If you do a basic internet search for "corset," you'll find that they range from $8-$1,000. What is the difference, and how does it affect fit, comfort, and durability? Find your answers here!
All Enchanted Corsets are hand drafted, fit, and constructed of quality materials in Portland, Oregon. For an overbust corset, 24 individual measurements ensure a perfect fit.
Plastic boning is the biggest culprit in making a corset look awful after it is too late to take it back. When you sit down, the heat of your body molds the plastic to bend at your waist, but doesn't straighten out when you stand back up. Hence, a "pooch" is created, when and where you wanted anything but!
Too few panels: Your torso is not a perfectly symmetrical cylinder, but so many corsets treat it like one! Corsets with less than 12 panels (six across the front and six across the back) provide insufficient curves to accommodate your hips, breasts, and lower back.
Too little boning: Like too few panels, most cheap corsets only have one piece of boning per seam, making it structurally weak. No wonder they bow out or buckle or pinch!
No lining: A good corset will have a coutil lining to support you and be breathable so you aren't suffering in a pool of your own sweat. Cheap corsets are not only made of thin polyester without interfacing, but often skip the lining, leaving you with a thin shell of what could have been awesome!
Too few or unstable grommets: The part where your corset laces in back is put under a LOT of pressure, even if you are just wearing it for a few hours. If the grommets are too far apart, your corset will dig at some point on your body. If the corset isn't lined, the grommets will eventually pull out of the fabric, especially if one-piece grommets are used. Make sure that there is no more than 1" between grommets, and that it is a grommet/washer combination.
Too big or too small: This is the worst! Beware of corsets that only offer waist size or "custom" corsets that only ask for a few measurements. If a corset fits in the bust, usually it is too small at the hips or visa versa. Not only does this put uneven pressure along your back (leading to back pain and even pinched nerves), it also looks awful! Getting a custom corset ensures that, even if your measurements aren't 36-26-36, you will be comfortable and dead sexy!
Too long or too short: You can line up 100 women side by side, all who wear a size 12. And of all those women, no two will have the same measurements! Variations in height and build ensure that what digs on one woman is too short on the other. If you get breasts into the equation (and we know that they come in alllll shapes and sizes), you can rest assured that a ready made corset is about as likely to fit you as it is your Mom, your best friend, or a stranger on the street. Beware of corsets that only offer waist size or "custom" corsets that only ask for a few measurements. In sum, if you want it to fit, get a custom corset from Enchanted!