What are Corsets and Bustiers

If you're like most people and are wondering what the difference is between a Corset and a Bustier is then you are not alone, being that they are both similar in style. Both are boned and fitted to the torso and have a very slimming effect on a woman's figure. Corsets are designed to make a woman look curvy by holding in the waist, while Bustiers, having built in cups are used to push the up the bust and show more cleavage. Originally designed as intimate wear, today both are worn as sexy outerwear.

Both Corsets and Bustiers are sized like a bra. You usually have a round the back measurement and a cup measurement, just like a bra, although when purchasing a corset or bustier it is recommended that you give yourself one size more around the back allowing for "extra movement". For example, if you wear a 40DD, your bustier or corset size would be 40. If you wanted extra room, you would wear a 42. Most corsets and bustiers are made of stretch satin or lace, providing extra room without having to go up a size. They are also very comfortable. Both are often fitted with hook and eye closures that run up the back or sometimes they are laced up. They are made to sit just above the bust to below the hips so that garters and stockings are easily attached.

In Victorian times corsets were very popular. They were worn by all women but not for the same purpose they are today. In those days it was thought that woman did not leave the house without looking their best or slimmest. Corsets in those times were made hold in every extra pound.

Today, corsets and bustiers are worn under a suit or clothing to give the feeling of sensuality or to provide an extra lift. They can also be especially helpful as bridal lingerie under the dress, providing that slimming effect and lift you want for that special occasion. Or you can wear them for a romantic night with someone special

Modern day fashion has brought the corset and the bustier from the inside of an outfit to the outfit itself, usually being paired by a pair of sexy jeans, a mini denim skirt, or even tutus.
Women with a fuller build are the ones that really benefit from wearing corsets and bustiers. Plus size corsets hug all the right places that need to be cinched and at the same time, they also make the places that you want to be accentuated really stand out - like the chest and the hips, giving that fantastic hour-glass figure that everyone longs for. Plus size corsets are really heaven sent for the bigger body type.

A big question that may be tickling the minds of those that wear plus size corsets is that they are very similar to bustiers. To help settle a rather trivial but curious dispute let us differentiate the twins of the lingerie world, the bustier and the corset.

Bustier:
A bustier is a sleeveless top that spans the bust to the waist (sometimes touching the hips or the top area of the butt) and it is worn either as lingerie or as outer clothing. It is form fitting and it may sometimes have garters attached to it. Modern bustiers now have thin lacy straps but most bustiers are like tube tops.

Corset:
The corset was developed more than a millennium ago. It is a close fitted boned undergarment that shapes a woman's torso. It can either extend from above or below the bust to the hips, giving that appropriate binding effect to have a flatter waistline.

As you can see from the definition above, the two are more likely to be twins. They look the same and they practically do the same thing. But in the interest of settling the debate, one huge difference between the two is that the corset came first in terms of origin while the bustier came trailing decades later. A more prominent difference is that a corset does not always cover the breasts while a bustier always does. A corset that covers the chest area is called an over-bust corset, as one that does not cover the chest is called an under-bust corset.