off the rack corsets, mostly purchased for me by my boyfriend. He has way more patience than me when it comes to crawling the web in search of the best quality/price deal.
After a few mishaps (measure 5 times, order once) I now own 3 beautiful pieces.  An overbust green and black striped brocade,  very curvy and dramatic.
An underbust pink and white striped brocade,  very straight and medieval in shape,  but not in look.
And my latest and favorite; an underbust black leather, curvy,  well seasoned and insanely comfortable,  sized perfectly to not impair movement.  The only downside is I love it so much I am afraid to damage it.

I have decided to wear my corset as often as I can,  attempting waist training and shape modifying.
My starting waist is of 38 inches.  My goal is not to get a tiny waist,  just a beautiful body.  I judge a waist smaller than 25 inches would be too much;  but only time will tell.