Greetings everyone! Recently Timeless Trends and I agreed to change the measurements chart of the Gemini corset. To clarify, the actual measurements of the pattern/ silhouette have not changed, just the way we communicate the measurements and where they were taken.
Gemini Measurements – original (standard) length
- Underbust – 8.5″ rib spring. Because of the high back, and when a person’s torso is long / their waistline is low, it can be a little tricksy and has been known to accommodate up to 10″ spring.
- (Waist – 0″ spring, goes without saying)
- (Very) High hip – measured 2 inches down from the waistline (for those with high, square hip bones): 12″ spring
- High(-ish) hip – measured 3 inches down from the waist (for those with a somewhat more common, sloping hips): 14″ spring
- Mid hip – measured 4.5 inches down from the waist at ~ lap level: 16″ spring
Gemini Measurements – Longline (“Gem Long”)
- Underbust – 8.5″ rib spring (the Gemini original and longline are essentially identical from the waist up in terms of measurements, although I made a few patterning improvements and very minor tweaks with the longline).
- Waist – 0″ spring
- High(-ish) hip – measured 3 inches down from the waistline: 12″ spring
- Mid hip – measured 4.5 inches down from the waistline: 14″ spring
- Low hip – measured 6 inches down from the waist: 16″ spring
What changed on the size charts?
You may see conflicting information on the internet that the Gemini has a 12″ high hip spring, or a 14″ high hip spring, or a 16″ low hip spring. All are true depending on where you measure and which Gemini corset you’re considering.
Way back in 2016 I communicated the hip spring at the 2″ mark because I wanted to show exactly how dramatic and curvy the corset is with its “hip shelf“. However, none of the other corsets in my shop have hip springs at the 2” mark (save for the cincher I think because it’s cut so short on the side). Over the years it’s become clear that customers would appreciate the hip springs all being measured at approximately the same spot.
The primary reason why the Gemini is returned (in particular the original length Gemini, not the longline) is because the wearer’s hips are often too small or too sloping to fill out the bottom half of the corset, and since the majority of folks have a sloping hip (as opposed to square), I pitched the idea of communicating the “high hip” measurement one inch further down, where the hip bones are more likely to be, will help our client base to better predict how the Gemini will fit.
So instead of saying the Gemini has a 12″ high hip spring, Timeless Trends and I have changed our size charts to say that the standard length Gemini has a 14″ high hip spring instead as it better communicates that a dramatic pear-shaped figure is required to fill out the hips appropriately (hopefully reducing the number of returns).
Both the 12″ measurement and the 14″ measurement are true, because the hip springs are measured at different spots (2 inches down vs 3 inches down).
The majority of wearers do not have high, square hips, which is why the Gemini longline was later created for those who are curvy and pear-shaped but have slightly more sloping hips. Measuring the hip at 3 inches down on both Gemini corsets, the original Gemini will have a 14″ spring, while the longline will have a 12″ spring at that same spot.
Special thanks to the reader who brought to my attention the discrepancy between my old Youtube video and the current size charts – hopefully this blog post explains any discrepancy!
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below and I’ll be happy to clarify.
