Corsetry I can't afford
Corsetry: the makers
(the first six I heard of independently, the rest all via FairyGothMother or the webvine):
I'm impressed by the often-flamboyant but always meticulously finished work of
Maya Hansen corsetry
But there is also the delectable Kunza http://www.corsetorium.com/ range of 'very limited edition luxury corsetry and bespoke historical foundations', stocked in the UK by Coco de Mer (Covent Garden Boutique 23 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DD t: 020 7836 8882 f: 020 7836 8881 e: intouch@coco-de-mer.co.uk)
Unique antiques can be found online at Corsets and Crinolines which has a lovely online antique corset gallery. I love this Victorian relic (not my size).
(For those with interest in corsetry history at its last technological stage, there is the fantastic Corsetiere.net or the usual google results crop)
Other contenders:
FairyGothMother, http://www.fairygothmother.co.uk/ stock a wide variety of the above labels as well as their own exclusive brand, Lulu and Lush, and have a Corsetry and Lingerie Boutique at 15 Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields, London E1 6EA, Tel: +44 (0)20 7377 0370 No point in arriving early in the day as they open 11 - 6pm Monday - Saturday.
They have a lot of information on their approach and products sorted by type on their corsets page (queue endless scrolling) and, at the end, they link to their selections from the above labels: Vollers, Miss Katie, and Corset Rouge, RDLFEternal Spirits, Puimond, Velda Lauder and Valkyrie corsets of Brighton.
Chimera Costumes, historical costume specialist, sells corset components including lacings http://www.chimera-costumes.co.uk/ (also they're a useful source of double-faced satin ribbon).
Ribbon and cord alternatives for lacings may be found online but MyFabrics.co.uk struck me as having a particularly good pricing system and range (though I haven't tried it yet)
Borderline cases: not-corsets and low-end products
Quality corsets have careful, strong seaming defining well-shaped boning designed to take in the waist and shape hips and bosom appealingly while not badly crushing the ribcage or treating the body as a tube to be yanked in uniformly. Not all corsets sold follow this and if you're paying under £100 for a new non-sale corset, the quality is unlikely to be nearly as high. This will affect comfort and bodyshaping, not just longevity of the product. Corsets are meant to be aesthetic and flatter the wearer and shaping a corset is not a trivial exercise. Steel boning and clasps will saw through cheap satin and seams quickly and poor structure will deform bodies and fabric in ways that fail to add appeal. These can be very useful if your size and shape changes a lot though. If you're lucky to find something low-end but decent quality and fit for your purposes, good for you but don't expect the earth for a song.
A litany (with illustrative historic images) of corsetry bodyshaping failures (attributable to poor structure, poor choice, or how an item has been put on) is provided by corsetiere.net. The gaps they start off with aren't too bad but progressively more unflattering problems emerge.
Some things that look like corsets may be mass produced offerings (more akin to bustiers or basques than proper corsets and often readily identifiable as they come in S/M/L or bra sizings instead of proper corset waist inches and lack steel boning) which compensate for a lack of the body structuring, staying power and support offered by a crafted corset by being easily affordable.
I'm not sure which side of the 'acceptable quality' line Snobzcorsets falls on - their prices are amazingly low, they supply online only and waist shaping seems limited but corsets are custom produced and they care about measurements. http://snobzcorsets.com/catalog/index.php and sister Poshcorsets http://www.poshcorsets.co.uk/catalog/ Unfortunately they've committed a massive online sales nono in my book by not giving any contact details/base location on their site.
Similiarly, Eden Coeur 'corsets' are a borderline case - 'the UK's largest wholesale supplier of steelboned corsets and accessories'. Range shown at the direct shop http://www.love-edencoeur.co.uk/Corsets.html demonstrates a deep affiliation to the Small, Medium, Large approach to sizing despite vaunted steel boning. The claim to supply modesty panels in all overbust corsets isn't borne out by the accompanying images of their overbust models (for example, the 'Rouge' style). Most of their styles appear rather on the straight up and down side, though one seemed to offer a structured waist. Let me know if they're better than the web has led me to expect.
Bizou - sold by AdoreCorsets as well as classycorsets.com - is a brand I know little above with pricing between the rock bottom and the quality end.
Online stores to note
Shops with low-end and not-corsets (not including general gothwear shops)
Various brands may be found at Corsets UK http://www.corsets-uk.com/
As mentioned above, AdoreCorsets http://www.adorecorsets.com/, London's Secrets of the Boudoir sells http://www.secretsoftheboudoir.co.uk/ and Classy Corsets http://www.classycorsets.com/ stock low-end brands alongside high-grade labels.
Girls of Elegance, the online lingerie store where stock mostly comes from Vollers, also, for now, stocks some (discontinued) items from less stringent production lines http://www.girlsofelegance.co.uk/acatalog/80451_Midnight_Blue_Bustier.html
(the first six I heard of independently, the rest all via FairyGothMother or the webvine):
I'm impressed by the often-flamboyant but always meticulously finished work of
Maya Hansen corsetry
But there is also the delectable Kunza http://www.corsetorium.com/ range of 'very limited edition luxury corsetry and bespoke historical foundations', stocked in the UK by Coco de Mer (Covent Garden Boutique 23 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DD t: 020 7836 8882 f: 020 7836 8881 e: intouch@coco-de-mer.co.uk)
Unique antiques can be found online at Corsets and Crinolines which has a lovely online antique corset gallery. I love this Victorian relic (not my size).
(For those with interest in corsetry history at its last technological stage, there is the fantastic Corsetiere.net or the usual google results crop)
Other contenders:
- Vollers http://www.vollers-corsets.com/ remain reliably high-quality (as always) and stock a widely varied range of basic corsets, mostly with a range of fabric options for each style. Because of the range, there is plenty of scope to find the most flattering shapes for your body.
- Puimond http://www.puimond.com/ (Los Angeles-based) Quality has sadly declined (they were dropped by the stockist I last saw them in who was selling off the remainder of his stock - affordable but I had to agree the failings of those were too great) so they've fallen off my lustlist. However, maybe the guy had been selling off seconds to start with... judge for yourself.
- Miss Katie http://www.misskatie.com/gallery.html/ - a burlesque specialist. Trying styles on is essential as the effect varies with an individual's proportions so much. However, if you love a style but the ready-mades don't work on you, there may be a case for bespoke. Site shop has problems, gallery works though.
- Eternal Spirits (by Susi Henson) http://www.eternalspirits.com/products/corsets/ is a brand I'd like more feedback on (though a flick through shows most of their shapes aren't ones I'd be after for me). They aren't nervous of listing their stockists, so it would be relatively simple to check and try their goods.
- Maxine's of London http://www.maxinesoflondon.co.uk/ is another such brand, though their site navigation flumoxed my efforts to see more than a small selection of their current range.
- Corset Rouge http://www.corsetrouge.com/ provide a more accentuated waist (i.e. more of a squeeze) and do more leather than the rest. Their corsets are predominantly cut further down the hip (see http://www.corsetrouge.com/Details.aspx?PID=5), providing a smooth line but more restrictive feel. I can't give a direct link but the range of patterned brocades on the 'materials' page for each style is particularly good.
- Revanche de la Femme (RDLF) corsets http://www.rdlf.de/en/home.php A German firm (the site's English version is clearly a work in progress) stocked in the UK by FairyGothMother which offers a very large selection of RDLF products in a good range of fabrics and some fantastic styles, especially for fuller figures
- Velda Lauder http://www.veldalauder.co.uk/ waist-sculpting classic, bridal and burlesque corsetry which doesn't oppress a 'woman's ribs or hips'
- Valkyrie corsets - their MySpace page (no site I could detect) photos of their collaboration with Fetish Forge were impressively different http://www.myspace.com/valkyriecorsets. Available from FairyGothMother.
- Rawhide corsets http://www.rawhidecorsets.co.uk/ Despite the name they do vegetarian as well as leather. They do a special fuller figure design 'Romana' but some seem plain terrifying They have a 'by appointment' boutique in their Birmingham studio. Check out their ex-demo sales.
- What Katie Did http://www.whatkatiedid.com/ is a large concern. I don't know about their quality (feedback welcome) but their range and imagination for simple lines is good monochrome example and they do a longline underbust corset offering really strong waist cinching.
- Angelic Weapons http://www.angelicweapons.co.uk/ Based in North Nottinghamshire, 'taking inspiration from Victorian pattern cutting techniques but making them work for the modern woman' I've just discovered this range via AdoreCorsets but am unsure whether any have modesty panel, as none I've checked do
- Tactical Corsets http://tacticalcorsets.com/ 'Fail is obsolete: milspec materials for the win' I'd love to know if they're any good to wear.
- Axfords http://www.axfords.co.uk/ seem to focus on the bridal and silhouette-managing market and I don't really know much about them except that they stock corsets for men and usefully sell corset-laces.
FairyGothMother, http://www.fairygothmother.co.uk/ stock a wide variety of the above labels as well as their own exclusive brand, Lulu and Lush, and have a Corsetry and Lingerie Boutique at 15 Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields, London E1 6EA, Tel: +44 (0)20 7377 0370 No point in arriving early in the day as they open 11 - 6pm Monday - Saturday.
They have a lot of information on their approach and products sorted by type on their corsets page (queue endless scrolling) and, at the end, they link to their selections from the above labels: Vollers, Miss Katie, and Corset Rouge, RDLFEternal Spirits, Puimond, Velda Lauder and Valkyrie corsets of Brighton.
Chimera Costumes, historical costume specialist, sells corset components including lacings http://www.chimera-costumes.co.uk/ (also they're a useful source of double-faced satin ribbon).
Ribbon and cord alternatives for lacings may be found online but MyFabrics.co.uk struck me as having a particularly good pricing system and range (though I haven't tried it yet)
Borderline cases: not-corsets and low-end products
Quality corsets have careful, strong seaming defining well-shaped boning designed to take in the waist and shape hips and bosom appealingly while not badly crushing the ribcage or treating the body as a tube to be yanked in uniformly. Not all corsets sold follow this and if you're paying under £100 for a new non-sale corset, the quality is unlikely to be nearly as high. This will affect comfort and bodyshaping, not just longevity of the product. Corsets are meant to be aesthetic and flatter the wearer and shaping a corset is not a trivial exercise. Steel boning and clasps will saw through cheap satin and seams quickly and poor structure will deform bodies and fabric in ways that fail to add appeal. These can be very useful if your size and shape changes a lot though. If you're lucky to find something low-end but decent quality and fit for your purposes, good for you but don't expect the earth for a song.
A litany (with illustrative historic images) of corsetry bodyshaping failures (attributable to poor structure, poor choice, or how an item has been put on) is provided by corsetiere.net. The gaps they start off with aren't too bad but progressively more unflattering problems emerge.
Some things that look like corsets may be mass produced offerings (more akin to bustiers or basques than proper corsets and often readily identifiable as they come in S/M/L or bra sizings instead of proper corset waist inches and lack steel boning) which compensate for a lack of the body structuring, staying power and support offered by a crafted corset by being easily affordable.
I'm not sure which side of the 'acceptable quality' line Snobzcorsets falls on - their prices are amazingly low, they supply online only and waist shaping seems limited but corsets are custom produced and they care about measurements. http://snobzcorsets.com/catalog/index.php and sister Poshcorsets http://www.poshcorsets.co.uk/catalog/ Unfortunately they've committed a massive online sales nono in my book by not giving any contact details/base location on their site.
Similiarly, Eden Coeur 'corsets' are a borderline case - 'the UK's largest wholesale supplier of steelboned corsets and accessories'. Range shown at the direct shop http://www.love-edencoeur.co.uk/Corsets.html demonstrates a deep affiliation to the Small, Medium, Large approach to sizing despite vaunted steel boning. The claim to supply modesty panels in all overbust corsets isn't borne out by the accompanying images of their overbust models (for example, the 'Rouge' style). Most of their styles appear rather on the straight up and down side, though one seemed to offer a structured waist. Let me know if they're better than the web has led me to expect.
Bizou - sold by AdoreCorsets as well as classycorsets.com - is a brand I know little above with pricing between the rock bottom and the quality end.
Online stores to note
- FairyGothMother http://www.fairygothmother.co.uk/ is mentioned above, has a storefront and is in a league of their own.
- The Girls of Elegance http://www.girlsofelegance.co.uk/ site offers Vollers and other corsets
- Wicked Tickles have a larger range of Velda Lauder than FairyGothMother currently offer, some Vollers and some I've never heard of and which definitely fall into the non-corset category defined further down this page.
- AdoreCorsets http://www.adorecorsets.com/ claim to specialise in quality (and stock Maya Hansen e.g. this beauty, What Katie Did and Playgirl London corsets). They offer a (limited) plus size service where the buyer specifies measurements and they produce a corset tailored to be suitable for the individual's natural waist (up to 40inch) bust, and hip (both up to 48inches) dimensions (sizing guide and video available online), but without a bespoke pricetag.
- London's Secret's of the Boudoir sells http://www.secretsoftheboudoir.co.uk/ a mix of Vollers, Valkyrie, Axford, What Katie Did and lower end (possible non-corset candiates) offerings from Playgirl (London Corsets), Bizou, and Snobz (see below about that last case)
- Classy Corsets http://www.classycorsets.com/ falls into the automatic trap of tainting its wares by the never-believeable self-ascribed 'classy' label. Nevertheless, they stock Vollers and What Katie Did as well as lower-end makes.
- Glamorous Amorous http://www.glamorousamorous.com/ don't stock a lot of corsets (Eternal Spirit, Maya Hansen, Maxine's but a corset search throws up a lot of bustiers. However if you like unusual, unaffordable, lingerie the Nichole de Carle concept-driven brand they stock is fairly unique. Some looks as if it may have been cut from the movie 'Fifth Element', or possibly 'Aeon Flux'.
Shops with low-end and not-corsets (not including general gothwear shops)
Various brands may be found at Corsets UK http://www.corsets-uk.com/
As mentioned above, AdoreCorsets http://www.adorecorsets.com/, London's Secrets of the Boudoir sells http://www.secretsoftheboudoir.co.uk/ and Classy Corsets http://www.classycorsets.com/ stock low-end brands alongside high-grade labels.
Girls of Elegance, the online lingerie store where stock mostly comes from Vollers, also, for now, stocks some (discontinued) items from less stringent production lines http://www.girlsofelegance.co.uk/acatalog/80451_Midnight_Blue_Bustier.html