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.