Case study: custom #plussize #corset for an office job
This client went to other corsetmakers before reaching out to us, but they turned her down. They did not have the skill set or the resources to accommodate her shape and create a functional garment that would accommodate her requests. After she received our corset, her quality of life has improved significantly. In this post, we are going to go through the design features that improved her life and the creative choices that went into this piece.
The client's main request was to be able to sit in her corset at work. She has a sedentary job and suffers from shoulder and neck pain due to the weight of her breasts. She owns two off-the-rack corsets. One is flexible enough that she can sit in it, but it has low-quality plastic boning and offers no support in the front. The other one offers enough breast support for her liking, but rides up when she sits and digs painfully into her armpits, making it unwearable in most circumstances.
We had a two-hour in-person measurement session with the client. We analyzed the fit and the construction of her existing corsets. We measured her natural body sitting and standing, then asked her to put on her existing corset and measured everything again. This allowed us to see how her body behaves in a corset and skip the mockup stage, thus reducing the costs and the wait time.
The client bought the corset as an investment piece, so she asked us to make it as durable as possible. Looking at our corsets that are six or seven years old, we can see that cotton is beginning to weaken and decay, while polyester shows no signs of deterioration. We used interfaced polyester satin for the outer layer and cotton for the lining, where the client can patch it up discreetly when needed. The client saw our video where we talked about the ends of the boning channels experiencing the most stress. She commissioned flossing embroidery not just for aesthetic purposes, but as reinforcement increasing the longevity. We expect her to wear it for several years.
To make sitting more comfortable, the client requested lace-up hip gussets. She asked us to lower the corset in the armpits to make sure it doesn't dig like her other one, but raise the edge again in the back for support and aesthetic purposes. She also requested a wider modesty panel, which means that she can change the lacing gap to accommodate possible volume fluctuations. Our sketch artist Dasha made a technical drawing for her to confirm, and Sasha got to work.
Sasha used a double amount of boning between panels to make sure the corset is supportive enough. She always uses flat steel bones next to the lacing for back support and next to the busk for belly support. On plus-size corsets, she also uses flat steel bones on the sides between panel 3 and panel 4 to create a more intentional forward projection of the bust. This time, one of these bones had to be flat steel and the other one flexible spiral steel that will bend when the client unlaces the gusset. Sasha also reinforced the gusset with blanket stitch matching the flossing to make sure the panel seams don't come apart under tension.
Sasha was worried that lowered armpits would mean that there's less support on the sides. She decided to add detachable straps in case the client needs them. This was a good call. The client has small and rounded shoulders, so bra straps often slide off of them. Detachable and adjustable straps meant we could put them on criss-cross and provide this extra bit of inward pull on the sides to make the client truly comfortable.
When the client placed her order, she asked us to add garters so that she can wear stockings. Some time after that, she was prescribed compression stockings, but found them uncomfortable because they would roll up and slide off. Thanks to the garters, she can wear them without having to adjust them every ten minutes. Garters and straps are all made out of the same wide elastic, which makes for a nice matching look, and can be easily replaced in a few years when they stretch out.
Some people left comments about our corsets "snatching the waist" but there's actually not a lot of snatching. If you account for the gap, the waist reduction is only an inch from her natural waist. The difference in silhouette comes entirely from proper support and flesh redistribution, so the client has no problem breathing or moving and doesn't feel constricted in any way.
After the client got acquainted with the corset, she was surprised by how many things were now possible. Her neck and shoulder pain was gone. She could bend sideways and dance thanks to the flexible boning. She could sit and drive a car with no discomfort. Perhaps the most surprising part is that it's now easier for her to get dressed. Because her breasts and torso are secured in a smooth and flattering shape, clothes just slide over it. Finally, seeing her body shape respected and honored this way gave the client a big confidence boost. In her own words, "do you remember that feeling when you're five and you just got a new dress and you want to show it to everybody in the world? That's how I feel right now."
We are very grateful that you read this post. Please come back later for more stories like this and don't hesitate to reach out if you have an issue we can help with.