Tag: royal

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“True Corset” Blue Brocade Overbust Review

This post is a summary of the “True Corset” Blue Brocade Overbust Review video, which you can watch on Youtube if you prefer:

Fit, length Front is about 15″ inches long, the longest area (peak of bust to the lap) is 16″, the back is 16″ high. Very shallow/slight sweetheart bustline. I consider this a modern slim silhouette; the bust is 8″ bigger than the waist, and the hips are about 10-11″ bigger than the waist. Recommended for people taller stature or longer waists.
Material 2 main layers: fashion fabric is royal blue brocade, inside has a “bull-denim” style cotton lining (a bit coarser than twill). The internal boning channels are likely petersham ribbon.
Construction 6 panel pattern. Top-stitched between the channels, single boned on the seams, with internal boning channels. 6 garter tabs included as well.
Binding Matching blue brocade bias strips, machine stitched on the outside and inside.
Waist tape 1-inch wide black petersham, exposed on the inside of the corset. It does not extend through all panels though; this waist tape starts between panels 1-2, and ends between panels 5-6.
Modesty panel 5 inch wide modesty panel at the back, unstiffened, attached to one side, and covered in matching blue brocade. Un-boned modesty placket made from black denim under the busk.
Busk 14 inches long with 6 pins (equidistantly spaced). 1/2″ wide on each side (standard width), fairly sturdy.
Boning 14 total bones not including busk. On each side there are three 1/4″ spiral steel bones (in internal channels), but no bone on the seam between panels 4-5. Two further 1/4″ wide flats sandwich the grommets on each side.
Grommets 28 grommets total, size #00 two-part grommets with small flange; set equidistantly. The brocade is fraying around the grommets unfortunately. However the bull denim underneath are still holding the grommets so I will watch them and see if they need replacing. A few split grommets, but doesn’t catch the back.
Laces 1/4″ black flat braided nylon shoe-lace style laces. Virtually unbreakable. Has a bit of spring.
Price At the time that I’m writing, it is £55 in the UK or $80 in the US.

Final Thoughts

Bernie Dexter models the True Corset blue sweetheart overbust
Bernie Dexter models the True Corset blue sweetheart overbust

This overbust is designed for beginners or for those who would like something nice to wear out for a special occasion, as it has an attractive price and an un-intimidating silhouette. I would say that this corset is largely patterned for someone with a small bust/ small ribcage, long torso, and who may be slightly pear shaped as I noticed that this corset had much more room in the hips compared to the bust. I initially went with a size 24″ but I found that it nearly closed at the hips, but at the ribcage and bust I was too large for the corset. However, had I gone one size up to size 26″, although the corset would have been better in the bust and waist, it would have almost certainly been too large in the hips.

As mentioned in the table, the brocade was on the delicate side and began to fray around the grommets. The grommets haven’t pulled out completely, because the sturdy bull denim lining is currently keeping them in place – but I will keep an eye on this corset and see if there are any changes in the future. I have plans to slightly modify this overbust into an underbust in the future, as the brocade is such a beautiful weave but I don’t wear overbusts as often.

You can find the True Corset overbust on their website and also on Amazon.

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Orchard Corset CS-511 Overbust Review

This entry is a summary of the review video “Orchard Corset CS-511 Overbust Review”. If you want visual close-ups, you can watch the video on YouTube here:

Fit, length Center front is 15″, the longest part from peak of the bust to lap is just under 16″.  Gentle sweetheart neckline, and slightly longline in the hips. This is a Level 3 silhouette, which is their curviest silhouette – so the bust is 8″ bigger than the waist, and the hips are about 10-11″ bigger than the waist.
Material 3 main layers – the outer fashion fabric (which may be brocade, satin etc as I have two different types in this review), flatlined to a sturdy cotton interlining, which is then treated as one layer, and also lined in twill.
Construction 6-panel pattern (12 panels total). Constructed with a slightly modified sandwich technique and double boned on the seams, just like the CS-411 and CS-426 style corsets.
Binding Binding at top and bottom are made from commercial black satin bias strips if the corset is made from a heavier brocade, OR made with matching colored satin if the overbust is finished in a satin fashion layer. Binding is machine stitched on both sides. There are also 6 garter tabs, 3 on each side.
Waist tape One-inch-wide waist tape running through the corset, hidden between the layers. I did not check to see if there was glue used in this one (see my CS-426 review if you want to know more about that particular corset).
Modesty panel There is a modesty panel on the back, made of a layer of black satin and a layer of twill if you have a brocade or tartan corset, but if you buy the blue satin CS-511, then it will be in matching blue satin. Panel is 5.5” wide (~4″ usable space) and attached to one side with a line of stitching. The old stock didn’t have a modesty placket by the busk, but the new stock does.
Busk Busk is 1/2″ wide on each side and 13” long, with 6 pins (the bottom two pins are slightly closer together, as is normal). It is fairly sturdy; less bendy than some other 1/2″ busks I’ve had.
Boning 22 bones total in this corset. On each side, 8 of them are spirals about 3/8 inch wide (double boned on the seams, except for between panels 5-6) and then there are two flat steel bones, both ¼” wide sandwiching the grommets.
Grommets There are 24 2-part size #00 grommets (12 on each side), with a small flange, spaced equidistantly. On the underside of the old stock corsets, every grommet is split and quite scratchy. On the new stock corsets, the grommets have rolled smoothly, they don’t tarnish and don’t catch on the laces.
Laces The laces are ¼” wide flat nylon shoe-lace style. I find them to be long enough and quite strong, but also rather springy. However, Orchard has some higher quality laces (in several colours) available on their website – I very much prefer their ribbon laces to the standard shoelace style laces.
Price Currently $79 USD on Orchard Corset’s website.
CS-511 overbust in black satin, from Orchard Corset. See the quick stats in Corset Database!

Final Thoughts:

It was an interesting venture to compare the old stock Orchard Corset pieces to the new stock. Of all the corset companies that I have dealt with, Orchard seems to be the most responsive to the requests of their clientele and eager to improve their designs, which is appreciated. The main changes to the corsets include the satin having matching modesty panels (not just black satin like in the brocade or Tartan pieces), better quality grommets that don’t tarnish or split as much, and the modesty placket by the knob side of the busk. I believe that their prices have dropped over time as well.

If I could choose only one color or fabric of the CS-511, I would prefer the tartan more than satin – the sturdy and coarse weave of the tartan makes the corset look less wrinkly, and it’s also more resistant to abrasion and pulls, and feels more heavy weight and sturdy. The stripes in the tartan also match up fairly well – all this makes me a bit sad that this style is now on clearance (but that means that it’s only $59 at the moment, and I’m interested to see what new styles Orchard may bring in the future).

This corset also received 4 stars out of 4 on the Bust Test, as the bustline came up high enough on my chest to hold me in during activity. The pattern around the bust is very gently cupped (meaning it comes up and over the breast, not just pushes everything upward but it contains the bust) so I felt comfortable jumping, shrugging my shoulders, raising my arms and leaning over without feeling like I’m going to pop out.

This corset and the other styles I’ve reviewed (including the CS-411 and the CS-426 underbusts) are available on the Orchard Corset website.