One of the things I'm asked most often when I encounter people who are new to buying corsets, is what the difference is. Why should I pay £70+ for a corset when this £16 plastic one is the same thing?
The answer is: because it's not the same thing!
While all of the garments shown here have their uses and most of them are great fashion items, which you choose should very much depend on your needs.
So: What's the difference?
1 - The Faja
Also known as a 'waist cincher' and these days popularised as a 'waist trainer', a Faja is essentially an elastic or rubber wide, stretch belt with minimal plastic boning and a hook and eye closure up the front. These are used in the 'corset diet', or the 'waist training' fad amongst celebrities like Kim Kardashian. These are primarily undergarments (they're not pretty!) and the idea is to gently shape your waist by wearing it every day. The rubber latex ones are meant to cause you to shed weight by sweating. Personally, I'm dubious of the results this can give, as this one has just conformed to my body instead of actually cinching. As a side note: I do not like using the term 'waist training' referring to such garments - waist training already existed long before these did, and it was *exclusively* a term used by real corset wearers (more on that later)
Great for smoothing out lumps and bumps under clothing, however. If you want something you can wear under clothing for gentle smoothing and shaping, something like this is what you're after.
2 - Plastic Boned Fashion Underbust (waistcoat type) and
3 - Steel Boned Fashion Underbust (waistcoat type)
Waistcoat corsets are primarily underbust styles with straps and a high back. As you can see, there really is not much curve to either of these. This is because fashion corsets are primariy cut to basic fashion sizes, and only curve minimally at the waist. The steel boned one, however, is obviously slightly better at cinching - the plastic one has more wrinkles in the fabric, as plastic boning isn't as strong as steel, which has less.
Also - mass produced waistcoat corsets tend to be quite short between the shoulder and underbust. I'm only 5'6'' and I find them a tad too short for me!
Popular amongst steampunk fans, you can get them in a number of styles and colours. They lace up at the back and may have a zip, hook and eye, busk or swing hook closure.
4 - Plastic Boned Fashion Underbust and
5 - Steel Boned Fashion Underbust
Both underbust and overbust fashion corsets suffer from the same problem: they're not that curvy. That isn't necessarily a problem if all you want is the look of a corset and perhaps some light shaping! However, they're simply not going to work for tightlacing or real waist training - they're just not curvy enough.
They may fasten at the front with a zip, busk (as shown), swing hooks, hooks and eyes, or have a closed front with a zip or hook closure hidden in a side seam. They usually lace up at the back, though some have a stretchy panel instead.
Again, the plastic boned garment wrinkles more because the plastic boning isn't sturdy enough to support the fabric. The fabric on this steel garment hasn't wrinkled at all, in constrast, because it's made with tougher materials (it is a little too big for me around the hips, though).
They’re a cute accent to an outfit and look lovely over dresses. Overbusts look great paired with jeans or a skirt!
And finally...
6 - 'Authentic' Steel Boned Corset
As you can see, this is a completely different shape to the others! 'Authentic' corsets are cut with a much curvier pattern, allowing for a greater degree of shaping. You will NOT get this shape with a faja or fashion corset, no matter how many bones it has.
These are sized by waist measurement, and you should generally choose one that has a waist measurement of 2 to 4 inches smaller than your own waist (eg a 28" waist would wear a 24"; someone with a 32" natural waist should choose a 28" corset and so on). The rib and hip of the corset should be closer to your own measurement.
High quality steel corsets, particularly those for designed for tightlacing (and by extension, the original waist training practice) can have 1 steel bone per inch of waist measurement - compared to anywhere between 8 and 10, total, in a fashion corset. This makes them more equipped to last under pressure, to shape your body, and to support themselves without wrinkling. They take a while to make and the production and perfection of pattern and construction for these is a specialist skill... and this is why you will pay a minimum of around £60-£70 for an off-the-peg one! They are simply better quality, a more specialist product, and made with better materials.
Prices for these very much depends where you go and whether you buy off the peg or custom… with ready made varying anywhere between £60 - £150 and custom often running into the hundreds, depending on brand.
As both a maker and wearer of corsets, my opinion is that fashion corsets and authentic corsets are neither inferior or superior to one another, simply for different things - and ultimately, you do not need to pay a lot of money for a corset if all you want is something to wear on a night out, for example. In contrast, you don't want to buy a sub-par garment that will wear out quickly if you want to begin tightlacing and wear the garment every day... or which simply won't give you the results you want.
You can read more about the history of corsets, types of corsets & more at our website:
The History of Corsetry
Authentic Corsetry & Fashion Corsets
Corset Myths
Corsetry & Health
Beginners Guide to Choosing & Wearing Corsets
Caring for Your Corset
