What Are They Made Of? Corsets are meant to modify the shape of your body. I do that by cutting a stable, tightly woven fabric into an ideal shape, and inserting a flexible steel strip (called a bone, as they used to be constructed of whalebone) into each seam. Without the bones, your corset would slide up into a little roll around your waist. Once the shape is established, you need to be able to get in and out of it. Typically, the front of a corset closes with a busk, two lengths of 1/2" wide steel. One side has little steel buttons, and the other side has steel loops that hook over the buttons. The back of the corset has rows of grommets to hold laces or ribbon. The laces can be tightened or loosened to adjust the corset's fit. Corsets can also be made with lacing in the front as well as the back, or with no closure in the front at all, just laces in the back. Choosing busk vs. lacing is largely an aesthetic issue; your corset will fit just as well no matter which closure you select. The front busk is the more traditional corset look, and is also the easiest style to put on by yourself. If you'd like, adding a fabric cover over the busk is an inexpensive option that hides the hardware. If you prefer a bodice look, or you want a lingerie piece that will look smooth under clothes, you'd opt for back lacing only. This is the most difficult style to put on alone, and takes more work to get in and out of, as the laces have to be undone a fair amount in order to step into the corset. Front and back laces are a little easier to put on than a back lace only, and provide yet another style choice. Whatever you select for exterior fabric, my corsets and clothes are all lined with a very soft cotton-backed satin. This satin is tightly woven and holds a shape well, but also has a little give to it, so you can move and bend without being chafed. I also use a very flexible type of bone called spiral steels. They flex, bend, and even twist, allowing a fine range of motion without digging into your soft spots. They also have a memory, so the bones will return to their original shape if you bend way over or lace too tight, unlike traditional steel bones, which will adopt a permanent kink. How Are They Made? The techniques and materials that I use are adapted from my more than twenty years spent as a costumer for Broadway, ballet, opera, and the circus. Dance, opera, and performance are all athletic activities, but many costumes need to be tight fitting, heavily boned, and constructed to withstand hundreds of performances. Combining the basic construction truths of corsetry with the arcane art of theatrical costuming, I've designed corsets that create the right amount of body modification, while allowing freedom of movement unusual in boned garments. Is Wearing a Corset Painful? Only if it's badly made. The most important thing I've done is to focus on comfort. I am personally a big fan of breathing, so there's lots of room in the ribcage of my pieces. After all, I've corseted opera singers, and they have pretty stringent requirements for breathing. I've also paid close attention to the proportions of the pieces. If the line extends too low, you won't be able to sit comfortably. The busk and bones will jab you whenever you bend or sit. Aesthetics matter, too. I've kept compression to a minimum around the top of my corsets to avoid that most unattractive of sights, tortured flesh spilling out over the top. I do the same thing around the hips. If the bottom line of the corset is too tight, your hips seek escape at the bottom, spoiling your effect completely. The principle is simple: if you squeeze it here it's going to come out there. You'd better know where it's headed, and have a plan for dealing with it. Will You Torture My Waist? Only if you beg. You can expect about 4" of waist reduction, on average, adjusted to your measurements. That's a fair amount on a 24" waist, since once you've compressed the available body fat, squeezing organs comes next, and that's not right. On the other hand, 4" is not going to do much for a 45" waist. With more body fat to work with, a little more waist reduction is possible. How tightly you lace your corset will also effect how much waist reduction you get, although my pieces are designed to be laced fully closed once you've become comfortable in them. How Will They Fit? Beautifully, of course. What a silly question. Truthfully, all of the comfort and aesthetic issues ultimately come down to fit. Drafting the proper proportions doesn't make any difference if those proportions aren't right on your body. That's why there are no standard sizes at The Other Woman. Every one of my pieces is custom-made, and fit to your precise measurements. It's bad enough buying an off-the-rack dress, cut to some imagined ideal size. It may not fit perfectly, but it's not a tragedy. An off-the-rack corset, on the other hand, is simply unwearable. You can't have something meant to hug and modify your body that wasn't made expressly for your body. That's why we need your measurements, that's why it takes 4-6 weeks to turn your order around, and that's why you'll be amazed and delighted with the fit of your custom-made corset or garment. My goal with the pieces I've designed for The Other Woman is simple: I want to make clothes that make you feel gorgeous and comfortable. Each piece is a special challenge for me, and I look forward to making it a special pleasure for you. - Dorothy Jones