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Janet's Intro To Corsets
Back in October, I went to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair wearing one for about 14 hours. And that included the drive up to Lancaster and back.
If you're going to try wearing a corset, make sure you wear something underneath for two reasons. One, to keep your body oils and sweat off the corset, which will make it last longer. Secondly, it provides a little "insulation" between the corset and your body, making it more comfortable to wear (... I know you're saying to yourself, "yeah, right" really!).
Quality corsets can cost anywhere from $150 on up.
You can also get into the custom vs mass produced debate.
If you have limited funds, start off with a quality mass produced corset made by Vollers (for instance).
They have served me well.
If you find the fit isn't as good as you think it should be, you can then step up to a custom fitted garment.
Janet also covered corsets a couple of months ago in the Wild Rose.
Janet also touched on the use of hip pads to compliment the shaping effect of a corset. If you take a look at typical women's size measurements in a catalog, there is an average 10 inch difference between the waist and hip. If most of us guys measure these two dimensions, they are pretty close to being the same, if not going the other way like they do on me. Presuming a four inch reduction with a corset, we still have a few inches to go to get to that 10" difference. Hips pads can add another two to four inches to help with the illusion. If you're going to use hip pads, make sure to cover your butt with padding too, as most guys suffer from that "no-ass-at-all" disease. Pads can run anywhere from 30 bucks for a panty with foam inserts to several hundred dollars for a well made set that tapers all the way down to the knees.
Janet also covered the topic of silicone breast forms and how they can be used to enhance the overall look. They accurately reproduce the natural look and feel of the real thing, after all, that's what they were designed for. Less expensive alternatives can also give satisfactory results, such as foam rubber "falsies" and one-size silicone breast enhancers. Fredericks is one source for all of the above. There are also a number of stores dealing exclusively with TG's and CD's that carry them - Google will find em quickly. And then there's EBay.
Shana provided intermission entertainment while Janet was changing with a PowerPoint presentation on corsets and the like. Unfortunately, my wife and I experienced some technical difficulty with a borrowed LCD projector, so we all had to huddle around my computer to see it. If anyone missed it and would like to see it, and you have a high speed connection, I can email it to you. The file is about 4megs in size.
So, if you're looking for that classic feminine figure, a corset (and hip pads) is the way to go. You don't have to be a serious tight lacer to get a benefit from wearing one.
Try one, you'll probably get hooked!
Ta Ta.
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Updated: 04/27/05
