Although it may seem simple, corset lacing could be a challenging and tedious task. Here, the process on how to lace a corset will be narrated step by step. This guide will be very beneficial to beginners who just recently started with corsets. It takes a little while to pick up the process of lacing up but you will only have to do it once so do it with care and your corset will soon be laced up perfectly and ready to be worn.

How to Lace a Corset

Here is a demonstration of how to tie a corset yourself.

1. Start by very loosely lacing the corset at the back. Normally, there will be at least eight inches (20cm) between the two sides of your corset. Wrap the corset in place around yourself.

2. If there are busks, which are the metal plates in front, line them up and clip them together. If there aren’t front fastenings, just proceed to the next step.

3. Start tightening and lacing by finding the middle of the lacing holes. Pull out the laces and reach large loops from there.

4. Beginning from the top, pull the laces a little tighter then keep adjusting the loose lace downward until it reaches the middle lacing holes.

5. Repeat what you just did but start from the bottom going up to the middle. Pull the laces tighter there and adjust to tighten the loose loops until they reach the larger loops in the middle.

6. If you want to alternate the above steps, it is okay, as long as you leave a loose loop in the middle.

7. Tie the loose lacing in the middle. You may knot it into a bow or you may wrap it around your waist once then tie it at the back if you want a smaller bow to secure the lacing. The latter however makes the lace break sooner due to wearing.

Important Tips

1. Only one lace is needed for a corset. Do not cut the lace into two!

2. Do not try to get the sides of the corset to meet as some doctors have cautioned that having the firm structure of the corset directly over the spine could have a damaging effect. Make sure that there’s at least an inch of space between the lacing.

3. Try as much as possible to keep the sides of the corset parallel. After lacing, both sides should be vertically straight with the lacing connection being of equal length.

4. It is ideal to tie a double knot when wearing the corset out on social occasions as it would be harder to remove. A single bow can be a bit tempting for some people.