How to Measure Yourself for a Premade Corset

I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of pictures in your head about how you’re going to look in that corset you’ve been eyeing up and most of them are probably quite accurate. You have to, however, be very realistic about just how small you’re going to get while you’re wearing one. At best, you’ll be able to comfortably shave off anywhere from 1 to 6 inches off of your waist and your torso by proxy. The range of how many inches you can bring your body in will greatly depend on how big, or small, you are to begin with.


When it comes to premade corsets the only measurement you need to take is that of your ‘natural waist’. The natural waist line is probably not even remotely close to where you likely think it is. The natural waist is not where your pants sit on your hips, whether it’s at the line of your belly button to below it. The natural waist is where your body changes from a slight slope inward at your rib cage to a slight slope outward to the hips. This spot is generally an inch or two above where your belly button sits, but it can vary in many women.

Once you find your natural waist you need to measure it quite accurately to ensure that you’ve got the size properly recorded. This may require several measurements in order to be very sure that you’ve got the correct number. This is where determining the size of corset you need to get comes into play. If you simply want to wear the corset as a regular type of top then get one that is in your size. Your size is the measurement that you got from your natural waist. If you’re fairly thin to begin with you’re probably only going to be able to get away with a size or two smaller.

Each size generally equals 2 inches. If you’re a little larger then you’ll be able to shave off up to 6 inches all together comfortably. You need to be aware, too, that while you might know what your size is you need to pay attention to the construction of the corset. Some corsets are made for bringing you in this much but others are only designed to give you the basic outline that a corset can provide. There’s a bit of a guideline you can use to determine which premade corsets will be able to pull you in and which are designed for decoration – the cost.

A premade corset that costs $70 USD and under will generally only be useful to use like you might a shirt and it will probably be a good idea not to test this theory too much if you want it to last for a while. A premade corset that costs over this amount will likely be able to withstand much more pressure, and as such will be suitable for use as a corset was originally intended and as outerwear at the same time. Just find that natural waist measurement and your corset shopping experience will be golden.

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