This entry is a summary of the review video “(Amazon.com) Black Floral Tapestry Steel-Boned Corset Review” which you can watch on YouTube here:
Fit, length | Front is about 14 inches high; the highest part (from the apex of the bust) is 15 inches high. Gives hardly any curve in the silhouette, almost no waist reduction at all. Don’t trust the “floating” corset pictures online – the shape is shown more accurately on a real model! Appropriate for average torso length. I do like how the cut of this corset both covers and minimizes my bust. |
Material | 1 layer; fashion layer is the black floral polyester with a sort of non-stretch mesh backing. |
Construction | 6 panel pattern, panels are topstitched together. Internal boning channels made from cheap commercial fuzzy bone casing. |
Binding | Commercial black satin binding machine stitched on both inside and outside, not a clean finish. Also has 4 garter tabs. |
Waist tape | None. |
Modesty panel | None. |
Busk | Standard flexible busk (1/2″ wide on each side) about 13″ long (6 pins), EXTREMELY flimsy/ flexible. Also has hook/eye to prevent gaping at bustline. |
Boning | 12 steel bones not including busk. All spiral steel bones, including in the back by the grommets, so some bowing occurs when lacing up. |
Grommets | 20 grommets total, size #0 two-part grommets with smaller flange; set equidistantly, no splits, no wear/fraying/pulling out of grommets, surprisingly. |
Laces | 3/8″ wide black double-face satin, they are barely long enough but are fairly strong. |
Price | Currently $32 USD on Amazon.com. |
Final Thoughts:
I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much considering how cheap it was, but I was quite disappointed that it didn’t include a waist tape or modesty panel. However I was genuinely pleasantly surprised to see that they used real steel boning here. I suppose if worse came to worst, one could cannibalize this corset simply for its materials, although you would have to use a stronger strength layer and likely reinforce the busk. But I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone who is interested in a corset for tightlacing/waist training. This corset is really just to shave off a couple of inches, to be worn as clubwear or a costume. Although the original brand can no longer be found, an identical style can be found here.