First time corset buyer
 

My girlfriend stumbled onto one of my fantasies one night when she mentioned the subject of corsets. Now, she's decided to get one, and though she's tried one on before, I'm wondering what exactly one should know in order to make the initial wearing experience as pleasant as possible. Does anyone have any personal experience or tips to offer? I'd like to help her find one that doesn't excessively or uncomfortably squeeze or constrict but that still offers some of the "uplifting" benefits that makes these garments so uniquely appealing.

I was at a Renaissance Festival last weekend, and I saw someone being fitted for a corset. When you have the opportunity to work with the person who built the corset, I would imagine that would be helpful.

(My wife doesn't corset, so I have no direct information.)

For most corsetplayers, the squeezing and constricting is the whole point. lurkette has me lace her corsets as tightly as I can--and in some cases the smallest size still doesn't go quite as tight as she'd like.

There's a lot of resources online about this. A little googling will go a long way. When I see lurkette later today I'll ask her to post here--I can't remember the name of the site where she orders hers, but she loves them.

are you looking for an actual corset, for like what ratbastid is describing or a piece of lingerie available at your local cheesey fredericks of hollywood?

I'd say if you're gonna go for this, go all the way with a custom jobber rather than Fredricks or some such. There's no substitute for a *real*, sturdy, can-do-the-task easily garment, and it needs to be made to fit the woman, not the other way around. Expect to spend around $400+, depending on style, fabric, bells & whistles (!).

If you are inclined to spend the money and go this route, I recommend (for the non-*ahem*-specialty route):
Darkgarden <br> Meschantes <br> The Other Woman

My first corset (sounds like a bad fetish toy ;) ) was a $130 basic number from absolutecorsets.com, and while it's a pretty nice corset (shameless plug - go see my Tilted Exhibition thread :D ) it could fit better. Granted, I lost enough weight that, as ratbastid said, fully constricted it doesn't bind much now, but it never really worked up top. Absolutecorsets does offer custom corsets but you have to submit your own measurements. If you have a custom shop around, go for an in-person fitting. Otherwise, order a size that's 3-6" below her natural waist size.

I have a couple of other corsets that were ebay specials (of the cheesy Frederick's variety, see aforementioned TE thread) and they're not as sturdy and not as much fun to wear, and ratbastid doesn't like them as much. He prefers strapless. But if you're just looking for the occasional naughty dress-up, a less expensive corset might do the trick. Be warned, though, that they are generally cheaply made, with plastic instead of metal boning, and they're not really going to give you that breathless constricted feeling, if that's what she's after. If she just wants a glorified push-up bra, get thee to ebay.

Otherwise, here are some of the best online sources for corsets:

http://www.versatilecorsets.com/F_index.html
http://www.fairygothmother.com/
http://www.galleryserpentine.com/pro...23&selection=4
http://www.darkgarden.net/index.asp
http://www.deliciouscorsets.com/catalog.html
http://www.puimond.com/html/corsets.html
http://vollercorsets.com/
http://www.absolutecorsets.com

Have fun!

I found this post quite helpful with links to a lot of resources:

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/39887

Note to self: Get girlfriend into a corset.

I have seen women in corsets pass out because they were too tight to allow proper breathing... I fear I must sit this one out...

check out www.staylace.com, they sell corsets made for tight lacing, and even a beginner corset kit, and the owner will even give you free advice.

Thank you, everyone, for the advice. I am well aware that quality costs, but unfortunantly we're both college students so disposable income is not one of our great assets. :|

From what I've heard, though, plastic boning sounds like something to be avoided, and as a general rule I dislike cheapness or cheesiness, so the Frederick's variety of garment is probably out.

I'm not so sure I'm into the idea of my fiancee in a "real" corrset, but one of those cheap hollywood lingere ones sounds spectacular ;).