Month: March 2017

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PaperCats “Porcelain” Sweetheart Overbust Corset Review

This entry is a summary of the video “PaperCats Overbust Review” which you can watch on YouTube here:

Fit, length Center front is 14 inches, princess seam is 16.5 inches (10″ from the waist up, 6.5″ from the waist down), side seam is 14.5 inches, and center back is 14 inches long. The size Small is equivalent to 23″ in the waist.
The bust spring is 10 inches and the lower hip spring is 12 inches (slightly curvier than their size chart).
Material Two main layers: The fashion fabric is a poly-cotton toile de jouy, and the lining is white twill (also poly-cotton blend).
Construction 6 panel pattern (12 panels total). Panels 1-2 give room for the bust, and panels 3-4 give space for the hip. Constructed using the welt-seam method with one bone on each seam.
Binding Made from navy blue cotton bias tape. Machine stitched on the outside and inside (topstitch on the outside, stitched in the ditch on the inside). No garter tabs.
Waist tape None.
Modesty panel 6 inches wide, unstiffened, finished in matching toile de jouy on the outside and twill inside, and sewn to one side of the corset. There is also a ¾ inch wide unstiffened modesty placket in front, also finished in toile de jouy.
Busk 13 inches long. 6 loops + pins, equidistantly spaced. It is a heavier busk (1 inch wide on each side), with a bit of flexibility.
Boning 14 bones total, not including busk. Single boned on the seams, using ¼” wide spiral bones. Beside the grommets, the outer bone is flat while the inner bone is spiral, giving some flexibility to the back.
Grommets 30 two-part grommets, size #00 (very tiny), with a small flange. Finished in silver, and equidistantly spaced about 1″ apart. Small washers in the back; splits in the back but they don’t catch the laces too much.
Laces Navy blue round nylon cord – a little springy, but difficult to snap or break. It’s long enough and holds knots and bows well.
Price This particular style is $90 USD in their Etsy shop (now sold out on their main website).
Shipping to North America was ~ $17 USD extra.

 

Final Thoughts:

PaperCats Porcelain overbust modeled by Absentia. Sold out on their main site; click the photo to go to Etsy.

Papercats is part of the “Polish OTR Corset Trifecta” (along with Restyle and Rebel Madness). Lately Poland has been dominating the niche of curvy budget corsets with pieces that start from less than $50 for certain underbust styles.

I love the gently curved ribcage, and how the bust of the corset curves over the top of the breast to ‘cup’ the tissue and keep me secure within the corset. The only thing I would change of the pattern is to make it a bit longer from the waist up, and shorter from the waist down so it covers more of my bust but doesn’t hit my lap when I sit. However, someone with a higher waistline would fit this corset nicely.

The super lovely toile de juoy fashion fabric has Japanese inspired imagery (temples, cherry trees, birds and flowers) and the color scheme indeed makes it resemble blue and white porcelain.

I would use this corset for special events and occasional tightlacing; its lightweight construction and flexibility may make it a good “starter corset” for someone who is unsure if they want to dabble in wearing corsets and they don’t want to break the bank – but I wouldn’t train in it regularly (besides, its more difficult to train in overbusts in general).

This design is currently sold out on PaperCats Corsets, their newer website reserved just for their limited corset collections. However it is currently available in their Etsy shop along with other new styles as well.

Do you have this corset or another PaperCats corset? Let us know what you think of it in a comment below.

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Introducing Corset Database + Giveaway!!

For many years I have been categorizing and organizing all my corset research in many different locations on this blog (location in the Corsetiere Map, price on the Brands by Budget page, corset dimensions and measurements in the Lace Base, etc.)

Finally after months of work, I have finally consolidated this information in the new Corset Database!

Click to see the new database!

See the video below on how to use the database to its fullest potential, define your perfect corset, and add your input! At the end of the video I show you how to enter the launch contest, where you have the opportunity to win ANY corset, of ANY brand in the database, valued at $150 USD or less!

 

 

Contest closes on March 15, 2017 at 23:59 EST. The winner will be chosen on March 16th.

Good luck, and thanks to my many readers and subscribers for making the Corset Database a reality!

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Glamorous Corset “Lara” Waist Trainer Review

This entry is a summary of the review for the “Lara” waist training underbust corset in black mesh, made by Glamorous Corset. If you would like more complete information and side notes about the corset, you can watch the video on YouTube here:

 

Fit, length Center front is just short of 12.5 inches long, princess seam is 9.5 inches (5 inches from the waist up, 4.5 inches from the waist down), the side seam is 10.5 inches and the center back is 12.5 inches long.
Rib spring is 7″, lower hip spring is 10″. Ribs are on the conical side. This is a “mid-hip” corset, which covers the iliac crest slightly, but this corset can still be worn by those with an average length torso.
Material Feels like 2 layers of black cotton bull denim (center front panels were more heavily interfaced than the other panels).
Construction 6-panel pattern (12 panels total). Panels 1-2 converge and taper towards the lower tummy. Panels 3-4 provide space over the hips.
Panels were assembled using the welt-seam method.
Waist tape One-inch-wide waist tape, stitched “invisibly” between the two layers. Full width (extends from center front panel to center back).
Binding Matching bias strips of black bull denim, machine stitched on both sides. The topside was stitched in the ditch and the back has a top stitch. Also 6 garter tabs (3 on each side).
Modesty panel 6.5 inches wide, unstiffened, made from 2 layers of black cotton bull denim. Attached to one side of the corset with a line of stitching (easily removed if desired). In the front, there is a ¼ inch wide modesty placket, also finished in black cotton.
Busk 11” long, with 5 loops and pins, the lower two a bit closer together. Standard flexible busk (no adjacent bones by the busk).
Boning 24 bones total in this corset, 12 on each side. Double boned on the seams with ¼ inch wide spirals. The bones sandwiching the grommets are flat steel (stainless steel, so they attract the magnet slightly less).
Grommets There are 24, two-part size #00 grommets (12 on each side). They have a small / medium flange and are spaced equidistantly, and finished in silver. The washers are larger than the top-hat side (which is a perk). Many splits on the underside of the grommets, but due to the choice of laces, they don’t catch too much.
Laces The laces are black, ¼” wide flat nylon shoelace. They are a bit springy / spongey, but they hold bows and knots well and they are long enough.
Price Available in sizes 18″ up to 40″ closed waist.
Sizes 18″ – 30″ are $79 USD, and sizes 32″ – 40″ are $84 USD.
Only available on the Glamorous Corset website here (this ref link will give you 15% off your first purchase).

 

Final Thoughts:

Lara training underbust corset, model unknown. $79-$84 USD. Click through to visit Glamorous Corset.

This is a heavy duty piece, so if you’re looking for a “little black corset” or entry-level trainer that’s more on the rigid or thicker side, you may like this one. Its conical silhouette and gently rounded hip offer a lovely silhouette, but if you have inflexible or sensitive ribs that can’t tolerate a conical rib corset, you might want to start with a different style instead.

If you like the silhouette and length or this corset but prefer a more lightweight and flexible version, it comes in mesh as well. While I haven’t reviewed the mesh Lara per se, take a look at my Jolie mesh review so you know what to expect from the Glamorous mesh pieces.

This corset also came in a lovely velvet drawstring storage / dustbag, which I always like.

Find the Glamorous Corset Lara and other training corsets in their shop here (using this referral link will get you 15% off your first purchase).