Waist training, sometimes also called “tight-lacing,” is the practice of trying to make a significant, semi-permanent reduction to your waist measurement by the progressive tightening of a corset.
It’s a serious commitment with potentially major risks, and should NEVER be attempted without lots of research, knowledge, careful consideration, a perfectly fitted custom-made corset specifically designed for the purpose, and the knowledge and consent of your doctor. A waist training corset can’t be an overbust length; it must be an underbust for safety reasaons (if you’re not sure of the difference, read about it here).
Not everyone can waist train; quite often, it’s simply impossible for some people. If this is a topic that interests you, make sure you read everything you can find on the subject, and exercise every possible caution.
We won’t cover all the details of what’s involved, as that’s a whole other website. The following points are merely the things you need to consider purely from the corset point of view. You really do need to learn more about things like potential health consequences and danger signs to watch for, and much more, before you even get that far.
A waist-training corset must be truly bespoke
You are actually trying to modify your body. Don’t even think of doing this without an uncompromisingly perfect fit, or you will injure yourself. Also, the huge strain that a waist training corset need to absorb will destroy most ready-to-wear corsets in very short order. If you try this with any of our corsets OTHER than a specially made waist training corset, you will immediately void all warranty on it.
Ideally, the pattern for your training corset should be built directly on your body, so the position of the boning channels can be marked to indicate any protuberant bone structure, sensitive spots, asymmetries, and so forth.
It must be made from special materials
A waist-training corset must be made with extraordinary care and to very high standards using specialty materials manufactured for the purpose. Our regular corsets are pretty sturdy and durable as corsets come, but for tight-lacing, you need a whole other level of quality.
Coutil is pretty much the material of choice here. This is a special fabric specifically made for corsetry, with a very tight weave, excellent abrasion resistance, and no stretch. Ideally, you want two layers of coutil, both as the outer and lining layers, though it may be acceptable to have a different fashion fabric on the outside with a coutil lining.
It requires special construction techniques
The seams of a tight-lacing corset should be double- or triple-stitched (depending on the location). Each pass of stitching should use a different stitch length. This will help prevent the seams from splitting open like a zipper under repeated strain.
The panels need to be narrower, and the boning channels need to be much closer together than normal. Each channel also needs extra boning.
The grommets should be individually set to ensure security.
You’ll probably need more than one
Not necessarily at the same time, but as you progress. Unless you’re thinking of a fairly small reduction, you’ll need a smaller corset after you’ve gone partway through your waist training.
Normally, we encourage people who are trying to shrink (due to weight loss, not waist training) to buy a corset with a big gap in the back, and shrink into it as they go. You cannot do this with waist training, because the position of the boning channels and the shaping of the panels are so precisely placed.
This means you may need to go through two or even three custom-made corsets during your training process. Since these specialty corsets are very expensive, you’ll need to budget ahead for this.
If you’re interested in commissioning a bespoke waist training corset, please fill out a measurement and photo form and submit it along with your inquiry, so Kitty can assess your proportions before answering any questions.
