What Katie Did's Long Sheer Gloves in Fabulous Magazine

Our Long Sheer Gloves certainly appear to be having a moment. First Ellen Von Unwerth used them her new exhibition, then Kylie Minogue appeared in Glamour wearing them, now Fabulous magazine have included them in a shoot!



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Lindsay Lohan wears What Katie Did Vintage Lingerie for Liz and Dick

Lindsay Lohan is nearing the end of filming for the movie 'Liz and Dick' where she portrays Elizabeth Taylor. If you read the gossip press you'll be aware of all the drama and it does sound like everyone will be pleased when 'it's a wrap' so they can settle down for a little quiet time: especially the wardrobe department who seem to be making daily trips to our Hollywood Store for period correct lingerie.

The costume department have scoured LA for vintage clothing but couldn't find enough vintage lingerie for the movie and so came to us. Lindsay's favourite is our Glamour Underwired Bra in peach which gives a wearable gentle vintage shape (as opposed to the full on bullet bra).



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When I was in Hollywood a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to revamp the store a little, moving things around and adding a few touches. Originally we had black curtains in the store window and changing rooms, but we've now changed them to blue: it's amazing the difference they make!

Since we opened in LA 9 months ago our Hollywood team has worked extremely hard, not only working on the store floor but dealing mail order and customer service for the entire USA as well as working with an ever growing list of stylists. They've always been a little jealous of how good our London store looks, but I reckon Hollywood is now looking just as swanky!

If you're in LA be sure to follow our Hollywood store on Twitter and Facebook for the latest US news.









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Ellen Von Unwerth's Do Not Disturb Exhibition

More of Ellen Von Unwerth's 'Do Not Disturb' pictures have emerged online. Ellen's exhibtion is now on at the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London and runs until 21st July. Much sauciness guaranteed!


What Katie Did's Marlene Bullet Bra.


What Katie Did's Long Sheer Gloves.


What Katie Did's Cabaret Bullet Bra.


What Katie Did's Glamour Zip Underbust Girdle.

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What Katie Did's Vintage Lingerie in Dew Magazine

What Katie Did's Harlow Bullet Bra and Marlene Suspender Belt make an appear in the latest edition of Dew magazine. Not sure if you can spot the Marlene Suspender Belt? It's actually worn as a bra in the bottom picture!





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Kylie Minogue wears What Katie Did's Long Sheer Gloves in Glamour Magazine

Glamour Magazine (UK) have just announced their Women of the Year award winners and Kylie Minogue has been voted 'Outstanding Contribution'. We couldn't agree more. Who would have thought that a teenage mechanic in an Australian soap opera would end up having so much impact on pop culture and fashion (not to mention giving hope and inspiration to those suffering from breast cancer)?

It's the first time Kylie has worn What Katie Did (pictured here in our Long Sheer Gloves for Glamour, July 12) and we think she looks amazing!



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Ellen Von Unwerth Shoots What Katie Did for new London Exhibition

We're thrilled to find out that our lingerie has been shot by Ellen Von Unwerth for her new exhibition which opens at the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London next Thursday.

Ellen shot a series of women for a range of work titled 'Do Not Disturb' in the quirky and luxurious setting of the famous Madonna Inn which nestles half way between LA and San Francisco (I've immediately put it on my 'to do list!')

Having been voted as one of Time Magazine’s top 100 Fashion Icons, Ellen Von Unwerth has a reputation like no other. Shooting everyone from models and movie stars to music icons such as Rihanna and Christina Aguilera.

The exhibition runs from 21st June to the 21st July.


Cabaret Bullet Bra and Knickers


Glamour Underwired Bra and Baby Corset.

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What Katie Did Lulu Bullet Bras in new Kelly Brook Campaign

I met Kelly Brook years ago when I was working at Skin Two: she did a shoot for the magazine. All I remember was that she was clad head to toe in Vivienne Westwood and that I was very jealous! It has to be said that Kelly's curves were made for rubber clothing and when I saw her in a House of Harlot gown for her latest campaign I wasn't too upset that we'd missed out - her contract with New Look prevented her from wearing any other brand of lingerie, so no What Katie Did on Kelly this time around. However, we did manage to get two of our Lulu Bullet Bras on her assistants.



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Sabina Kelley wears What Katie Did's Cabaret Torsolette for Dynamite Magazine

Although we try to keep track of our press, sometimes an appearance comes as a complete surprise so we're thrilled to see Sabina Kelley on the cover of Germany's Dynamite magazine in our Cabaret Torsolette. This isn't the first time Sabina has worn our lingerie (check her our in our VLV11 fashion show).

Our Cabaret Torsolette is a strapless bodyshaper made from sheer organza and powermesh. Its' light weight makes it ideal for wearing in the warmer months, but rest assured it will smooth out those lumps and bumps. Like all our shapewear it contains spiral steel boning don't bend out of shape like plastic boning can.

Besame Cosmetics' New Violet Brightening Powder

Can you believe it's been nearly a year since Besame Cosmetics launched their last product? Their Cream Rouge immediately zoomed to the top of our Besame Best Seller list where it has stayed ever since!

Unlike other small cosmetics brands, Besame manufacture their products from scratch. This means months in the lab followed by tricky packaging design. No one said perfection was easy!
Besame refuse to compromise on ingredients and we're delighted to learn about the launch of their new Violet Brightening Powder which will be arriving early July. The powder is ideal for brightening up light to medium complexions: the term 'brightening' is a big buzz on the beauty scene at the moment!

What Katie Did gets ready for the Diamond Jubilee

What Katie Did's Portobello Road boutique is getting ready for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with a very British window display! In the surrounding area the Salvation Army and the WI will be fundraising on Portobello Market this Saturday 2nd June. They will be serving tea and cake and will be giving away sample packs of Clipper tea. The Museum of Brands will be recreating a 1950's market stall along with showing archive photos close to where they were originally taken. We're open as usual on Saturday and Sunday (closed bank holiday Monday and Tuesday). Come on down to Portobello this weekend andcelebrate with us!

What Katie Did's Bullet Bra in the Evening Standard

London's Evening Standard published a feature yesterday about the trend for erotic literature, which was started by the self published book '50 Shades of Grey'. The feature was accompanied by a Tony Nylons picture featuring our Maitresse Bullet Bra and Fully Fashioned Stockings.

Rankin shoots What Katie Did Vintage Lingerie

Rankin is one of our favourite photographers so we're thrilled to have him shoot What Katie Did for his new magazine 'The Hunger'. Helena Christensen shows just a hint of suspender straps in a shoot called 'One of the Boys' (styled by Wayne Perry): we'd recommend our Maitresse Suspender Belt to get the same look.

If you're planning to visit our LA boutique, take a moment to visit Rankin's Gallery which is just 5 minutes walk from our store.

Marlene Von Steenvag in What Katie Did lingerie

It's the last day of London's World Burlesque Games and I have to say we were looking forward to a duvet day. However, Marlene Von Steenvag was over from Berlin to peform and we just couldn't resist shooting with her. A few hours after performing she arrived at Steve Hart's Slough studio looking far more awake than we did!

Marlene started hear career in Cabaret and and gradually slipped more and more towards burlesque adding her distinctive poetic and fairytale glamour. Today Marlene travels Europe peforming full time, she's a regular at Germany's only dedicated burlesque club, Queen Calavera (in Hamburg) and hosts her own event: Salon Kokett, in Berlin



Marlene in our Morticia Underbust Corset, Maitresse Bullet Bra, Maitresse Knickers, Seamed Fishnet Tights and Long Gloves.



Marlene in our Maitresse Bullet Bra, Maitresse Suspender Belt and Fully Fashioned Stockings.



Marlene in our Glamour Corselette, Long Gloves and Fully Fashioned Stockings.



Marlene in our Cabaret Bullet Bra and French Knickers.

What Katie Did Morticia Corset in The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail has been devoting a lot of space to Marks and Spencers' new comfy corsets (they don't resemble corsets at all but are body shapers which come under category 'corsetry' - I think someone along the line might have got a little confused). Yesterday they did a test to see if corsets really were comfortable to wear and included our Morticia Underbust Corset which they gave 7 out of 10 (beating Spanx, yipee!)


Although corsetry should be comfortable enough to wear all day (our Glamour Corselette proves it), steel boned corsets are a whole different matter and unless you seriously want to train your waist, corsetry is the way to go for daily wear.

Corsetry won't give you the dramatic lines of a steel boned corset but will easily nip an inch or two from the waist and hips. The best way to describe it is that when you look in a mirror you stand up straight with your tummy tucked in: corsetry will keep you like that all day in comfort. At What Katie Did we frequently get visits from brides who think they want a steel boned corset but end up with a Glamour Merry Widow or Cabaret Torsolette which is comfortable enough to wear for 16 hours without any practice.

If you'd like to find out our views on steel boned corsets, what to expect from them and whether they're suitable for you, check out our Corset Guide Here.



What Katie Did Morticia Corset worn with our Cabaret Bullet Bra.

Mosh models What Katie Did vintage lingerie

We were lucky enough to meet LA photographer Mitzi at the Grand National Roadster Show in January. She told us she was working on a shoot with super-pin up Mosh at Elvis Presley's Honeymoon hideaway in Palm Springs. Sounds good doesn't it?! Well, wait till you see the pics! They'll be hitting pin up magazines over the next few months but here's a little preview.



Mosh in our Cabaret Torsolette.



Mosh in our Deco Lingerie



Mosh in our 2012 Bikini.

What Katie Did Lingerie in new Elizabeth Taylor Biopic

It's great to see Lindsay Lohan looking healthy and working on new projects. She's just been cast to play Elizabeth Taylor in a new TV movie 'Liz and Dick'. Lindsay says 'I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well'.

The costume department picked out period perfect lingerie from our Hollywood store a couple of weeks ago which can be seen in the picture below (Maitresse Bullet Bras and Glamour Girdle) - alongside Lindsey who's wearing a red velvet dress inspired by a Valentino number Liz once wore. Lindsay has been given final approval of all costumes so we have to keep our fingers crossed that she likes What Katie Did!

Lingerie fit for Royalty!

I first thought about doing a Union Flag corset last Spring, to celebrate Prince William's and Kate Middleton's wedding. I thought it would be great as part of a window display, combined with lots of Union Flag bunting, but really didn't think people would be interested in buying it. I sketched a basic design and asked our factory to throw something together, explaining that it was only for a window display and that it didn't have ot be perfect. Well, they disagreed and were really excited a the challenge which resulted in the most fabulous (and it turns out, horribly expensive!) corset. We had it in our London boutique window for a couple of weeks and did take a few orders and that, I thought, was that.

When I was in our factory in January I started working on a range of Jubilee lingerie in red, white and blue, and started thinking about the corset again. I thought if we were going to do it, we'd really go for it! This time around we made it in the Extreme Laurie shape which takes 2" more from the waistline than last year's Sophia shape. We also made it in two cup sizes for a perfect fit. Finally, we made a slight change to the flag design, changing the waist panels from blue to red which helps enhance the female form. The resulting corset really has had a great response, surprisingly those outside the UK are most enthusastic!

The picture below, featuring Miss Miranda, was shot by Steve Hart in his Slough (UK) studio at the end of a very long day - not that you'd be able to tell!

Karl Lagerfield shoots Kirsten Dunst in a What Katie Did Bullet Bra

Bit of a bombshell this one! When the office of Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfield called about 18 months ago requesting our Jane Cheetah Print Bullet Bra for a new project we were in a bit of a quandry. The bra had been discontinued several months before and we'd already been a bit naughty lending archive samples to Vogue Paris when it was no longer availble (they begged!) You can't really say no to Karl and Carine so we sent it off and never expected to hear anything else.

It turns our the bra was worn by Kirsten Dunst for 'The Little Black Jacket' a book celebrating Chanel's famous black jacket. The book features 100 celebrities, actors, artists, singers and rock stars all wearing a Chanel black jacket in their own style.

The book can be pre-ordered from Amazon and you can see a preview of 20 images here.

As mentioned above, this bra is no longer available, but we have recently introduced a brand new semi sheer cheetah print bullet bra which we think is even sexier!

What Katie Did's Cabaret Torsolette in Lone Wolf Magazine

What Katie Did's Cabaret Torsolette makes it's first appearance in Lone Wolf magazine in a shoot styled by Thea Lewis. Our Cabaret Torsolette is a piece of light control shapewear made from sheer organza and powermesh. Like with all our shapewear, it incorporates spiral steel boning. This piece was inspired by a vintage torsolette a customer brought in to our London boutique and contains the same vintage features including a vintage stitch detail on the front and cathedral boning on the cups. Available in peach or black.

Miss Polly Rae's Burlesque Tips - Day 3: Your first show

You've rehearsed your act and your costume is all sparkly, but the preparation doesn't stop there. The show's promoter should email you a form to fill in with all the nitty gritty details - if they don't you'll have to email one over yourself - and bring a copy on the evening. You need to include everything the promoter needs to know including how you'd like the Compare to introduce you, where you start your performance (stage left, right or already on stage) and where pieces of your costume are going to be thrown (tip: always behind you, never into the audience!) so they can ensure it's returned to you complete. Polly advises bringing two CDs of music - and remember to put your name on both of them!




Once you've got a few newbie shows under your belt film footage of your performance is vital so you can get bookings at more prestigious shows. Polly insists that the footage doesn't have to break the bank and although it's much preferable to have film on a live stage with an audience it's not make or break. Polly reckons she can tell within 10 seconds whether an act is going to be good or not whatever the film quality is like. No good promoter will book an act without footage so it's time to rope in a friend with a camera.

Beatrix Von Bourbon in What Katie Did

Fans of Britain's Got Talent will certainly have not missed the charms of burlesque artiste Beatrix Von Bourbon who got middle England's knickers in a twist with her saucy pre-watershed performance (watch it on Youtube here). Unfortunately she's been knocked out in the semi-finals, but several prime time performances on national TV won't have done her career much harm! The Star interviewed her yesterday and we're delighted that she chose to wear our Padded Bullet Bra, Harlow Suspender Belt and Kate Knickers.

Miss Polly Rae's Burlesque Tips - Day 2: Costumes

Today Miss Polly Rae is lucky enough to work with William Baker, Kylie Minogue's stylist for whom the cost of rhinestones is no issue for her West End Shows (although it still makes her swoon!) but for her other shows the costumes are down to Polly.



Polly's first bit of advice is that you don't need to spend a lot of money - but you do need to be ready to devote your evenings to hot-gluing and trimming! Whilst it's not possible to skimp on some items - for example a high street basque will not give yout the defined hourglass shape of a good quality corset - it is possible to transform cheap high street lingerie and shoes into showstopping costumes. Barnet and Lawson just off London's Oxford Street is Polly's haberdashery of choice where their basement is an Aladdin's cave of sparkly trims.

Polly's stockings of choice for peeling, whether on stage in the West End or the East End are our stretchy Retro Seamed Stockings which are far more affordable than fully fashioned and 'ping' off the foot with far more control than expensive Fully Fashioned Nylons.

From my personal experience I've learn't how seriously professional burlesque artistes take their costumes. Last year we took Slinky Sparkles to perform in Las Vegas and instead of painting the town red spent her days rhinestoning her costume (you can never have too many rhinestones!) Although Polly says that trims and rhinestones are 'icing' to your act, turning up in a untrimmed high street lingerie really is a no no.

Miss Polly Rae's Guide to Burlesque

To celebrate the start of London's Burlesque Games, Miss Polly Rae hosted an initimate salon in What Katie Did's London Boutique giving advice on how to make a career out of burlesque. Miss Polly Rae always knew she wanted to be famous, she just wasn't quite sure how she was going to acheive it! By chance she saw a flyer for Jo King's burlesque workshop and went along to a free taster session. Burlesque immediately appealed to Polly as you didn't have to have dance training from the age of 3, or be a certain age or shape. Over the last 6 and a half years Miss Polly Rae has become one of the UK's leading stars of burlesque with her own West End Show. Over the next few days we'll give you her top tips on making it in burlesque.

1. Get an Audience!

There is nothing like performing in front of an audience. It's where you'll really start to learn your craft. Nothing frustrates Polly more is hearing people say that their act is not quite ready, time after time! That's not to say it shouldn't be rehearsed to within an inch of it's life, but sooner or later you're going to have to get on stage. Let's face it, you'll alway find something that isn't quite right as an excuse to delay.

Don't go straight from rehearsals to stage. It's essential that you find a burlesque mentor, or someone you can trust, who will give you their honest opinion of your act. Once any kinks have been ironed out it's time to go. There are lots of newbie nights where you can perform, and as they're billed as newbie nights the audience won't be expecting Dita Von Teese.

Most professional burlesque artiste's acts are 'works in progress'. Their act will be constantly refined as the artiste decides what works best in front of an audience, whilst rhinestones and feathers will be added to costumes as funds allow.

The Bullet Bra

The bullet bra gives the ultimate 1950s pin up girl silhouette. The bullet bra was actually available from 1939, but WWII put plans on hold so it wasn't until the early 1950s that the bullet bra put breasts centre stage. It's shape was even more extreme than that of bras in the 1940s and the spiral stitching emphasised the cone shape.

Claudia Schiffer in What Katie Did's Maitresse Bullet Bra for Vogue Russia

For the less well endowed padded versions were soon available and 'gay deceivers' or falsies (develped by Warners in the late 1930s) became extremely popular.

Gwyneth Paltrow in What Katie Did's Padded Bullet Bra for Vogue UK

Bullet Bra Brands

Maidenform was the brand that really put bullet bras on the map when they launched their 'I Dream' advertising campaign in the USA. The campaign showed women in their bullet bras looking confident and indepent alongside lines including 'I dreamed I stopped traffic in my Maidenform bra'. The range included a spiral stitch bullet bra which soon became the breast shape of the 1950s. Maidenform's Chasonette bullet bra was finally launched in the UK in 1955 with the slogan 'What makes it so special? Spiral-stitched to round as it accentuates'.

Rihanna in What Katie Did's Padded Bullet Bra for GQ UK

What Katie Did revived the bullet bra in 1999, starting with a cotton version, before moving on to more glamorous satin. The bullet bra was one of the first pieces Katie wanted to recreate as there was nothing available at that time that gave an authentic 1950s silhouette, and vintage pieces were few and far between.

Victoria Beckham in What Katie Did's Padded Bullet Bra for Harpers Bazaar UK

What Katie Did In The Press

The What Katie Did bullet bra was designed to be a niche piece, appealing to hardcore vintage fashion fans, but over the years the look has become more mainstream and What Katie Did's bullet bras are frequently featured in the press worldwide from Vogue India to Vogue Italia and everywhere in between!

Nicole Scherzinger in What Katie Did's Maitresse Bullet Bra for The Daily Mail

What Katie Did On Film

What Katie Did Bullet Bras are the first stop for wardrobe departments of the stage and screen. Our bullet bras first made an appearance on stage worn by London's Royal Ballet at London's Opera House, more recently they've been used by Glyndebourne Opera House for period pieces.

Kate Moss in What Katie Did's Padded Bullet Bra for Vogue Italia

Film appearances inlcude The Nowhere Boy, X Men First Class, and My Week With Marilyn where all the female cast wore What Katie Did bullet bras and shapewear under their costumes to get the right silhouette.

Claudia Schiffer in What Katie Did's Padded Bullet Bra for Paris Vogue

What Katie Did Padded Bullet Bra in Schon Magazine

For those of you who worry that the Olympics will bring month after month of boring sporty fashion, worry no more. Ellen von Unwerth has come to the rescue with an amazing Olympic inspired shoot for Schon magazine (Germany) featuring a newly platinum blonde Crystal Renn in our Padded Bullet Bra.

What Katie Did have designed a range of vintage inspired lingerie to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Jubilee collection comes in red (1st May), white (1st June) and blue (1st July) and comprises an underwired bra with vintage stitching on the cup, suspender belt and 2 styles of knicker.

What Katie Did in Asiana Wedding Magazine

It's a first time press appearance for What Katie Did's Lalique Velvet Laurie corset which has been featured in the Spring edition of Asiana Wedding magazine.

What Katie Did's SS12 collection was launched in early March and we couldn't resist putting together a little event to show the new ranges. Mam'zelle Maz was in charge of keeping all the models in check (no mean feat!) whilst Anthony Ratcliffe was on hand to film the proceedings ensuring that even if you couldn't make it to our London boutique you wouldn't miss out on the action.

Of course, most of the items are now available online and instore but we did hold a couple of goodies back. Keep a close eye out for our Hollywood Camiknicker and red Jubilee lingerie which will be launched on 1st May.

What Katie Did Guide To Corsets

There is a lot of intrigue concerning steel boned corsets and what they do to your body. As corset designer for What Katie Did I have nearly 20 years experience in fitting and designing corsets and whether you're thinking about trying one, or would like to learn a little more about them, you're in the right place!

Corsets for Fashion

At What Katie Did we class a 'fashion corset wearer' as someone who wears a corset for an evening out once a month, right up to someone who wears one nearly every day. This kind of wear is what our corsets are designed for.

Above: What Katie Did Sophia Corset. Our most popular overbust style. It's gentle curve to the waist is ideal for first time wearers, but curvy enough to give a great hourglass shape.

The 'Dita Von Teese' Corset Shape

If you are looking at trying a corset for the first time, please remember that your current figure will effect the outcome. Whilst you might think that Dita Von Teese has the most famous trained waist in the world today - it isn't really trained at all, and Dita is the first to admit it!

Dita is in the enviable position of having a classic hourglass figure with an unnaturally small waist. She also has access to the finest bespoke corsetiers in the world and if you look closely you'll see that the majority of the waist reduction is confined to a small section around her waist. This allows her waist to be clearly defined without undue pressure on her ribs enabling her to wear a corset with dramatic results, whilst not waist training.

To achieve similar results to Dita when wearing a steel boned corset you will need to have, what we call, a Vintage Figure: one where the waist is a good 10 inches (or more) smaller than the hips. Figures like this do exist but they are becoming less common. I have a friend who is lucky enough to have an extreme vintage figure: 19" waist, 35" hips. She wears a 17" corset daily which, although looks extreme, really isn't much of a reduction. If you have a more modern figure (with a waist less than 10 inches smaller than the hips) then it will be hard for you to gain such dramatic results, especially if you only want to wear a corset on the odd occasion. Harsh words I know.

That's my personal opinion anyway. Women in our stores always seem thrilled at their corseted shape! Talking of which, always allow at least half an hour for a corset fitting as although you might have decided which corset you'd like in advance, a different style might be more suitable.

Above: What Katie Did Morticia Corset. Our most popular underbust style gives a definite 'burlesque' style corseted shape.

The Right What Katie Did Corset For You

If you have a Vintage Figure: try one of our styles with gored hips:

Morticia Underbust Corset

Baby Underbust Corset

Mae Underbust Corset

Laurie Overbust Corset

Antoinette Corset

Storm Overbust Corset

Or any of our Extreme Corsets

If you have a Modern Figure: try a style without gored hips:

Sophia Overbust Corset

Tempest Overbust Corset

Gina Underbust Corset

Our corset shapes with gored hips are specifically designed for hourglass figures and will not fit a very Modern Figure. Our corsets without gores are suitable for both Modern and Vintage figures. By the way, we have found a lot of companies using our pictures illegally: if a corset doesn't say it's What Katie Did, even if it uses our picture (and especially if it's cheap!) it will be counterfeit.

An Evening Out In Your Corset

If you decide to wear a steel boned corset for an evening out it's really not going to have any effect on your torso, apart from giving you a delicious waistline of course! With anything new it's always best to have a trial run and this is especially important when wearing a corset for the first time. Please 'practice' wearing it for a few hours before your big event. Whilst it might have felt comfortable for the few minutes you initially tried it on for, it might start to become uncomfortable after a couple of hours. By having a trial run or two, your body will have time to get used to the feel of being corseted and you'll know how tightly you can comfortably lace making amendments if necessary (for example, if you think you will become uncomfortable then don't lace your corset tightly until you arrive at the event - and remember you can always loosen the laces later in the evening as long as your dress allows it!)

Above: What Katie Did Extreme Laurie Corset. The gored hips and shaped cups on this overbust corset make this corset curvy enough to satisfy every corset fan.

A Little Light Corset Training

If you would like to define your waistline a little then this is possible by wearing a corset on a regular daily basis. Your body will soon get used to the feel of being tightly hugged and you will be gradually be able to pull your corset in tighter. If you are looking to wear a corset on a regular basis we recommend you select an underbust style as this is less restrictive on torso movement. We also highly recommend our Baby corset which cinches the waist but, due to it's small size, doesn't restrict the rib cage and is ideal for modern lifestyles. If you do wear a corset daily then your waistline will gradually reduce although it will return to 'normal' disappointingly quickly when you stop wearing.

Your Ribcage and Corsets

All corsets will put some pressure on the rib cage and there are some rather extreme diagrams from the 19th century showing how the rib cage can be distorted. Whilst this is not a myth (modern day tight lacer Cathie Jung has been x-rayed in her corset and yes, her ribs are distorted) you have to tight lace seriously and over time for your ribs to be effected. It is also worth remembering that the skeletal system is very adaptable. The rib cage expands during pregnancy, with some of the internal organs being pushed upwards to allow room for the baby. After pregnancy, over a period of months, the skeleton returns to normal.

Above: What Katie Did Baby Corset. Designed to put minimal pressure on the ribcage and hips this 7" mini corset gives an extremely dramatic silhouette.

Your Muscles and Corsets

If you have a bad back then a corset can be great as it supports the back bone meaning that your muscles are under less stress: but this also has it's disadvantages. If you are intending to wear a corset on a daily or near daily basis then you do need to consider your back muscles which will require extra exercise to keep them strong. Ask your gym/yoga/pilates instructor to recommend some exercises to work on your back muscles. If you do not have a gym/yoga/pilates instructor and are considering light body modification (which is what regular corset wearing is) then maybe you should think seriously about finding one.

Serious Corset Training

To achieve the most dramatic result takes time and discipline. We're talking wearing a corset 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the dedication required to attain a waistline like that of Mr Pearl and Cathie Jung (both current day tight lacers). Serious corset training is not to be taken lightly and What Katie Did corsets are most definitely not suitable for serious corset training. If you are even considering serious waist training you need to seek out others who have tight laced and read about their experiences. A made to measure corset is a must for waist training. Do not even consider using an 'off the peg' corset to waist train as you need one tailored to your exact measurements.

Putting On A Corset

Information on sizing and putting on corsets, can be found in our What Katie Did Corset Sizing Guide.

Further Corset Reading

Find out more about Dita Von Teese and her love of corsets in her book: Burlesque and the Art of the Teese / Fetish and the Art of the Teese which is packed with fabulous pictures and advice.

For more serious reading check out The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele. There might not be as many pretty pictures as in Dita's book, but you'll find out everything you ever wanted to know about corsets.