Floral bustier - bustier discontinued by Coquette - review by Jul!a

This didn't come with much packaging, just your typical plastic bag and pink paper. There was a small tag with a picture of the item on it, as well as two small bags containing the removable shoulder and garter straps. There is a tag on the inside of the corset that lists it as 100% Acetate exclusive of trim, and states that it should be hand washed and hung to dry. For this one, I'd err on the side of caution and follow those instructions.

This comes in a variety of sizes, but I got a small. To the current sizing chart on Eden, Coquette says that I should be a size 4-6, with a B cup, a 34-36" bust, 26-28" waist, and 36-38" hips. Coquette's new sizing chart also agrees with that fortunately. Personally I'm about 5'2, I weigh about 120, around my bust measures 32" and underneath measures about 28 1/2". I've got about a 29" waist and measure about 34" around the top of my hips and wear a good solid B cup. I was nervous at first that this wouldn't fit, but there was enough extra room that we were able to get a decent sized bow tied in the back. If you're on the upper end of the measurements, it'll be a really tight fit and I'd suggest ordering a size up.

The inside of the corset has a very nice feel to it. It almost looks like a soft black denim or canvas, and feels nice against the skin. The outside is a stunning royal purple color, with hints of red or pink underneath, although in my pictures it shows up with a bit of a blue tint. The cups and the middle most two panels also have a black floral lace added to them for decoration. The rest of the material almost feels like a satin, but not quite.

There are a total of 10 panels, with 9 pieces of plastic boning. This plastic boning seems to be weaker than others I've had experience with, because it was easy to permanently change the shape of them. I've slouched in other corsets, and this is the only one that showed it afterwards. The underwire in the cups is metal and will provide support if you need it, although it also limits your ability to wear a pushup bra underneath for extra cleavage, which those with smaller breasts might want. Ideally, I think a full C cup would look best with this size.

From between the cups to the bottom measures about 14" long. Under the arms to the bottom is about 12" long, since the bottom starts to curve upwards towards the back for easier movement. The edges with the hook and eyes that keep the corset closed is about 11 1/4" long. The hook and eyes work easily like any regular bra would, and if you do buy a smaller size and it almost fits but doesn't quite, you can get a bunch of black bra expanders and fill that gap in. While the hook and eyes are effective, I do have a bit of a qualm with them. They're located a whopping 3" or so from the lacing. This means that if you're trying to do it up yourself with the straps in, it's pretty much impossible. If you slip the straps down and suck it in a bit, you can do the hooks up on your side and then twist everything back in to place. Not extremely impossible, but still pretty inconvenient.

The garter straps are easily removable and you can't even tell they were there if you do remove them. The straps themselves are made of a thicker black stretchy material, with a nice weight to it. They're adjustable, ranging from 4" in length to about 6" in length. While this isn't a big deal if you're shorter, it can be a problem if you have longer legs. However if you have any other garter straps from Coquette that work better, you can easily use those instead. The shoulder straps are like your typical adjustable bra straps.


Everything here except for the plastic boning seems pretty well made. There were no loose threads anywhere, everything feels really solid, I love touching the material on the inside and the outside. But the boning used here just seems really sub par.

Here are some pictures of me wearing it, as well as a host of the permanent crease in the stomach area.

I really wanted to like this one, really and truly. The first point against it was me getting it and realizing that the only real way to get in or out was that row of hook and eyes up the side of the back. I love Coquette, but I have to wonder what they were thinking here? There were plenty of other seams that could have easily been hidden in and allowed me to get in and out of that on my own with relative ease..

The next problem I had was wearing it to our local Renaissance Faire. I have a habit of slouching a bit, but none of my other plastic boned corsets have ever given me trouble. About 45 minutes after I had put it on, I look down and realize there's a crease from me slouching. Ok, fair enough. Straighten out and it goes away right? Wrong. Permanent crease in the plastic boning and in the material. Cue me being unamused.

Long story short, if you're not really planning on using this for any real activities or longer term wear, go for it. It was comfortable to wear all day long, but that fricking crease makes me want to never wear it again.