The Complete Guide to Corsets: How to Shop, Care for & Style Your Corsets

At Illusions Lingerie, we’re of the strong belief that fashion is self-expression, but that sensuality is in itself an extension of that self-expression. The art of curating your own wardrobe and finding clothes that accentuate and even move with your body is after all, one of the most routine forms of self-care, and is foundational to our health and wellness.

But for those of us who’ve up until recently had a more utilitarian approach to building a wardrobe, embracing your inner femme fatale can be seriously empowering – and that in a nutshell is why corsets for men and women have come back into the zeitgeist.

Facilitating the perfect hourglass silhouette and providing the support you need to stand tall, corsets have become a highly sought after accessory for many fashion-conscious folk today, from modern women of all shapes and stripes to cosplayers, drag queens, burlesque performers, and virtually any other body who can appreciate the timeless style of these traditional garments.

Considering that corsets are quite unlike any other types of lingerie that you can find at your local bra shop today, it can naturally feel a bit daunting to embrace this bold bodice in your own street style. Thankfully, there are actually many ways to style corsets, with just as many looks available for those who want to avoid showing too much skin.

• What to consider when shopping for corsets
• How to care for corsets: closures, cleaning, and storage
• How to style modern corsets
• Finding the perfect corset for your curves

And if your barrier to investing in corsets is simply not knowing how to care for these garments or what to look for when shopping for them, then let our lingerie experts here at Illusions illuminate you with this – our definitive buying and care guide for modern corsets.

What to consider when shopping for corsets

A corset is typically a form-fitting bodice with boning to provide structure, and closures (i.e. grommets for lace, hook and eye closures, busk closures, etc.) to secure the fit. When shopping for a corset, you need to consider a few key factors, including sizing, comfort or support, functionality (i.e. why you’re wearing the corset), and cost in relation to the quality of materials and general construction of the corset.

Fit

Did you know that a good corset should actually feel comfortable and not at all restrictive? Unlike the corsets of yesteryear which were designed to compress women’s rib cages, modern corsets instead focus on accentuating the natural curvature of the waist and hips. 

Having total control over the boning and construction of corsets today ensures that corset makers can cater to a range of differently sized bodies. Regardless of whether you wear a size 8 or a size 22, there is going to be a corset out there that fits your curves perfectly.

A well-fitting corset should also appear totally smooth when worn, meaning you should experience no bumps or excess fabric between boning when your corset is correctly laced or fastened around your waist. If you suspect you’ve purchased an ill-fitting corset or simply want some expert assistance when finding the right corset sizing for you, then don’t hesitate to come visit our Moonee Ponds store for a complimentary in-store fitting. Our corset connoisseurs will help you find the perfect fit for your frame.

Support

There are basically two different types of corsets: underbusts and overbusts. As their names suggest, overbusts provide corset coverage spanning from the hips and upwards to over the bust. Contrastingly, underbust corsets don’t include chest support and are designed to be worn with a bra. As underbust corsets cover just the waist and hips, these corsets are easy to style over dresses and shirts. 

Generally speaking, you can easily choose either an overbust or an underbust for your first corset. Corset wearers who wear over a D cup bra, however, are likely to prefer the added support of an overbust corset. In fact, the superior support of modern corsets is actually pretty similar to a really comfy, high-quality bra – so much so that many corset wearers often end up wearing their corset down the line on a day out just to get a break from their bra without having to compromise on their range of motion.

Functionality

Yes, a well-fitting corset should be easy enough to move in, but given how structured these garments are by design, it’s always well worth considering how you’re intending to use your corset when finding the right addition to your wardrobe. Are you looking to style your corset over plain white tees, dresses, or shirts for an edgy street look? Are you looking for a corset to wear for a formal occasion? Are you looking for a costume corset to complete a cosplay project or for an upcoming dress-up party? Or are you looking for a corset that you can perform in, be it as a drag queen or a burlesque starlet? 

Asking yourself these questions can help you ascertain whether you’re after an overbust or an underbust, how much support you’re looking for, what kind of corset closures, lacing, or strapping you’re after, and even what materials or fabrics you’re looking for from your ideal corset.

Quality

Today, you can find corsets made from cotton, mesh, latex, and even leather. That, and the original whalebone or wood boning of traditional corsets have now been swapped out for steel, high-quality plastic, or even elastic boning, ensuring modern corsets are more durable, sustainable, and substantially less dangerous to wear!

Generally speaking, however, high-quality corsets are constructed using premium exterior and interior support materials, with design features that help provide a comfortable and secure fit. Some great features to look out for include:

• Double layered fabric construction – supportive corsets typically consist of two fabric layers, with the outer fabric layer providing aesthetic appeal, and the inner plainer fabric layer providing structural support to secure the corset’s top and bottom binding and structure channels for the bodice boning.
• Waist tapes – waist tapes are horizontal fabric ‘tapes’ that are sewn along the inner waist of a corset. By adding structure at the highest point of tension of the inner corset, waist tapes effectively reinforce the waistline of a corset, ultimately increasing the bodice’s durability by easing stress on the seams along the waistline.
• Busk closures – corsets are constructed with different types of closures, ranging from lace backings supported by grommets to hook and eye closures, and swing latch closures. Corsets with busk closures are, however, considered to be the most versatile, as these solid metal closures are generally easier to use and place less strain on both the corset and the corset wearer.

How to care for corsets: closures, cleaning, and storage

If you’ve been able to find the ideal fit for your personal (or professional) needs and you’re ready to finally take the bodice off once you’re done admiring it, then now’s the time to learn how best to care for your new corset. Corset care doesn’t just involve cleaning and storage considerations, but also how you handle your corset on a routine basis. Whilst high-quality corsets are built to last a lifetime, mishandling may still result in damage of your corset’s boning, fastening hardware, and other components or even misshaping of the corset altogether.

How to safely wear your corset

New corsets have to be broken in gently to provide them the opportunity to mould to your shape. Taking this preliminary step can help support the durability of your corset’s boning and aid in maintaining structure to your corset over the long term.

The best way to break a corset in is to wear it loosely for the first few hours and then progressively tightening your lacing or hook fastening over the next 2-3 days until you’ve attained your ideal fit. Once your corset is tight enough that it fits perfectly, you can start wearing your new bodice out on the town!

When removing your corset, try to gently loosen lacing before undoing busk closures or other fasteners to reduce risks of causing undue stress to the garment. The primary goal of corset care is to maintain the structural integrity of the bodice so be gentle when tightening and loosening alike.

Note: corsets are best kept as personal pieces that are only worn by you. As corsets are designed to mould to your shape, there are risks of misshaping or damage if your corset is worn by anybody else. 

Cleaning your corset

Corsets should never be machine washed. Just as it’s important to hand wash your bras to maintain their structure, your corsets should also be cleaned by hand wherever possible. And if you can avoid immersing your corset in water, this is preferable too, as moisture may result in the rusting of steel boning if your corset isn’t dried properly.

Our best advice for cleaning your corset is to air it out after every wear by hanging it on a clothes hanger, and wipe down its interior lining with a damp cloth or alcohol cleaning wipe to keep your corset smelling fresh and free from oils or bacteria. You may even opt to dry clean your corset if a more thorough cleaning is required. Many drag queens and burlesque performers dry clean their corsets regularly to ensure they’re consistently fresh and ready for performances.

You’ll find that a lot of the similar tips to follow when washing bras is also applicable for corsets because underwire bras and corsets share one similar element: interior structural boning. Preserving this boning is just as vital to caring for the fabric interior and exterior lining of your corset.

Expert tips for storing corsets

Fashion corsets which use plastic boning can be laid completely flat in a drawer or even folded or rolled up for easy storage. If you’re looking to store your corsets folded or rolled, then just be sure to roll vertically and in a straight line to keep boning uniform and with equal pressure distribution.

For higher end steel boned corsets, however, it’s best to hang them vertically and with zero pressure on any of the boning to keep the corset’s structure intact. Here, we recommend using a sturdy pants hanger that can provide adequate support for your corset and help reduce risks of your corset becoming misshapen due to holding up its own weight. 

The only downside to hanging corsets up by their laces or with a pants hanger, is that you’ll need to undo your hanging configuration before you can safely remove the corset from storage. That, and it can be harder to identify corsets if you happen to own multiple when storing them in this configuration. If you’re looking for an easier method, then why not use a skirt hanger (i.e. a hanger with two clasps attached at either end) to hold up your corset facing out? This method primarily works for underbust corsets that have a more uniform construction.

So to recap, here are the top recommended methods for storing your corset:

• Laced up and laid completely flat in a drawer 
• Folded and stored in a drawer
• Rolled up and stored either horizontally or vertically (in a storage box)
• Hung up by its laces on a pants hanger
• Laced and hung up face out using a skirt hanger

How to style modern corsets

You don’t need to wear corsets yourself to know the way we wear these garments has evolved greatly over the past few centuries. Whilst these bodices were originally worn as undergarments from as early as 1000 BC to the 16th century, modern corsets are instead worn to be shown off. 

Today, corsets can easily be styled over clothes to create layered, form-fitting looks. In fact, it’s common to see corset tops in a range of settings nowadays, spanning from Friday nights out and even to work events, date nights and for day activities too. 

Here are some of our favourite corset styling hacks that work for everyday wear.

Over a fitted shirt

When paired over a plain white tee or even a long-sleeved dress shirt, your corset can really elevate an otherwise relatively casual look. This particular fit works well for underbust corsets like our Mesh Underbust Corset from Tuck & Bind.

For an edgier look, why not also try this style with our Black Leather Corset too? The glossy finish of this striking overbust leather-look corset pairs perfectly with white cotton shirts, creating an elegant monochromatic look that’s super easy to accessorise.

Over a jumpsuit

Adding a corset over a jumpsuit or playsuit can be a great way to add structure to these garments, which more often than not can lack a lot of shape around the waist when worn without a belt. A dressier corset like our Pink Sequin Corset can also transform this style hack into an effortlessly elegant and comfy formal look. 

With a miniskirt

The structure of a corset pairs surprisingly well with the shape of most miniskirts, providing a great balance of coverage across the upper bust to below the waist. If you’d prefer to show less skin, we’d recommend wearing some pantyhose or tights under your skirt, or even a suitable longer sleeved bodysuit under your corset.

With culottes

If you’re looking for a little extra contrast in structure, then a form-fitting corset with a wide-legged pant is sure to be a match made in heaven for you. And with the return of culottes, there has never been a better time to craft this elegant look for yourself!

With an oversized jacket

In a similar style to pairing your corset with culottes, wearing your corset or corset top underneath an oversized denim or leather jacket can provide a great contrast between feminine and masculine elements. This look is street-approved and also uber practical for nights out when you’re bound to get a little chilly.

This look can also be adapted to daytime activities or a more ‘cottagecore’ aesthetic by swapping out the oversized jacket for an oversized knit cardigan instead. 

As part of a costume

Today, corsets are also considered to be costume lingerie, and can be worn over fitted shirts or linen tunics to create a ‘pirate wench’, fairy princess, or even Tim Burton’s ‘Corpse Bride’-esque look. There are plenty of corset costume ideas out there to choose from, so let your imagination run wild! 

Finding the perfect corset for your curves

With all our expert shopping, corset care, and corset styling tips, chances are you should be able to point yourself in the right direction when finding the ideal corset for your needs. But as we mentioned, corsets are unlike any other garment in your wardrobe, and even if you do know what you’re looking for, it never hurts to have some additional assistance. 

That’s why our team at Illusions Lingerie offers complimentary fitting services in-store, alongside making ourselves available for any email or phone inquiries about any of the corset styles within our range, or any of our other products.

Come visit us in-store to check out our collection of corsets for yourself, or contact us via email or by calling (03) 9326 1543 to speak with our lingerie experts today.