It’s been a while since the weather allowed me to do a lingerie-as-outerwear  post on this blog! Luckily, I think we are experiencing the last snow this weekend and Spring is showing up at last! This absolutely doesn’t mean that today’s outfit was appropriate for the temperature, but what can I say? You got to do what you got to do. And I couldn’t wait to shoot this piece, actually.

[ This corset has been sent to me by Orchid Corsetry in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photo credit: Becky Yee ]
This post will not be a review. I planned a different post for that purpose. I really want to focus on the styling and overall experience of wearing a corset as outerwear. This was my first time wearing a corset in the bright day light, as I usually wear them as underwear or for a special night out.

It is definitely a different experience to wear such a piece casually on a Thursday morning. Some people kind of stare at you, and I guess, they are just a bit weirded out amazed by the tiny waist this piece creates. :p I personally love the feeling of wearing a corset, and this one is light and doesn’t feel unpleasantly restrictive. I think it gives structure to an outfit and help with my posture as well.
I must say that mesh corsets feel definitely more versatile than plain satin or cotton corset (except maybe if they are black). The transparent panels really help to blend the piece with your outfit. It would be wrong to say that it will go unnoticed, which is not the idea either, but the mesh will make it look and feel lighter. I chose the mink colourway because I wanted something that would be easy to pair with other colours but also work well by itself. Mink contrasts both with my skin colour and with the black mesh. It’s kind of a bright grey/taupe.

I think it’s every elegant and Orchid corsetry signature lace trim is a lovely detail that is actually not overly feminine. This piece is beautiful and the finishes show great attention to detail. It’s luxurious but simple. Sophisticated and unpretentious.
I am wearing a 20″ which is my size in most corsets I have. I didn’t tighten it as much as I could because I still need to season it a little more. Sadly, I went a bit too fast the first time I wore it and created small damages to the mesh, which I do not want to aggravate. Knowing this, I realize that this corset is not meant to be worn as often as cotton or silk corsets I have tried in the past. It’s more fragile.

One of my favorite things about Orchid corsetry pieces is those V drop garters. They are just the coolest things and I hope one day I can afford a Seirian Waspie (honestly, I have to get one by Christmas 2019). I don’t think I will ever be tired of these straps.
When Bethan told me that they weren’t detachable I thought “perfect, I wouldn’t want to remove them! ” So here I am, wearing them over a dress.
I heard that a lot of lingerie addicts’ pet peeve was to see garters straps unattached to anything, and to be honest in the context of underwear, I am the same. But here, for some reasons, I just think it’s cool and unusual. It elevates this very simple dress and gives me the lingerie touch I am craving in my outfits.
This dress is very old actually, I think I bought it in 2012 in Toulouse as I was studying there. The shoes have kind of weird story: I bought them during a winter trip in the mountains in the only fashion store available that wasn’t selling ski or baby garments. I don’t know how they manage to stay afloat while selling this type of items in this area. That being said it was a miracle that they had my size in beige heels for 60% off the usual retail price. I needed them for a photoshoot that finally didn’t end up well, so at least now I got to use them.

I am pretty happy with how these pictures turned out, as they are very different from what I usually do, but still look like me, I believe. It was a fun experience to shoot with Becky, and I hope we get to work together on other posts in the future!

Yours truly,
Wen

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