Hi, I'm Katie and I've been working with, and wearing, corset for over 25 years now. In that time they've come in and out of fashion and each time a new corset trend arrives the press (and many 'get rich quick' companies) appear with shocking headlines and claims.

With all the sensationalist claims it's very hard to separate the facts from the fiction. I've been wearing corsets for over 25 years and when corsets hit the headlines again in 2015 I decided to trial wearing a corset daily to see what would happen to my body. I wore a corset daily for a few years and although I don't wear one every single day anymore (due to dress down Covid), I do wear one several days every week so think I'm qualified enough to tell it as it is!

We're unique in the fact that we have two styles of each corset, a standard and an extreme version. You always need to choose a corset closest to your natural rib, reduced waist and hip (allowing for a 2-3" gap at the back) and it might be that you are naturally very curvy and that the cut of the extreme version of a corset fits you best.

However, the idea behind our standard vs extreme corsets is that once your waist has 'outshrunk' the standard version you can size down to the extreme version which will retain the same rib and hip but be two inches smaller on your waist. For example the rib and hip of a size 26 standard corset will be the same as the rib and hip of a size 24 extreme corset.

Many ready to wear brands recommend 'seasoning' your corset which means trying it on and wearing it loosely while it adapts to your body. Of course, if you do this, you might have worn it for several days before finding out that it's not the right shape for you and will be unable to return it!

Corsets don't shrink to fit, and should fit well from the first time you try it on. When you try on a What Katie Did corset you need to lace it tightly to see if it fits or not. Lacing your corset for the first time is always hard no matter how experienced you are as the corset and laces are quite stiff. After a couple of wears your corset will be easier to lace up, but it's unlikely that you will want to lace as tightly as you did whilst trying it on for a while.

A well made corset will not be damaged by trying it on properly and it important that you can ensure the fit is correct and that your corset feels comfortable.

If you're not sure about the difference in shape a stretch Waist Cincher vs a Traditional Corset gives we've made a video which shows all our shaping garments shot on the same model, on the same day, to show you the different silhouettes.

Want to know more about corsets? We've all the info you need, from whether you should wear a corset post pregnancy, to what to wear with your corset, to if you need a corset liner.