See through curves and body confidence ~ My review of the CS-201 Mesh Corset from Orchard Corset

Hello darlings!

Welcome to my first real review of a foundation garment! I'm a bit nervous if I'm going to be 100% honest. As I said in my sneak peak last Friday, I've been a bit down on my body since mid 2015. I went through a period of high anxiety and stress. As a result I gained 15kg or 33lbs and it sadly really affected my self confidence. As I tried to get a grip on the situation I found myself in I lost my confidence behind the camera and stopped modelling, my clothes weren't fitting as well and I was generally feeling pretty blue. One of the things that has gotten me through the past 12 months and really helped me keep some of my self confidence is a reignited love of foundation wear, especially corsets.

I've loved corsets for as long as I can remember. When I was in year 6 (so I would have been around 12), I lived in a small town called Robertson, in the southern highlands. In this little town, Sydney Corset and steam punk store Gallery Serpentine had a store. I used to get sent to ride to the local store for bread and milk by my parents and this store was across the road from the general store. I remember standing at the window, nose pressed against the glass, looking at the beautiful displays. I was mersmised by these corsets and the shapes they created. I even got up the courage to go in and buy my senior formal outfit from there, knowing full well I'd be the odd one out but not caring because with the corset on I felt like I could take on the world! My Edwardian overbust was my first but it certainly wasn't my last!

18 year old me at my high school graduation! So different!

Now before I start this review, I want to state that I have been incredibly spoilt with corset quality. I was fortunate enough to get my What Katie Did Morticia Corset in a bulk buy off a stylist along with a lot of other What Katie Did goodies and my morticia corset is honestly out of this world. She's near death now but I'm hoping to replace her with another morticia mid year so will review her then. This meant that I did pick up on some things with the Orchard Corset that I otherwise wouldn't have thought that much on. Without further ah-do, lets start!

Now the Orchard Corset CS-201 mesh corset appealed to me because well simply, its mesh and Australia gets bloody hot! Especially in summer! More than once I was caught out not being able to wear my morticia (which is satin) purely because I was a bit worried I would self combust! It was SO humid! So I figured the CS-201 was a better option for those kinds of sticky humid days. I thought I'd give the smaller length corset a go, as I wanted one with more mobility for work. As per corsets I sized down 4 inches below my natural waist and got the 26 inch size and that feels to have been the right choice. I do naturally have quite a large hip to waist difference so it highlights my naturally smaller waist nicely. I've been wearing this corset with varying things over the past 2 weeks to be able to give it the best review I can.

The first thing I noticed was that despite being mesh, it still gave me a pleasant amount of reduction. For the hotter days, the mesh has definitely helped me stay cool, though I've still found I can get quite warm in it if its super humid, so its not a complete fail safe as some days are just too humid but it definitely helps! This corset in my opinion is best worn under swing styles, as I find without a girdle over the top, it does give me a funny bulge at my hips and tummy, which is very noticable under wiggle styles. If you do have a bit more to love in the tummy and hips, this is something to keep in mind with this style. Another thing to keep in mine is that this style does have a low back, so if you carry weight on your upper back you will get a bulge around where your bra fastens. This corset being shorter there isn't any reason it should get in the way of things like bathroom usage.

Best styles to wear this corset under:

- Swing styles! 

- If you are going to wear it with a wiggle style, I'd recommend wearing a girdle over it to reduce lines!

The other thing I noted with this corset is that the front is incredibly straight up and down. This is different to what I experience with my What Katie Did corsets which move with my bodies natural curve. As I have a bit of prodominent ribcage just below my bust, I found that wearing this corset for more than 7 hours or two days in a row, even with it only lightly laced, this part of my ribs was a bit achy due to how it sits at the front, which has really limited how often I can wear this corset. As someone who used to wear my morticia for 8+ hours a day and have only once had to take it off before I got home in 18 months of owning it, I was pretty bummed that on two occasions I've had to take this corset off as it became too uncomfortable to keep wearing. The busking at the base has also unstiched and the busk is now visible, so thats something I'm going to have to repair.

Now while my experience with this corset hasn't been 100% (as I said earlier, I've been spoilt!) I don't regret having it. Its a great option on hotter days or for when I just want a cinched waist. Its just sadly no where near as comfortable as my previous corsets have been for long periods of wear. I'd recommend this shape for someone with a slightly smaller waist to hip difference, purely to reduce the dig in.

That being said, Orchard corset are a good brand for those new to corset wearing and aren't sure if its for them yet or for someone looking for an entry level priced corset. When it comes to corsets you definitely get what you pay for. This corset retails atm for $65USD + postage. I've recently noticed they've changed their postage structure to offer better postage options which is good.

This corset comes in black and beige, for those who want something not as noticable under their clothes and is available from the Orchard Corset store by clicking here.

Happy to answer any questions you may have! Just leave them in the comments section!

I hope you've enjoyed this first review of one of my foundation garments!

More to come!

Til next time darlings