Holiday corset - corset discontinued by Coquette - review by Breas

The Holiday Corset by Coquette is available in sizes S-L. Typically I wear a size XL but purchased the size large since XL isn’t offered. I was hoping that I could loosen the lacing down the centre back to accommodate my width. The corset arrived on a padded hanger and was surrounded by plastic. The only text on the bag was a small barcode sticker. The hanger is excellent to use to store the piece when it is not being worn.

There was a cardboard tag attached to the corset that had a few images of a model wearing the piece. The tag also stated the company name, product name, size, colour, and company website. There were also two little zip lock style baggies attached with the tag. One of the baggies held two detachable, adjustable shoulder straps and the other baggy held the four detachable, adjustable garter straps.



The corset is 100% polyester, exclusive of trim. The material is opaque and does not have any stretch to it. I’ve taken a few measurements of the corset laying flat. The lacing down the centre back was done up the way it had arrived. It arrived with the lacing tightened so that no skin would be exposed. The lacing can be loosened to allow for more width if needed. If you need any additional measurements, please send me a message and I’d be happy to get them for you.

Straps
Garter strap length: 5 ½ -9 inches
Shoulder strap length: 7 7/8- 14 3/8 inches

Corset
Chest (armpit to armpit): 16 inches
Hips: 16 inches
Waist: 13 ½ inches
Length (armpit to bottom): 14 inches

The product page states that there is no boning to this piece but there is. There are a total of 10 plastic boning pieces to the corset. There are 6 in the front and 4 in the back. The front of the corset has a pretty lace overlay with tiny rhinestones scattered about. These rhinestones are small. They have a diameter of approximately 1/8 of an inch. I picked at a couple of the rhinestones to see if they would fall off easily. I’m happy to report that they seem to be quite secure to the corset. The sides and back of the corset are black velvet. There is no padding or underwire in the chest but the material is thicker so nipple outline shouldn’t be a problem.



There are 2 closures to the corset: the lacing down the centre back and the hook and eye closures down the centre front. There are 15 hook and eye closures, with an approximate ¾ inch gap between each. There is a 1 3/8 inch wide ribbon beneath the hook and eye closures that acts as a modest panel so that no skin is revealed through the gap. The lacing down the centre back is done with a black lace that has a width of ½ of an inch. There is no modesty panel beneath the lacing down the centre back so the more you need to loosen the lacing, the more skin will be exposed. Below is a photo of the back of the corset with the lacing loosened as much as I could. The gap between the lacing was approximately 7 ½ inches. If you need more width then that, you could always replace the lacing with a longer ribbon.



Both garter and shoulder straps are adjustable in length and they are stretchy. The straps are all detachable so you have the option as to whether or not you wear them with the corset. I typically wear pieces like this out in public beneath a cardigan or similar item so I rarely get any use out of included garter straps. The loops to attach both garter and shoulder straps are on the inside of the corset so if you choose not to wear them, it won’t look odd. The top strap in the photo below is a shoulder strap and the lower strap is a garter.



As I had mentioned at the beginning of the review, I typically wear a size XL. I’m 5’6 in height, my hips measure 41 ½ inches, I wear a C cup and a 38 bra brand, and I weigh in the high 160’s the last time I checked. To wear this corset, I had to loosen the lacing as much as it could be loosened. I had assumed that this would be the case since I had purchased the size large. I figured that I could wear a cardigan to cover the exposed skin at the back when wearing it in public.

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Having someone help you do the corset up is preferred but not mandatory. My partner was at work when I put the corset on and I was able to do it myself. I knew that I had to loosen the lacing all the way so that’s what I did. If you’re putting the corset on by yourself, just loosen the lacing down the centre back a bit, put the corset up to your body and see if you’re able to close the hook and eye closures at the centre front. If you can’t, repeat the steps until you’re able to. Below are a couple photos of me wearing the corset.



I really liked the length of the piece. It covers my belly and hips nicely. This is important for me, especially since I like to wear them out in public. The length would work well for those who are a bit taller as well. The corset is really comfortable and I didn’t have any issues with skin irritation while wearing it. I would probably need to wear the shoulder straps when wearing this piece in public though because the tops of the cups don’t lay flat against my body.

The only issue that I had with the corset was when I had put it on. When I was trying to do the hook and eye closures up, a couple of the hooks snagged onto the thin ribbon panel that sits beneath them. The ribbon is so thin that I ended up tearing a couple of holes in it by accident. The ribbon should have been thicker, or just a different material altogether. The care tag states that the corset should be hand washed only and hung to dry.

Overall, it’s a nice corset. It’s comfortable to wear, has great length, is good quality, and very pretty. I’ve deducted one star for the lack of sizes and the fact that the ribbon modesty panel has already torn. It’s such a pretty corset. It’s too bad it’s not available in plus sizes so that everyone could enjoy this piece!