I first experienced wearing a corset eleven years ago. I thought it was the coolest thing ever as I LOVED Victorian clothes. So much wisdom has been gained over the years of making and wearing that “body armor” that I gladly pass on my experience to you to keep you on your feet and moving.
Wearing a Victorian corset is quite different from any other garment you’ve worn. The body is formed into another silhouette with heavy fabric and metal boning – no wonder it feels different!
Although a corset can restrict movements and habits, you can adapt to the corset’s limitations and learn to move quite well. Until you are used to it though, go easy on yourself, spend some time wearing your new corset before the next event, and remember to relax. Just because you are donning a restrictive undergarment doesn’t mean your entire body becomes petrified and stiff.
Lacing & Unlacing – the most important but overlooked side of corset wearing
- First, make sure the laces at the waistline come out and back in on the same side to create the tie loops. This is the best lacing method to get that waist cinched down. Ties that tie at the very top and/or bottom are not effective. Use one long lacing string about 7 to 8 yards long for maximum comfort in getting in and out of the corset.
- To put the corset on, spread the corset halves by opening the laces wide first. Then wrap the corset around your body and fasten the busk. Tighten from the top to the waist then from the bottom up to the waist pulling the slack with the tie loops. Continue this pattern until you’re snug but not tight. WAIT several minutes (like, 5 to 30) then tighten the laces again to where you need them to be to fit your costume.
- Do not over-tighten the first few minutes you are getting into your corset. Give your body a chance to adjust, move organs around, and accommodate the shifting blood flow.
- To remove a corset, untie the knot/bow and pull the laces loose from waist to top and waist to bottom continuing in reverse the same manner as in tightening the corset. Loosen slowly until the blood has settled in the torso area and you can open the busk easily.
- Do not EVER pop open the busk to remove a corset when it is on and tightly laced. Doing so will cause the blood from the head to rush into the torso which can cause severe lightheadedness, possible fainting or other unwanted health issues. ALWAYS loosen the laces in the back first, even if only a little, before removing a corset.
Breathing
- Learn to breathe to the fullest in the upper portion of your lungs. Practice deep breathing before you put on your corset so you get a feel for what a true deep breath is (using your entire lungs and diaphragm) and how you can get a large amount of air into the top part of your lungs.
- Avoid breathing too shallow. You don’t want to hyperventilate. Think of your breathing when exerting yourself with walking or dancing.
- When dancing, allow yourself to sit out every once in a while to recapture oxygen. You may get wrapped up in some occasions and forget to breathe (unconsciously). Resting will keep the light-headedness away.
Eating
- Take small bites and chew well.
- Start with half the plate size you normally would serve yourself and do not overeat.
- Avoid carbonated drinks (e.g. sodas, sparkling water, champagne) or consume very little amounts. Burping and retaining gas in a corset is not fun.
Walking/General Moving
- When wearing your corset, don’t bend at the waist too much. A corset is designed to keep you in an upright posture. Bending forward or to the side can cause damage to the boning or busk by severely bending and perhaps breaking them. Metal busks and bones CAN break.
- Use your thigh muscles to bend down, reach the floor, stand up, etc. Since your legs are not restricted, they come in very handy for movement while your torso is stationary.
- Allow the corset to support your back. Although it is possible to slouch somewhat while wearing a corset, do not do so. It may put undue strain on your lower back.
- Be very careful leaning forward while standing, especially when holding a heavy object such as a full wine bottle to serve or handing a bag to a friend.
Sitting
- Perch on the front end of the chair or bench.
- Keep a straight posture. Rest/relax IN the corset while keeping an upright figure; let the corset hold you up. If you must recline, do so gently and easily.
- Avoid deep or overstuffed chairs. Side chairs will keep your body aligned and prevent twisting the back (which CAN happen).
Riding in Vehicles
- Move the seat back to a more upright position. You might have to adjust the seat forward a bit too to get you closer to the steering wheel.
- Climb in, shifting any skirts to the side or gently pile them on your lap. Move the seat belt carefully over your chest. The shoulder belt should cross in the same manner as you normally wear it.
- Have a friend close the door, securing you in. Leaning over to close the door can be tricky – be careful to not strain your back.
- If you are riding in the back seat, a small pillow between the seat and your back may be more comfortable as it will put you in a more upright position.
Using the Facilities
- Wear historically accurate split-crotch drawers. Ladies knew that when a corset was snug at the waist there was no pulling down of any sort of pant-type underwear. Open drawers allow women to respond to nature easily.
- Proper drawers are the best choice, but note that it is extremely difficult to wear BOTH modern underwear and drawers at the same time. It is not recommended. Nor is wearing only modern shorts, bike shorts, PJ bottoms or a thong with a corset and full period clothing.
- Facilities Trick: Walk front first into the stall. DO NOT turn around. Lift dress/skirts/petticoats and sit on the commode backwards facing the wall.
This may feel weird at first but is amazingly quick when wearing a corset and many dress layers. Make sure you have split-crotch drawers on when attempting this. Keep hanging corset laces pulled up and/or tucked under the corset.
Walk out of the stall backwards instead of turning around while smoothing out the front of your skirts.
…Remember that a corset is simply a supportive garment that’s not unlike our modern push-up bras and body shapers. I’ve learned most of these tips from personal experience. The others from stories heard at costume gatherings. (I can’t imagine a busk snapping in two so hard it left a bruise. Ouch!) So be careful out there in your Victorian hardware!
What have you learned from wearing a corset?
I know this comment was quite some time ago, but its worth replying to.
“Might Faint” is only if someone takes a sharp intake of breath so is easily avoidable and a corset shouldn’t be so tight that there is a feeling of light headedness – its therefore too tight.
“moving organs around thing”. One needs to remember that in pregnancy, organs will move up to accommodate the growing baby. And there is no respite from this till said baby is born. Unlike a corset which is removed at night so gives a night of rest to those same organs. In a sense, the female body is designed to allow for organs to shift around a bit. A corset shifting them is nothing in comparison to a baby.
Heck, people need to remember that their organs move around inside just from SITTING and BENDING! That’s why medical scans of internal organs are always done lying down or standing up, rather than sitting, even when the equipment (such as an ultrasound wand) would allow for it, unless there’s a specific reason to have you sitting up for it–which usually involves “when you’re standing we can’t see that part, but when you sit they move into view.”
I’ve been wearing corsets and corset-like bodices since 1991. Nearly all the information for Victorian corsets is also viable for other century re-enactors. Eat lightly and slowly, try not to hurry, avoid bending at the waist, but if you must (and I do because my knees are troublemakers) then keep your back straight and flat as you bend over. I also agree that your corset should (must) be custom-made.
However, for older ladies, bathroom issues can be a problem. Some events do not have convenient facilites or I may be in an activity that means delaying bathroom breaks. This can lead to possible disaster.
Period split underwear is great if you have good interior muscle tone. However, sometime after 45 to around 60 some women experience loss of muscle control. While it’s wise to know where the facilities are and to go the moment you feel the need, it isn’t always sufficient–or even possible. I find that instead of using a drawtring on my drawers I “cheat” and use a soft elastic. Some events may not have immediate bathroom access so I wear some kind of protective undergarment either with or instead of my period drawers. Once I’m in my other period undergarments, I will reach under the corset, pull the elastic down and allow it to rest on the bottom of the corset. From there it’s much easier to hike the skirt and hook your fingers under the the elastic. It isn’t the easiest or most elegant solution but it can save a lot of embarrassment.
As an alternative, you could wear split drawers with a menstrual pad in them–one of the big heavy Always overnighters works great. Trim the paper over the sticky parts so that only half of the sticky parts are exposed and stick that to one side of the drawers. Then, when you’re ready to “go,” you just reach down and fold the stuck-on side out of the way. Tuck it back in when you’re done, and it’s there to catch any small “leaks” that might happen in the meantime.
I use the thickest of those overnight pads, because they’ll absorb the most liquid without letting it “sit” on the surface the way some can. It may be indelicate to say this, but I’ve found their absorptive power to be close to that of Depends, but you could also use the “panty shield” style things that Depends also puts out.
Thank you for adding those bits about riding in vehicles and using the facilities. I’ve been worried about going to my first event because I would have to drive several hours in a corset and I didn’t know until now how to properly use the facilities! (I’ll admit that I was planning on wearing bike shorts under my drawers, but not anymore!)
One question, though: is it possible to wear a hoop skirt in the driver’s seat, or should one be removed and stored for the ride?
Thanks!
It is possible by throwing the wires behind you or off to the side (but that might make your passenger mad). When I travel in a car for a hoop event and need to be dressed first, I will leave the hoop off and dress there in the hoop and petticoats. I do wear my skirt in the car though.
I love this article — I’ve been circulating it at work to clue in actors about how NOT to wear their corsets! I’m including a link to it from the blog above, so be aware if you receive increased traffic that that is why!
Thanks! And I like your post that rebuffs that horrible line from Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s hard to fight the general consensus that “corsets are bad and hurt” when big box office films promote it. Thanks for your work in the beauty and fun of wearing corsets. 🙂
The underwear pictured above – chemise and drawers – are terrific. Do you recall which pattern you used? Thanks!
The chemise is the evening/ballgown chemise by Mantua Maker. The corset is the “famous” #213 R&G pattern from Past Patterns. I’m sorry to say I don’t remember the drawers pattern, but it might have been the Laughing Moon one.
Great article. I am recommending it to all the members of The Loyal Order of Corsetted Ladies. I am a weekend wearer and my style is distinctly neo-Victorian, but I find I like my corset better then a bra and my posture and asthma have improved from wearing one. Thanks especially for the “car” suggestions. I don not recommend driving in a tightened corset and started the order so that there would be people available to help drivers when they got to events.
I’ve broken the front busk from repeated bending while doing things like chopping wood at events for cooking. That’s right, two strips of 1/2″ wide steel snapped right in half!
Another thing I find helpful is to readjust the ties on your corset after you’ve worn it for several hours. Sometimes they loosen more and sometimes your body will shrink from the constriction. You don’t necessarily want to tighten any more, just make sure if the strings are drawn tighter at one part than another that they haven’t readjusted to all the same distance apart. And, show a picture of how you lace it to your corsetier so she can slightly adjust the next one for a better fit.
And, if you have a corset that twists when you wear it, then it likely was made with a panel placed upside down. I have first-hand experience with this. My first corset was an off-the-rack purchase from a then-well-known dressmaker, but it had an error when made. I didn’t learn of the problem until I talked with Judy Martin about a replacement.
I don’t think it was mentioned to never wear a corset without a chemise or chemise-stand-in. Not only does it keep the corset clean, it keeps your skin from bulging out uncomfortably between the laces.
You can also tie the laces at your side to prevent the knot-bump.
The key is not to try to shave off more than about 3″ or so when lacing — of course, tight-lacers (the fetishistic variety) risk all that organ damage, fainting, etc! But even in Victorian times, tight-lacing was chiefly a fantasy, not a reality.
For those who can’t stand the split-drawer thing and who are willing to cheat a bit on the parts that aren’t showing, it’s possible to pull a pair of regular bikini undies over the bottom of a corset if you’re wearing around-the-leg garters instead of from the corset-down garters. You can then “go” as usual. Just mind those ties and sashes!
Yes! Something between the skin and the corset is a must! And don’t tell anyone but I cheat and wear modern undies during monthly girl time. Bikini cut is the way to go. 🙂
This was an absolutely good article Jen as always! And I agree with Nick, it is scandalous that you were sitting in your undergarments but they are kind of cute too!
I have learnt how to breathe while wearing a corset! I had to wear one for a drama exam where I played Nora (from “Et Dukkehjem” a danish play) and I had tried to do the laces before hand, it worked…all right but I think I got it too tight even if I hadn’t eaten a thing! I was near passing out after both doing the practical part of the drama exam and the theoretical part! So I learned how to breathe while wearing a corset for the first time!
Just an advice, if you don’t wear a hoop underneath a dress then it is possible to go to the loo normally (been there, done that!) but it was a Regency dress so… you know.
But thank you Jen for telling about how to wear a corset! It will definitely help next time I have to wear a corset (september Jane Austen festival)
I’m glad I go back and read the accumulated comments sometimes because I just picked up a great tip here: after bringing your ties around to the front, tie them under the bottom front edges to prevent the bump from the knot at your waist. That has been a problem for me. But no longer!
Definitely have a custom made corset. One of my early attempts straight from a Simplicity pattern was correct for my waist (23″ corseted to 19″ comfortably – pre-children!) but left my boobs high and dry. If I sat up straight my nipples were about an inch and a half higher than the top of the corset and left my boobs totally unsupported.
You are pictured in your under garments! How scandalous! You’ll be ruined! LOL!
As a long time reader of romance novels I’ve always wondered what such things looked like in Regency times.
Loved your blog on wearing a corset. I’m new at corset wearing and wished I’d read it before wearing the corset the first time.
I once wore a corset for modeling some Victorian clothes in a fashion show. I was a bit late arriving and had to park almost a block away from the actual building where the fashion show was being held.
I thought to catch up I would sprint across the large lawn and arrive at the back door.
No one told me not to try running in a corset and I nearly passed out by the time I reached the back door. I was seeing stars before I made it to the ladies room and completely undressed in order to losen the laces of my corset to catch my breath and keep from passing out.
After that I gave myself plenty of time going to an event. Whew!
These comments and tips are going in a folder to be viewed before next wearing!
Another hint for sitting…spread your legs open. It not only gives your body a wider stance and therefore is more sturdy, it holds your skirts up and out of the way and not flopped between your knees and around your feet. My gramma told me that is how her gramma used to sit, and women sitting with their legs closed is a 20th century thing.
I agree! The split drawers are the best, though there is also the option of no undies, as was practiced before bloomers came into general use in the mid-1800’s.
An alternative method for “managing the loo”, which is particularly useful for very full or large skirts, is to back into the stall (“handicapped” stalls are the best) and then pull up the back of all of your skirts, petticoats, hoops, and chemise forward over your shoulders like a gigantic shawl. This has the added benefit of keeping all of it up off of a potentially wet/muddy/dirty floor. ;o)
Small note: you’re confusing bloomers and pantalettes because of modern usage. Pantalettes were around by the Regency period, as Princess Charlotte was frequently gossiped about for showing them. Bloomers in the mid-1800s were “Turkish-style” ankle-length pants worn under a knee-length skirt, named after but not invented by Amelia Bloomer, who adopted it from another woman and wrote about it and how to make it. Modern usage of the term as loose shorts that look like underwear comes from the mid-1900s where bloomers had evolved into “what girls wore in PE class.”
….I might kind of know a decent amount about the Bloomer costumes from research prepatory to making one at some point when I can afford to.
What a great article, as always Jen! I loved the idea about the facilities… though I don’t know If I’m brave enough to try split drawers just yet…
I do have a suggestion though… I went to a Halloween event at a bar (a band I love was playing) and dressed up as a Renaissance Red Ridding hood in a full corset with hood (from Damsel dress). The drinks were mainly alcohol and bottles of water were pricey. So I didn’t drink anything. By the end of the night my front laced corset that usually had a three to four inch gap met because I had lost so much water weight sweating. Needless to say it is important to drink water during an event at least. >,<
Actually, a well-made pair of period crotchless drawers doesn’t feel any different than wearing pants, except for when you’re actually perched on the toilet. And they don’t LOOK any different, either; I have walked around in public in mine, or at least “public” as defined by “nine people in one trailer getting ready to go to the Ren Faire.” It sounds so intimidating because of the modern connotations, that’s all. But once you go that way, you never go back, under historical garb. …heck, it’s not even period for my costume, but it’s soooo much more comfortable than chafing….
I never thought of using a regular stall toilet backwards, but I must admit it makes sense! In the past I’ve found a handicap stall, if available, is roomy enough to turn around in. I also cross my corset ties in back after tightening, then pull them to the front and down to tie them in bow under and behind the lower front edge of my corset — that avoids any lumps at my waist and keeps the ends of the ties ‘high and dry’ yet easy to get to.
Thanks for the comments! You’ve offered the tips I didn’t have room to write here or it would have been a book!
@Tina – what a creative idea for stockings with the crotch cut out. Brilliant!
Great tips! I agree with them all, and I will say that the tip for using the toilet was a new one! I have learned to prepare for putting on the corset by leaving at least 15 minutes for it, avoiding eating a huge meal less than 2 hours before, and making sure to go to the bathroom right before I start to put it on. I also put my shoes and stockings on and put up my hair before I put the corset on; otherwise it’s very difficult to bend in the way you need to bend when putting on stockings and shoes, and my hair always falls in my face, gets caught in the busk or laces, and generally gets in the way. I don’t always do my hair in a historical hair style at this time, but I always get it up and out of the way.
Also, with fastening the busk, making sure your laces are long enough makes it a lot easier, but I only have a 5 yard lace, and I’m not a slender person (waist is 34 inches unlaced)! I usually have to use up all the length to loosen the laces enough to get into my corset, so I “rock” the busk in order to fasten it. In other words, I fasten the top stud first, then I fasten the bottom stud, then I undo the top stud and fasten the top 2 or 3 studs, then do the same thing with the bottom 2 studs (leaving the stud at the waistline), then I undo the top studs and re-fasten all the studs from the one in the middle to the top. It’s a lot easier for me to do it that way.
This was a great article. I am so glad to hear you promote the spilt drawers. I have been doing this since I started wearing corsets for the Old West reenacting I do with Gunfighters Incorporated.
Also an additional useful thing is for your stockings: I buy the heavy tights that look like loomed stockings, then I cut out the seat. That way I have period looking stockings that stay up because they have a watstband, but don’t need to come down when answering the call of nature. It works great. Just get the heavy gauge stockings so they don’t unravel. It takes a couple of try ons to get the cut-out just right with no biting around the upper thighs, but worth the effort.
Cheers!
I would rather wear my corset than any modern-day bra, but it just doesn’t go well with modern clothing! 🙁
I really liked this article – I’ve been reenacting and thus wearing corsets since 1996. I wish I’d had an article like this to read when I was a newbie. It would have saved me some discomfort! It also goes without saying – but I will say it anyway – it is absolutely imperative that you have a corset made for YOUR BODY, and not one bought “off the rack” at a sutler’s store.
I learned from others this trick for Preserving the Corset. After an evening of vigorous dancing or an afternoon of broiling Civil War-era reenacting, all of one’s undergarments are wet, if not positively soaking. The softies can be hot washed & dried, but not the steel-boned corset. What to do? Spray it with vodka! This will kill the bacteria that flourish in perspiring skin and then migrate onto the corset. I recycled a travel-size non-aerosol hairspray bottle; after thoroughly cleansing it of hairspray, simply fill it with vodka and you can take it with you on overnighters. Immediately upon removing the corset, spray it inside and out, lay it over a chair back to dry, then roll & store as usual.
if you add a bit of oil of lavender to it, it covers the smell completely and its also a disinfectant! Learned that one from the theater!
HI, Diane!
Of all the websites dealing with corsets, what a coincidence I find your comment here. You may remember me from Costume College: a few years ago you admired a garment I was wearing; it was the rose walking suit made by Donna Wisely. Anyway, you answered my question in your advice o how to care for the corset once it’s perspired into. A friend wanted to know if American Civil War corsets were the same as Victorian corsets. I thought they were, but I was unsure. Hence, here’s where I looked it up. Seems like they are! Thanks!!
I love this post! I just get really freaked out by the whole “you might faint” and “moving organs around” thing. There’s a woman on youtube who makes corsets and talks about waist training. THAT is really scary.