Ive seen corsets marketed under lots of different classifications, like “ready-to-wear”, “custom”, and even “bespoke”. What are the differences between them?
Ready-to-wear are corsets that are pre-made from set patterns, like most modern clothing. They are usually sized by closed waist measurement. When buying ready-to-wear, it is very important that the corset match the wearer in torso length and curve. The huge variety of shapes available is to accommodate the huge variety of customers’ body shapes. Custom are corsets made to measure on commission. Most of the time they are made from set designs, and the pattern is tailor-fit to the customer. Depending upon the maker, the decorative elements may or may not be negotiable in the creation of the corset. When ordering a custom corset, it is important to understand exactly how much of the final product is custom, and how much is preset. Bespoke is a very rare and specific term, referring to corsets made completely unique from design to completion. Technically, my work is bespoke.
