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Initial impressions
Mar. 7th, 2011 11:26 amI forget who initially told me about www.corsetwholesale.com , but when <lj user="seamstrix"> pronounced hers "not bad" I decided to place an order. Their corsets range in price but they have a deal for 3 corsets for $50 each with free shipping, a free skirt and suspenders, so I bit the bullet and placed my order,
( Cut for verbage and pictures )I ordered 3 overbust corsets - The WT-400 brocade in blue/black, the EB-10067 jacquard stripe in green/black, and the EB-1300 red brocade. I ordered size 34, as my uncorseted waist is 39. The pictures below are of the jacquard stripe which was the first one I took out of the box.
My order shipped from India via FedEx, and was opened at least once through customs. They were listed as "trade samples", presumably to get around tariff restrictions, which is a bit dodgy but not uncommon.
Each corset/skirt/suspenders set was bagged together with each item then individually bagged inside. There was a noticeable chemical "factory" smell when the bags were opened but it dissipated fairly quickly.
Initial impressions are that the corset is nicely weighty. Fabrics seem mostly sturdy, and the grommets are well-set. The boning is only at the seams but seems to be spring steels well-set in a cotton twill-tape casing. The lace is certainly long enough, and set up properly. There is a matching fabric 'Modesty panel" under the lacing as well, which is interlined and edged.
The busk in the front ends a bit more than an inch from the edge at top and bottom, so I'm not sure how that will affect wear. I'm fairly long-waisted and this seems to be lengthy enough for me.
And the most important bits - the inside. The waist stay is a nice touch, The seams are all enclosed and you can see the twill tape boning casings. The lining is a decent heavy-weight poly-cotton twill but not actual corset coutil - which is what I expected for the price.
My only concerns have to do with the satin ribbon used on the edges. It's a decent weight for satin, but I am a bit worries about fray and/or wear. The suspender loops are also the same satin, and are held in place only by the single row of stitching that holds the edging ribbon. I don't think that is going to hold up to the strain of use, but it's certainly a pretty easy repair if it pops.
I opened one of the skirts and it pretty much exploded into ruffles of doom. It's waaaay too small for me - the usual problem with "one-size-fits-no-one-in-partucular". The outer layer is tulle with net layers underneath, and feels pretty scratchy, but I'm not guessing they are designed to be worn for very long :) Since I now have THREE of the things, I will probably cut them apart and make them into a proper petticoat for steampunk wear. The suspenders are better-made than I'd expect, with the hardware a solid casting rather than a flimsy stamped aluminum. The elastic is of a decent weight, and I expect that the corset loops will give before these do.
I don't really have a place or assistance here at the office to try them on, but my initial impressions are that these are a very good value for the money. They wouldn't stand up to hard daily wear, and they won't have the precise fit of a properly-fitted custom job. But for dress-up wear and light use for performances or club wear they are just fine, and you could do a lot worse price-wise.
( Cut for verbage and pictures )I ordered 3 overbust corsets - The WT-400 brocade in blue/black, the EB-10067 jacquard stripe in green/black, and the EB-1300 red brocade. I ordered size 34, as my uncorseted waist is 39. The pictures below are of the jacquard stripe which was the first one I took out of the box.
My order shipped from India via FedEx, and was opened at least once through customs. They were listed as "trade samples", presumably to get around tariff restrictions, which is a bit dodgy but not uncommon.
Each corset/skirt/suspenders set was bagged together with each item then individually bagged inside. There was a noticeable chemical "factory" smell when the bags were opened but it dissipated fairly quickly.
Initial impressions are that the corset is nicely weighty. Fabrics seem mostly sturdy, and the grommets are well-set. The boning is only at the seams but seems to be spring steels well-set in a cotton twill-tape casing. The lace is certainly long enough, and set up properly. There is a matching fabric 'Modesty panel" under the lacing as well, which is interlined and edged.
The busk in the front ends a bit more than an inch from the edge at top and bottom, so I'm not sure how that will affect wear. I'm fairly long-waisted and this seems to be lengthy enough for me.
And the most important bits - the inside. The waist stay is a nice touch, The seams are all enclosed and you can see the twill tape boning casings. The lining is a decent heavy-weight poly-cotton twill but not actual corset coutil - which is what I expected for the price.
My only concerns have to do with the satin ribbon used on the edges. It's a decent weight for satin, but I am a bit worries about fray and/or wear. The suspender loops are also the same satin, and are held in place only by the single row of stitching that holds the edging ribbon. I don't think that is going to hold up to the strain of use, but it's certainly a pretty easy repair if it pops.
I opened one of the skirts and it pretty much exploded into ruffles of doom. It's waaaay too small for me - the usual problem with "one-size-fits-no-one-in-partucular". The outer layer is tulle with net layers underneath, and feels pretty scratchy, but I'm not guessing they are designed to be worn for very long :) Since I now have THREE of the things, I will probably cut them apart and make them into a proper petticoat for steampunk wear. The suspenders are better-made than I'd expect, with the hardware a solid casting rather than a flimsy stamped aluminum. The elastic is of a decent weight, and I expect that the corset loops will give before these do.
I don't really have a place or assistance here at the office to try them on, but my initial impressions are that these are a very good value for the money. They wouldn't stand up to hard daily wear, and they won't have the precise fit of a properly-fitted custom job. But for dress-up wear and light use for performances or club wear they are just fine, and you could do a lot worse price-wise.
