Let's face it — wearing corsets is nothing new. From their Victorian era heyday to the waist trainers Kim K made popular a couple of years ago, corsets always make a comeback.
In 2017, corsets are no longer underwear — as worn by the Kardashians, corsets are now meant to be worn OUTSIDE your clothing. So Jess and I decided to try out the trend for ourselves, and see just how wearable corsets-as-clothing truly are. Would our photoshoot be filled with fierce looks, or would we need a literal fainting couch?
There was only one way to find out.
Right away, this style challenge was a little daunting for Jess. "As a plus-size woman who doesn't have an hourglass shape, this corset trend is a bit intimidating," she said. "Ashley Graham makes it look easy, but all I could do was worry."
"Would I find a corset that fit me properly? Would this trend make me feel bad about myself?" she wondered.
For our first lewk, we tried an Ashley-inspired monochromatic style: black corsets over tight, black dresses.
I really loved this harness corset — especially for the price and quality. But I quickly realized that I'd have to sacrifice taking deep breaths.
I thought I looked goooodddddd. However, I think this is a look that would only work for a few hours since, well, breathing is important. I got a small/medium in this harness detail corset waist belt ($35, ASOS) but I should have sized up — my lungs felt way too constricted.
I thought the harness feature would look weird, but it actually made the corset more supportive.
Hello, good posture!
I loved the lace details on the front, although it was a little tight.
For the price, I thought the quality was pretty good. I would wear this for a date night, however, I would definitely need to loosen it for dinner!
The corset zips up in the back, which made it easy to put on!
And the adjustable straps were great, since it provided much-needed wiggle room.
Although Jess looked like a BOSS in this look, she wasn't entirely a fan of the corset-as-outerwear.
Jess is wearing a size 24/26 in the corset — however, she said it was a little too large.
"I wasn't sold on this one. I was too afraid that the belt wouldn't fit, so I sized up. I definitely didn't need to," she said. It was so big that she simply slid this wide elastic corset belt ($24, ASOS) on over her hips.
"Since I do have a short torso, it did bend a little as I bent over or moved around. The laces were too similar to shoe laces for me to think they were cute," she added.
Maybe different laces would've made this look more luxurious.
"The belt sat perfectly under my breasts, and it looked really cool in photos. But it didn't really create any support, since the belt was too big for me."
We were able to pin the belt back for this shoot, but that obviously wouldn't work for a party.
Next, we tried to add a little more color — RED — to our corset looks to see if the style could work in a bolder, more dramatic colorway.
And we weren't disappointed!
This corset was technically a "one-size-fits-all" piece that made me feel like a heavyweight wrestling champion.
I felt like the corset was wearing me instead of the other way around. It felt like a prizefighter belt instead of an accessory. Also, one size fits all? Really? This fits ME, and I wear a medium in most things. This is one size fits ME.
Lace-front corset ($10.90, Forever 21)
That said, this corset was *so* comfortable. IT SNAPPED IN THE BACK! This made it super easy (and quick) to put on.
This is the future, people. Ain't nobody got time for laces.
For Jess, this was the corset that transformed everything. "This changed the game for me. I definitely felt much more powerful and sexy," Jess said.
"After not being completely sold on the first belt, I was worried I'd hate the second one — it was so much more dramatic. But I loved it! This belt was more firm, and I loved how it looked over this classic red dress," Jess said.
ASOS Curve extra wide lace up corset belt ($24, ASOS). Jess is wearing size 24/26.
"The firm material was strong enough for shaping, but not *SO* hard that it restricted my movement."
"The only downside was that it was a little too big. This is a nice problem for plus-size women to have — I was anxious everything would be too small! — but you definitely don't need to size up in this style, even if you have a full belly," she said.
Lastly, we both tried a variation on the over-boob vs. under-boob corset trend.
"Is this something people like to wear?" our producer Brittany asked. Yeah, the under-boob corset is kind of weird.
I'm wearing a small/medium in this ASOS jersey mesh detail corset ($17, ASOS), and it was MINISCULE. It doesn't have a zipper in the back, so it required 20 minutes worth of tugging and fighting to get it on. Worth it? IDK…
I'm smiling, but it was actually really hard to breathe in this.
Like, really, REALLY hard. I could almost hear my internal organs screaming at me.
On the bright side, this underbust corset was a push-up bra on steroids. My goods were AT ATTENTION.
I liked how fashion-forward it was, but I'm not sure I'd want my goods prominently on display 24/7. I'll have to work my way up to this one.
Jess tried the overbust corset look — and loved it. "This corset was more of a top, so I layered it over an off-the-shoulder top. It was definitely giving me sexy milkmaid vibes."
Unlike the material of the other corsets, this one is a lot softer and not as constricting. Definitely a comfort win.
Plus-size cropped corset ($15.90, Forever 21). Jess is wearing a 3X.
Out of all the corsets Jess tried on, this one was the easiest to wear since it just slides on!
Cute AND easy to wear!
"Since I carry most of my weight in my belly and hips I was worried that it wouldn't fit," said Jess. "I was shooketh. It actually fit pretty comfortably, and it made me feel really cute and confident."
Looking good AND feeling good? A dream combination for sure.
So, will Jess and I be abandoning our underwear for outerwear permanently? Maybe not — as cool as the corset clothing look is, it can be tricky to execute in real life.
The first issue is buying the corsets — shopping online is often your only option for affordable pieces, and even then, the sizing guide might not be accurate. Jess and I repeatedly hit fashion roadblocks because the corsets we found were either too tight or too loose. While that problem can easily be resolved by swapping for a better size, brands need to know that plus- and straight-size women NEED accurate sizing information… especially on fitted items like corset belts.
We also learned that buying a nice corset doesn't mean dropping your whole paycheck; we got a lot of cute corsets for under $40, and they were of decent quality. So if you want to try this trend without blowing all your cash on the same belt Kim Kardashian wore, you definitely can.
Finally, we learned that EVERY body can wear the corset trend. There's no such thing as the wrong size or shape; if you like this style, you can wear it.
Just make sure you have a fainting couch close at hand.
