This entry is a summary of the review for the “Camellias Women Petite Steel Boned Waist Trainer Corset Short Torso Mesh Body Shaper” made by Camellia’s Corsets on Amazon. Note: I purchased this corset with my own money and reviewed this of my own volition. Amazon affiliate links help support my site and the price does not increase for you. 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 9.5 inches long, the princess seam is 8.5 inches (4.5 inches above the waist, 5 inches below the waist), the side seam is 8.25 inches and the center back is 9 inches long.
I chose the size 24″. When I measured this before wearing, the ribcage was 26.5″ (rib spring of 2.5″), the waist was 23.5″ laid flat, (which stretched to 24″ while I was pulling on it with my hands), and the hip was 30″ (hip spring of 6″).
Material The panels are made from what appears to be 2 different types of mesh, but they’re actually attached to one another. The outer one is a honeycomb, fishnet appearance, which we so often see in many other OTR mesh corsets. The layer underneath is a sort of finer-weave mesh, and it has a bouncy, foamy kind of plush feel. The fabric content says 90% polyester, and 10% spandex so it has some give. The binding and boning channels are thin cotton twill.
Construction 6-panel pattern (12 panels total). Panel 1-2-3 converge downwards, and panels 4-5 create the curve over the hip.
The panels were assembled together with seam allowances facing outside, topstitched on the underside – and then cotton boning channels laid down on the outside, single boned on the seams.
Waist tape One-inch-wide waist tape, made from black single-faced satin ribbon and secured down at each boning channel. Almost full width (extends from serged seam near panel 1, to the boning channel by the back grommets.
Binding Black cotton twill, machine stitched with a slight top-stitch on both outside and inside (may have been done on a single pass). No garter tabs, but there are two loops at the top to hang it from.
Modesty panel Just under 6″ wide, unstiffened, finished in 2 layers of black twill, and attached to one side with a row of stitching.
In the front, there is a 3/4 inch wide modesty placket extending from the knob side of the busk, unstiffened and finished in black twill.
Busk 8.5” long, with 5 loops and pins, equidistantly spaced. Slightly wider than a standard flexible busk, around 3/4″ wide on each side, and about the same flexibility as a standard flexible busk.
Boning 14 bones total in this corset, 7 on each side. Single boned on the seams with ¼ inch wide spirals. The bones sandwiching the grommets are flat steels, also ¼ inch wide.
Grommets There are 18, two-part size #00 grommets (9 on each side). They have a small flange and are spaced equidistantly, and finished in silver. Washers present in the back. The grommets at the waist feel very slightly loose in the back after half a dozen wears (2 inch reduction) but have not fallen out yet.
Laces ¼ inch wide, black, flat, nylon, shoelace style lacing (standard workhorse laces).
Price Available in black mesh and white mesh, both $35 on Amazon.

 

Camellia’s Corsets mesh short torso / waspie / cincher, $34.99. Picture courtesy of Amazon (click through for listing).

Final Thoughts:

I was surprised by the curvy, round-rib silhouette it gave, but the fabric is quite moldable to the body because the label states it’s 10% spandex. Although the binding and the waist tape hold the top edge, waist and bottom edge from stretching too much, it definitely has a lot of give.

My corset measured a bit small in the waist when I initially received it, but I could also tell that it did expand over time as I wore it in more – so perhaps they deliberately run a bit small in anticipation of some stretch. If you need considerable mobility, this piece will provide you with that, but expect some ease to also occur over time.

One part I wasn’t aesthetically crazy about was the fact that the fabric gave too much at the boning channels, allowing the steel bones to “flare” away from the body (especially at the hips), creating little spots where they poke out. This gives the impression that the corset isn’t pulled taut against the body, when really the binding is quite snug against my hips but the bones simply don’t lie flat.

Also, the waist tape was found to be uneven on each side at the center front – I would have cared if it were uneven in the back, but as the flaw is front and center, this is unfortunately quite noticeable through the transparent mesh.

The fabric by the back grommets and around the busk seems to not be reinforced with any interlining, which is a concern for longevity. I do see that the grommets are shifting slightly over time as I’ve worn this corset in, although none have fallen out yet. Camellia’s Corsets only recommends 2-3 inch waist reduction in these corsets, so I would not advise this for tightlacing, but more for a temporary gentle cinch and fashion use.

Learn more about the cincher on Amazon.

6 thoughts on “Camellia’s Corsets: Short Torso Mesh Cincher / Waspie Review

  1. Kellie says:

    I recently bought a Camilla’s corset, not this one but the satin with cotton lining and a middle fabric layer and waist tape, 26 steel bones, heavy duty … I also recently saw Camilla’s on a list of corsets to never ever buy. Most of your comments on this review are about the stretchy/ mesh fabric, but I want to know if you think Camilla’s is OK in general for a beginner at corset waist training and tight lacing. Thanks for your input!

    • Lucy says:

      Hi Kellie, I think I know the one you’re talking about (the Timeless Trends gentle silhouette knockoff). Beyond the morally grey area of stealing patterns, I can’t really make an educated guess on the quality without seeing it and trying it for myself. That type of corset is on my list of other corsets to try in the future, so I’ll let you know as soon as I can make a review on it!

  2. Karla Chihuahua says:

    Hi Lucy, I recently bought this exact corset. However, I noticed that my waist looks uneven (meaning my waist goes in slightly higher on one end). This is the curviest corset I have worn, so I haven’t noticed this unevenness in my gentler corsets. Could it be that that is the way my body is shaped or maybe I am incorrectly adjusting the corset? I’m also having trouble figuring out how how high up on my body it should go. I’m able to place it right below the bust line and also about 2 inches below but I don’t want to risk damaging it for fear of wearing it incorrectly. Thank you for your time.

    • Lucy says:

      Hi Karla, this particular corset is pretty soft and the fabric is slightly elastic, so I’m not surprised if you notice some asymmetries. I have another video on asymmetry and what to do if it’s your body vs the corset. Also, my Camellia had some asymmetry in the construction (the waist tape was not even) which can sometimes cause a corset to tilt or twist on the body, so it might not be you.

      The waist tape of the corset should always sit on your natural (skeletal) waist, the squishy bit under your ribcage but over your hip bones. This particular corset is a cincher, so it’s meant to be short and may not cover all your ribs. If you prefer the corset to come right up to your underbust, it’s best to find a corset that’s longer from the waist up!

  3. Kara Fosso says:

    What measurement should a corset underbust be?

    If my underbust measurement is 29, should the corset measure 29 when fully closed, or is 27 alright? I don’t want it to have too much room when not fully closed, and I want the waist to be small enough, meaning the underbust might be a little small if I don’t go custom. This is a question about corset sizing in general.

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