This entry is a summary of the review video “Meschantes RTW Waist Training Corset Review” which you can watch on YouTube here:
| Fit, length | Front is about 11″ inches long, back also 11″ long. From underbust to lap at shortest point is 10″. Moderate hourglass silhouette. Mid-hip corset (not short on the hips but not longline) – good for average-to-long torsos. Will hold in a bit of lower tummy pooch. Looking at the size chart for the RTW corsets, the ribcage is about 5″ bigger than the waist, and the hips about 8″ bigger than the waist. Always take this into consideration before buying a certain size. |
| Material | 2 main layers; fashion layer is cotton twill and the lining is bull denim. Some interfacing on the back panels. |
| Construction | 6 panel pattern. Sandwiched boning, double-boned on each seam. Top-stitched between panels. The liner doesn’t float, and there are no garter tabs. |
| Binding | Black satin bias tape machine stitched on both inside and outside. |
| Waist tape | 1″ wide invisible waist tape between the two layers. |
| Modesty panel | Attached 7.5″ wide fabric lacing protector on the back, can be removed if desired. |
| Busk | No busk; closed front. Instead there are four flat steel bones in the center front, all 10″ long. Two center bones are 1/2″ wide, and adjacent to those are two flats about 1/4″ wide. Keeps the center front quite flat. |
| Boning | 24 bones, including the center front bones (where the busk would normally be). On each side of the corset you’ll find 8 spirals steels (1/4″ wide) double boned on the seams; then 4 flats (1/4″ wide) sandwiching the grommets; and as mentioned in the “busk” section above, another two reinforcing the center front **Please note that some people have found plastic bones in the center front instead of steels in their Meschantes corsets. I had picked the binding of my Meschantes corset and found spirals in the channels I checked, but I didn’t check every channel so I can’t say whether my corset had plastic or steel in the center front. |
| Grommets | 24 grommets total, size #0 two-part grommets with large flange; colored black on the outside (washers are silver). Grommets are set closer together at the waist for more control when cinching. No splits, no catching on the laces. |
| Laces | Strong flat shoe-lace style laces; they grip well and they are long enough that I can pull the corset over my head when putting it on and taking it off (because there’s no busk). No springiness to the laces, and difficult to break. |
| Price | Ranges from $140 – $185 depending on the size and where you purchase it. They have a regular website, but I recommend purchasing from their Etsy store instead (see Final Thoughts below). |
Final Thoughts (and discussion on conflicting reviews):
Even though I’ve received requests for a couple of years now to do a review of Meschantes, I was hesitant to do so because of so many other conflicting reviews out there. Meschantes has a very enthusiastic and loyal customer/ fanbase, and then another significant group of people who’ve had very disappointing experiences with the company. My own contact with them was also limited as they didn’t respond to my own emails. Although I had wanted to try their custom/ made-to-measure service, in the end I decided to try one of their RTW corsets. I usually don’t like to depend much on heresay, but I’ve heard enough stories from people getting their corsets months late (or not receiving their custom orders at all) that I didn’t want to risk dropping my money on something that I knew couldn’t be shipped out immediately.
That said, I found fit and the quality of the RTW corset to be decent for the price (especially if you go by the price on Ebay). Meschantes is different to some other companies in that all the layers used are cotton (instead of polyester), allowing the skin to breathe. The shape/ silhouette it gives is quite lovely, and the reduction is decent on my figure (although due to the rib-waist-hip ratio, I would have fit the size 24″ better than the size 22″). For those who are conscious about the economy and fair trade, all of Meschantes corsets are constructed in the U.S.
Meschantes theoretically has a lot going for them; they have the ability to make beautiful and high quality pieces. I want to like them – my only wish is that their service were a bit more consistent. Very rarely do I see a company in which their customer base has such a “black or white” opinion; it seems that many people either love them or hate them. Granted, it’s usually the people who receive exceptional service and products (whether exceptionally good or exceptionally bad) who are the loudest. Although corset makers are human and we all make mistakes, after hearing from customers “for” and “against”, it sounds like purchasing from here is rather a game of roulette.
If you want to try Meschantes but you are nervous about the service, I would definitely recommend purchasing through Etsy – the positive/negative feedback system on these sites can add incentive for sellers (in general) to deliver what they promise.
If you have any real, 1st hand experience with Meschantes or their products, whether good/bad/meh, I encourage you to comment below this post – maybe then we can see a proper reflection.
Hi Lucy! Thanks for all your wonderful advice and the time and effort you spend on your passion! On the point of this particular corset, first of all, this was the first “official” corset I’d ever purchased… Been wanting one for a long time but was unsure of what to invest in, especially with $$ I don’t really have! I had not seen your above review yet, but came upon and purchased a nude colored corset from Meschantes from Esty for about $140. It just grabbed me when I saw it! No busk meant flat under clothes- very cool! (Especially since my husband is rather victorian- “you’re not going to let anybody SEE those are you?” “No, I will wear them under my clothes for back support and pretty posture.” (Another story… Sorry, ADD…) ANYWAY I ordered the corset because I liked the silhouette of it, it looked like it was made sturdy yet pretty, and the price was reasonable.
I was not disappointed! Practically the next day my corset arrived in the mail. Wrapped in tissue paper, no nonsense, no frills, no waste- (in fact not even a packing slip- which I found a little odd. But whatever, I would’ve just recycled it anyway right?) Excited, I tried it on soon as I could, by myself. I used the doorknobs on my door to hold the laces back, walked forward, then tightened from the top to the middle, then the bottom to the middle. I felt simply BEAUTIFUL!!! :D I couldn’t find my tape measure so I cannot say in numbers how much my figure changed, but after putting on a top you could DEFINITELY see my waist curving in small and I liked the way it shaped me. (The only thing I’m still working on is how to deal with my rear… not quite happy with my apparent lack of it, but it could just be me. I think my back is straighter than I would like, making my rear not as differentiated as it could be.)
Perhaps knowing my size in regards this review would help, as this may be different for everybody. I am 5’2″ and my measurements tend to be around 35 bust, 26 waist, 38 hips. I chose the 20″ corset, figuring I could always cinch it more or less as needed, and if i get smaller it should still fit.
In all, I find this corset comfortable and it makes me feel pretty, poised and secure. I can stand and sit longer than without it. It feels like it is well made and durable, both the inside and outside layer made of cotton canvas- similar to the material Converse gym shoes are made of (many pairs of which have lasted for years!) I used a magnet and all the boning is steel, but alas, the two front ones didn’t magnetize so they may be plastic. It doesn’t seem to matter thus far. Holds my tummy in and stands me up just fine. I am enjoying my morning coffee on the back porch and wearing it as we speak. (ps- camp chairs don’t seem the best kind of chairs for corset comfort tho :/ lol)
As a newbie and this being my first actual corset, you may take my thoughts with a pinch of salt. I am sure I do not know what I am missing! But for now my humble OTR Meschantes corset is my security blanket/piece of armor and I feel comfortable, confident, and pretty wearing it :)
Love and hugs,
Georgette ~ :)
Hi – this is my first comment here, and I am learning so much from your site. Lucy, you are quite the resource! I wanted to share my own experience with Meschantes, and how they hold up. 9 years ago I bought through their website a overbust black damask corset w/ busk. It was made to measure without a mock-up; at that time, I don’t think they sold OTR, maybe they had standard pattern sizes in the shop, but I provided measurements and they took it from there. Customer service was fine, and the fit of the corset was very comfortable, and reasonable in cost, one of my favorites. I have never waist-trained, so wore that corset maybe 12 times, and then this was put away with my Dark Garden and Alter Ego (!!) ones. I just took them all out and to my dismay, compared to my Dark Garden ones, the corset isn’t in great shape. The metal busk is discolored and the fabric has discolored in spots. The DG ones are still in perfect shape, although they have been stored in exactly the same way (and I have worn them a few times, not many in the 9 years).
Thank you so much for your experience Claire, it’s very helpful to know how they hold up after nearly a decade!
I ordered a custom “high – back vixen” corset from Meschantes, right around Halloween (2015). My experience was good and bad….when I first sent an inquiry about the style with the features I wanted, they messaged me back fairly quickly, and even though I technically just missed their Halloween sale they gave me the sale prices anyway which also included free expedited processing and shipping! So naturally I was doing a happy dance…two weeks later when I received my package, it felt rather light considering one of the options I added was the “tightlacer special” which included double boning, a reinforced busk, longer laces, and two corset liners…sure enough, that entire option was missing! When I looked at my corset, I immediately noticed it was only single boned. :( I contacted customer service, and they responded within a day or so, telling me to ship it back so they could fix it, and they said they’d give me a credit toward a future order. I was very apprehensive about mailing it back, afraid I wouldn’t see it again, but decided to do it. About a week and half later it arrived back to me with everything it was supposed to have, except I never did receive any kind of credit. All that being said, I love the style and cut of this corset, it fits very well..I only wish it were about an inch longer in the front. Oh ya, the “corset liners” that they sent me were just tube tops from The Limited. Lol! They’re made of a stretchy nit fabric, I honestly prefer to wear my cotton camisoles anyway. So, to sum it all up, I love the cut of this corset…it’s the first one I’ve tried on that doesn’t give me back rolls! But they missed a major feature/add-on in the making of my order. If they had sent me that credit that they had promised me, I’d probably give them another shot, but right now I’m kind of on the fence about them.
Thanks for sharing your experience with them, Rachel!
I contacted Meschantes on etsy in early March asking if I could get the etoile style in plain black satin with an inch off the top edge to make wearing an underwire bra more comfortable, and Sandra replied with a price quote including full custom measurements. The quoted amount was well within the modest budget. Once I’d submitted the measurements form I emailed the date to expect my payment – they must have not been terribly busy at the time because my corset was ready and shipped out in a week from payment! Though I should have requested additional length for the laces, I did have some that were originally with an overbust from a different maker that I was able to use for trying my new corset on. Luckily, Meschantes proved to be worth the gamble on this one. With the right length for the laces, the lack of a busk works for me – can’t beat it for stealthing that’s for sure.
One thing I don’t like in the eBay reviews is, by and large, they read “just took it out of the box- gee, it’s pretty” which isn’t helpful. I bought the reviewed corset as my first a while back and seasoned and wore it pretty regularly for a few months. Perhaps because it lacks a busk to keep it stiff, it quickly developed crimping and unsightly wrinkling at the waist. I subsequently purchased one of their $99 jacquard models. A few wears into seasoning, the material at the side of the waist began to shred- not even at a seam, but within the material. I wrote to them at least a half dozen times which they ignored. They did reply to the negative eBay feedback in their typical smug, passive-aggressive manner blaming me, but never once advised or addressed me directly in an email which still makes me resent them terribly. I can’t recommend them to sell anything.
Hello :)
I have just received my meschantes custom waist training under bust. I am thrilled with it! And I received amazing customer service from Sandra who was only too happy to answer all of my many questions haha poor soul! They even cut a conical pattern for me, which I’m so chuffed about. Though when I opened it I was a wee bit nervous as the bones felt quite small and flimsy, but the handy thing about having a scientist as a boyfriend there is no lack of magnets around the house :P. tried and tested every bone and busk and they passed the magnet test yay! May I add as well, that it is amazingly curvy and fits like a glove! Definitely worth the 2 month wait ( ordered from the uk).
Hello I love the look of this corset and went to the website link and I found this explanation on why you are unable to tighten it more than the two inches you show in the back.
“Our corsets fit best when worn with a 2” gap between the laces. If the back edges of the corset meet, it is considered “too large” as the corset has nowhere to tighten and will not fit well,”
Love your videos and blog…
Eeek, I have decided to order a custom corset and some of the reviews are making me a little anxious. Thankfully so far their customer service has been great, not had to wait longer than a day for a reply. Fingers crossed I will let you know how i get on, though it will take quite a while to get here as i’m in the UK. :)
Wishing all the best for you, Louise – please let me know when you receive your corset!
Hey Lucy, Good experience here, but back in 2009. I got my lover a gift certificate for a corset for Christmas, 2009. A letter with the certificate came back reasonably quickly.
After Christmas that year we got the measurements, sent off the form (on paper, by mail) and several weeks later a corset came back that has been perfect, still working well.
BTW- My choice of Meschantes was a bit random. I knew nothing about corsets, but I loved double meaning pun the name has in French, so I went with them- LOL
Hi Tom, thanks for your input! I’m glad you had a positive experience, but wish that same level of service could have consistently continued up to the present day. Could you explain the double-entendre of the name? :)
I considered ordering from Meschantes when I was shopping for my first corset several years ago. They didn’t respond to my first two emails asking about their corsets and skirts. I sent a third (rather exasperated) email asking about skirt pricing and they responded to that asking for my waist measurement (but not desired length or hip measurement, if I remember correctly) and still not giving me a price estimate. I replied with my waist and other measurements but never heard back. I gave up on Meschantes and ended up ordering a custom corset from Madame Dulcibelle (now Orchid Corsetry) on Etsy instead (very pleased with it) and shopping around for a nice black silk skirt to wear with it.
Thanks for your feedback HJ. I’m sorry to hear that your experience was not great with Meschantes, but at least you didn’t lose any money! I have heard nothing but lovely things about Orchid Corsetry.