What goes into a well-made corset?

Finding a corset to buy online is as easy as finding a pair of fishnets at a burlesque club – they’re everywhere. Finding a good quality corset on the other hand, now that can be a challenge! There are lots of places selling ‘authentic corsets’ or ‘training corsets’ that really don’t match up to their titles. At FairyGothMother you know you’re in good hands, so let’s take a look under the corset at what makes them such good quality and which one will suit your needs.

Here at FairyGothMother you’ll find a large and very extensive range including FairyGothMother’s own Lulu & Lush collection, as well as corsets by a few other choice designers. There are a number of tell tale signs of quality that they all have in common:

Steel boning is probably the most important factor in a corset. Cheap corsets often have plastic bones which never last long nor support the body properly; making them very uncomfortable in comparison to sprung or spiral steel. A plastic bone will bend when you sit, leaving a kink, which will remain forever. After only a few wears you’ll find a plastic boned corset will look misshapen and possibly have a few snapped bones. This will virtually never happen with steel.

Lining Fabric is almost equally as important in a corset. Especially if it is to last a long time, keep its shape and cinch the waist properly. Otherwise it’s not a corset! Its just an imitation and won’t give you that beautiful corseted waistline you’ve been drooling over (yes we’ve seen you). All corsets on the FairyGothMother site are properly lined for strength and comfort, this gives the garment a tremendous amount of strength and allows for robust wearing. All off the peg corsets are lined with strong cotton which allows the skin to breath, and all bespoke corsets are lined with coutil which is a specially designed corsetry fabric made from cotton but with a tight weave and robust threads to resist stretching. Perfect for creating that tiny waistline.

The Waist Tape is often completely left out in inferior corsets, which is such a shame as it makes a dramatic difference to the silhouette of a corseted figure. The waist tape or waist band is a strip of extremely strong ribbon or twill tape which runs around the smallest part of the waist giving support where it is most needed and adding a little extra pull to the waist curve. All of FairyGothMother’s corsets come with a proper waist band, no exceptions!

The Busk and Eyelets (sometimes called grommets) on a corset are important to check for quality. If a corset has no busk it will likely tear at the front closure point, corsets that don’t open at the front obviously won’t have a busk but steer well clear of hook and eye closing corsets! The eyelets on poorly made corsets are normally very inadequately supported; they should have steel boning either side. Eyelets without will often pop out, sometimes ripping the fabric as they do so. Alternatively corsets can have lacing bones, bones with the holes for lacing pre drilled. At FairyGothMother you can happily select a corset knowing that you can lace as tight as you need without damage to your corset (or you for that matter).

Aside from the above, all Lulu & Lush corsets are made using spiral steel boning with sprung steels for added support around the busk at front and the eyelets at back. The number of bones varies between designs but there will always be a bare minimum of 20 in any corset. As for their other designers – Puimond and Miss Katie are two designers who use a larger number of bones, while Vollers use less and are more suited to the beginner and fashion wearer. Other designers include: Valkyrie Corsets, RDLF and Eternal Spirits Corsetry.

So now you know what your looking for in your perfect corset why not browse by designer or try the bestsellers corsets page for a good range of special and everyday corsets, or the specialist corsets page if you’re a more advanced wearer looking for a more dramatic shape to your waist.

Written by Kirsty Sapsford from Corset Dress .co

If you were watching the ‘Flattering Lingerie’ feature on This Morning on ITV last Tuesday, you may have spotted one of the latest additions to our ever-expanding lingerie range, the ‘Katie’ balconette bra and boy short set by Miss Mandalay. Especially designed for larger busts (30D to 36G), the Katie bra provides great support without compromising the aesthetic, and features light padding to retain shape, baby pink bows and playful ruffles, whilst the matching boy short flatters curves. From ITV1: “A new study has found that…a staggering 73% of women are embarrassed by their wobbly bits when they strip off in the bedroom. Our style guru Jason Gardiner shows us the best underwear available on the high street for all those voluptuous areas of big boobs, small boobs, bellies and bums.” Click here to watch our ‘This Morning’ feature in full, on the ITV1 website.

Smaller busted ladies, fear not – we have comfortable cotton lingerie for you too! Perfect for the summer are the Hello Sailor and Polka set by Love Baby Grand. Hand-made in the UK, the soft-cup Polka set is available in red cotton flecked with white polka dots, whilst the Hello Sailor bandeau bra with halter tie is made in blue and white nautical stripes, with frills and contrast red bows.

Black gingham Katie D+ balconette bra and boyshort set by Miss Mandalay. 30D-36GG. Bra £42, brief £25.	Blue and white striped Hello Sailor bandeau halter bra and frilled brief set by Love Baby Grand. S/M/L. £69 for the set.	Red and white Polka bandeau halter bra and frilled brief set by Love Baby Grand S/M/L. £69 for the set.

Checked fabrics are hot this spring (thanks to Christopher Kane’s S/S 2010 collection, featured here in Vogue) and if you put a burlesque spin on the current trend, try our baby pink gingham overbust corset. Team with a full white tulle skirt to go out or white frilly knickers to stay in, unless you’re feeling daring! If you prefer underbust corsets, wear Vollers‘ black and white gingham underbust over a shirt and jeans in the day and over a black dress in the evening. Accessorise with the best-selling Donna bustle by Lulu and Lush, which now comes in red gingham and looks fabulous with a white corset and satin opera gloves.

Baby pink and white gingham overbust corset with pink trim, 20″-32″, £99. White frilly knickers, S-L, £14.	Black and white gingham underbust corset by Vollers 18″-38″. £145. Chiffon blouse by Vollers, S/M/L, £49.>	Red and gingham Donna bustle by Lulu and Lush S-M/L-XL, £35. White corset by RDLF, 18″-40″, £215.

Valkyrie Corsets have taken gingham a step further by combining baby pink checks with a delicate rose print. Trimmed with ruffles in fine white lace, this longline underbust is the perfect way to dress up a light chemise. The corset is also available in mint green polka dot cotton, with white lacy frills which match perfectly with Lulu and Lush white frilly knickers.

Pink gingham and rose underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. pink chemise and petticoat by Axfords S/M and M/L. Chemise £28, petticoat £38.	Mint green and white polka dot underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. Lulu and Lush white frilly knickers, S/M/L, £14. White full length opera gloves, £18.	Pink gingham and rose underbust with white frills by Valkyrie Corsets, 18″-32″, £195. pink chemise and petticoat by Axfords S/M and M/L. Chemise £28, petticoat £38.

It’s not only gingham which has got us excited this week… We’re finally launching our Lulu and Lush ‘Alice in Wonderland’ collection (which we’ve previewed exclusively here on the blog, at the Corset & Diamonds event featuring Chrys Columbine’s a amazing Alice in Wonderland piano/burlesque routine and on the catwalk at Old Spitalfields Market Fashion Week), so check back later in the week for more details!

This week we’ve added a selection of cocktail dresses ideal for summer garden parties or a day at the races, and some more formalwear ideas for summer evening events.

We’ve picked three different styles of dress so there’s something suitable for everyone, whatever your shape or colouring. The flattering stretch fabric of our ‘Mayfair‘ dress combined with its slashed v-front neckline means that this dress is both comfortable yet glamorous, and ideal for the vixens amongst us. This dress can also be worn with a waist cincher or an underbust corset for an even more dramatic look, and is available in the classic pin-up colours of red and black. Our delicate, floaty party dress, in satin with chiffon overlays, is flirty yet pretty and innocent-looking. With its fitted waist and flared out skirt, this dress is great for pear-shapes and for showing off tiny waists. Available in the pastel colours of pale blue, ivory or baby pink, the dress features a beautiful black lace overlay on the bust, pretty eyelash lace trim and is finished off with a black dupion silk bow at the back. Our halterneck ‘Connie’ dress features a plunging neckline in a summery, floral fabric, ideal for emphasising the bust. The high waistband in hot pink combined with the stretch black pencil skirt elongates the legs and gives a perfect hourglass silhouette. Of course, these dresses are all strictly limited edition, so there’s much less chance of an embarrassing encounter with someone wearing the same dress as you than with an outfit from the high street!

Our favourite colours for eveningwear outfits this week are dusky antique pinks and regal purple raw silks. The glamourous longline overbust with its straight neckline and sparkling sequin lace trim is ideal for smaller busts and looks fantastic when put with our black chiffon ‘Chicago’ skirt, which can be trimmed in matching ribbon. The skirt features ribbon ties which means the front can be hitched up to show a little leg, or left down for a more demure look. Our floaty chiffon dress features a fitted bodice and satin hipband, and a ribbon-laced back without the steel-boned cinching of a corset. The dramatic tiered skirt will be sure to get you noticed at any event, whether you choose the dress in antique pink, fuchsia, black, or aqua. If you have a larger bust but adore the purple raw silk of the longline overbust, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you – renowned corsetiers Vollers have made a purple silk overbust with a sweetheart neckline and larger cups, with an optional matching skirt in silk, which is ruched at the front and cut high at the back, to show off the attached black petticoat underneath.

Check back soon for the latest additions to our Lulu and Lush lingerie range!

If you’ve ever seen the pictures of the Hollywood glitterati posing on the red carpet and wished that you too could own that beautiful gown but have felt somewhat thwarted by there only being one in existance and it costing more than you earn in a month, do not be disheartened! Some of the best-dressed celebrities to grace the red carpets this month have been spotted in outfits not too dissimilar to some of our designs, and because our steel-boned corsets cinch waists by around four inches as well as flattening the stomach and giving the bust a cheeky hoist, there’s no need to worry about any extra Christmas pounds that well-intentioned-but-underused gym membership may have failed to shift!

Emilia Fox looked resplendent in her trained black gown at the Baftas. If it’s the long sleeves that have caught your eye, try our chiffon Medieval gown with its delicate beaded bodice, available in black or even in white (similar to the dress worn by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the Elle Style Awards), or how about the trained strapless gown with crystal buttoning, over a chiffon blouse or a mesh shrug?

Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto looked glamorous in her floor-length mermaid-esque pink fishtail dress. Recreate her look with our fitted fishtail gown, available in green or pink and currently reduced to £165 from £345.

For the ultimate in glamour our corset dress is sure to get you noticed! Available in a wide variety of coloured satins, it is laced all the way down the back and at the front of the skirt, cinching and boosting in all the right places.

And finally, Kate Winslet looked sensational at the BAFTAs with her tight-fitting floor-length fishtail outfit, entirely in black. Her look is easily achieved with our halter-neck corset teamed with either a long black fishtail skirt or a fit and flare skirt with net trim.

So there you have it, four red-carpet outfits, and four creative ways to steal their style!

Vollers brand new collection is now online , featuring new corsets (of course) but also new for 2008 a chiffon blouse that works brilliantly under corsets, and a range of formal skirts. Newest corset in the vollers family is the v1808 , higher cut than any of their other corsets this corset works wonders on larger busts, and those of us who prefer to show a little less. Available in black velvet , black and silver orchid silk or gorgeous red embroidered taffeta , reaction in the shop makes us think this is going to be a best seller!