How tightly can I lace a corset?

Not too tight! At first glance, this statement may seem uninteresting, but it contains the main aspect of this question.

A well-fitted corset should look natural; it should in no way give the impression that the person wearing it has been forced into it or that she feels uncomfortable. But this is only possible if the lady feels really good; which is certainly not possible in a corset that is too small. You may be thinking now: "I will never be able to have a small waist because I will not be able to stand being laced very tightly for long!". This would really be the case if it were not for the phenomenon according to which one can get used to being laced very tightly. This principle is essentially important for the use of corsets.

Your first corset will probably only be about 5 cm smaller than your natural waist.

If you close the lacing completely, you will probably feel a little discomfort, but you will bear it very well, I am sure. A few weeks or even a few days later, you will notice that the lacing is no longer tight, in fact, you will hardly notice anything anymore. The time has come to put on a smaller corset, whose size is about 10 cm smaller than that of your unlaced corset. Now try to close the laces. You will probably feel a little uncomfortable, maybe even more than with the first corset. But after a certain time, you will also get used to this corset. In principle, you can continue like this, but from my experience, I can say that the waist should not be laced to less than 20-25% of its natural measure at the beginning of the lacing to remain comfortable. If your natural waist is, say, 65 cm, you can lace it to about 13 to 16 cm, which gives a waist size of 49 to 52 cm.

The period of getting used to wearing a corset generally takes a few weeks or a few months.

This depends on the physique and robustness of the person wearing it; but after a certain time, all women can get used to the corset. These are not empty words, I have experienced it myself; and this corresponds to the experience of all the other women who wear corsets that I know! My natural waist is 58 cm. In general, I lace it to 44 cm, that is, 75% of the normal width. And I feel comfortable with that.

If you are one of the most ambitious women, you can stick to the following details, which are based on the recommendations of women who lace or are laced very tightly; part of these recommendations was written during the great corset period, about 100 years ago. According to them, there are three methods to determine the smallest possible waist and the smallest recommended waist. The first indicates that the target waist should be 25 cm smaller than the natural waist. A natural waist of 65 cm would then measure 40 cm at the end. The downside of this method is that the reduction in waist size does not depend on the natural size. The second method takes the bust as its basis. According to this method, a moderate reduction in waist size would result in a waist size of 40 cm.

Related: How to Get An Hourglass Figure

An example: a woman with a bust of 85 cm will have the following waist sizes: moderately laced 53 cm, minimally laced 42 cm.

This method has the advantage of taking proportions into account and thus creating a well-proportioned silhouette. The third and final method suggests that the waist should be slightly smaller than the thigh, which is advantageous in that body proportions and indirectly weight and body fat are taken into account. Thus, you can look well-proportioned after changing your silhouette (that is, losing or gaining weight). The three methods described in this paragraph require more intensive preparation to get used to than those I mentioned above. If you wear the corset often, you can feel very comfortable in it, even if it is tightly laced (for special occasions).

I would like to add something about the period of getting used to corsets: I assume that you sometimes wear high-heeled shoes (7-9 cm in height). It is the same thing with corsets: You have to walk with them for a certain time to get used to them. And if you want to wear even higher heels, you have to get used to them again. From my experience (and that of all the other women who wear corsets that I know), it is easier to get used to corsets than to high-heeled shoes!