A-Rod’s new photo spread for Details magazine.  For those less inclined in the sports arena, that tranlsates to Alex Rodriguez, professional baseball player for the New York Yankees, third baseman to be precise.  And for those more celebrity-minded individuals, that would be Alex Rodriguez, the on-again-maybe-not-but-we-like-being-seen-together-we’re-just-friends, friend of one Madonnna.  Without going into the intricacies of their so-called love lives and divorce details from his wife, let’s just say that if one wants to boost their profile then a bit of scandal and a bit of Madonna never hurt anyone.

So back to the pictures.  As if it wasn’t bad enough that Alex has been in the limelight for admitting to taking banned substances, he’s now posing for Details magazine as a supposed super-model.  The punchline?  The pictures are suggestive; Alex is posing and brooding, bending body parts and pouting and in the piece de resistance, he’s actually smooching himself in the mirror.  Yep, himself.  Call it crazy, but Michael Jordan wouldn’t be caught dead in poses like that.  And Alex is supposed to be one of the greatest  baseball players of all time.  Hmmm.

All of which makes you ask:  Whose idea was it behind the photospread?  And whose idea was it to OK the pictures?  And why in the heck didn’t Alex just say no?!  Maybe this is where the media and the celebrity try to win one over each other.  Maybe Alex was thinking he could do with some media coverage and a photo spread in a magazine would appear to be a great idea.  By the same token, the people at the magazine are perhaps thinking, how can we get Alex to pose suggestively and try to make out with himself in a mirror?!  And he agrees?!  There’s got to be another angle here…. any ideas people?

Going through the pictures online and reading a bit of the article made me realize that the media is huge and powerful.  They can create and they can destroy.  They will build you up and just like that, they can hate on you.  So perhaps Alex was the most wanted man in sports at one time and now he could be the most hated?  All of this did make me realize one thing though:  that a picture is never just that.  It’s not just a brief moment in time, caught in digital media or film.  There are so many layers surrounding the taking of a photograph.  The stylists, the props and the PR people.  The lighting and the makeup artists also have roles to play.  It just isn’t the person and the photographer.  It isn’t just the camera and the object.  Which is what celebrities count on when they walk the red carpet.  The image that they wish to impart on their adoring fans and the multitude of cameras.  Unless they are drunk and staggering out of a LA club in the wee hours of the morn with perhaps no underwear on.

Speaking of underwear, Ashton Kutcher has posted a picture of Demi Moore’s butt (yes, you read right) on his twitter page.  Her butt, in a bikini, while she’s steaming his suit.  Yeah, like that happens.  So my question to you people:  is there logic to this or is it just merely another day in the fast lives of the Moores and the Kutchers of the world??

Lessons I’m definitely going to try in my next photospread for corsets...

Stay tuned!

I just came across a picture of Jessica Simpson performing at some country festival a few weekends ago in her Daisy Duke’s circa 2005 and a white basque top with a flannel shirt on top.  Did she look hot? Well, critics are out for blood saying that she doesn’t look nowhere as hot as she did in 2005 when she first donned the Daisy Dukes for the Dukes of Hazzard movie. Poor girl.  Adding insult to the weight gain issue is the fake tan from a spray can she was sporting.  All of which makes you wonder how good the music was?

So all this controversy comes on the heels of her performance earlier this year where she was caught wearing high waisted jeans and a black tank and looked noticeably larger.  While magazines and news media reported on her weight gain, some critics lashed out saying she’s a full figured woman and to just let her be.  Jessica’s younger sister, Ashley was so outraged that she went on her website to further comment “Since when did a woman’s weight become newsworthy?!”

Indeed.

But then by the same token, why is it that when a woman loses weight it is celebrated?   Why is it that Oprah has struggled with her weight all her life and has done many a show chronicling her journey?  Why is it that to fit into those same Daisy Dukes in 2005, Jessica trained 6 days a week, for 2 hour sessions? She ought to have stood up for all women and taken a stance and proclaimed ” I am fine the way I am.  No prancing around in a tiny white bikini for the video shoot for me…” But I digress.

The reality is, women do wish to be skinnier.  Women do wish to have the tiny, trim body of a 22-year old with the abs of a goddess and breasts of a Pamela Anderson.  Okay, maybe not that big but you get the idea.  Without going into society’s perception of women and who dictates what women should look like (perhaps in another blog or two), the main gist is that there are very few women out there that don’t wish they were skinnier, or had a bigger butt or could change something about their appearance.  In fact, Tyra Banks did a show last year on how women perceived their bodies and how a panel of men saw those same bodies.  It was interesting to note that women tend to be harsher critics of their self-image than men.  What the women found problematic about their bodies, the men actually liked. What one woman disliked about her body, another wished she had.

All of which brings me to the main reason why I felt compelled to write.  Embrace your curves women!  It’s okay to wish you were skinnier and more toned.  As long as it’s done in a HEALTHY WAY. Stop with the eating disorders and start eating healthy! Stop with the plastic surgery and get real.  Adopt a more healthy lifestyle and maybe look for alternatives.  For example, the latest trend on the increase is that of the corset.  Women are embracing this piece of apparel as a fashionable staple that outdoes the camisole and is more sexier to wear.  Fear not, the corsets of today are not the ones of yesteryear which were restricting.  Modern day corsets are designed to be super comfortable and super flattering.  They smooth out the torso, cinch in the waist and boost the breasts—and all without plastic surgery!  Imagine that!

Corsets come in many beautiful varieties and can be worn many different ways.  You can have corset dresses, wear corsets as part of bridal gowns and of course as lingerie.  Corsets can be worn as tops with skinny jeans or underneath a fitted blazer for some daytime glamour.  The options are countless and the best part is that the look is fabulous.  By definition, the corset is an article of clothing designed to make the wearer look and feel sexy.  Celebrities have been rocking this look for some time and continue to do so this year.  Look no further than the red carpet to see what magic corsets are weaving for one and all alike.  The best part:  all body types welcome!

Now that’s something to write about!

Cheers!

On a side note, Oprah writes in her magazine, “My goal isn’t to be thin. My goal is for my body to be the weight it can hold—to be strong and healthy and fit, to be itself. My goal is to learn to embrace this body and to be grateful every day for what it has given me.”

Let’s do it, women!

Court Royal Ruby

I knew the owners of Court Royal very well and when they retired I felt it was a great loss to the industry. They were a major force in corset manufacturing despite not being as well known as the smaller manufacturers, who dominate the branded corset industry. After all the only UK corset manufacturers left would be Vollers, Playgirl London (bad name but great corsets, they manufacure a lot for other brands), Kinnaird and Axfords.

It came as a great relief when Court Royal was bought by a British girl with the intension of manufacturing the Court Royal corset in the UK.  I did see a very impressive sample range, although have not heard anything from Court Royal since. I do not know what has happened since, but below is their press release, lets hope Court Royal corsetry is back on the scene soon.

The 100 – year – old brand re-launched with a popular range of corsets taken from Victorian designs that have been modernised in today’s materials.

This seasons styles follow suit with colourful patterns and fabrics which inspire optimism, and with the versatility to wear pieces with current favourites, allowing an individual style statement which is the mood of the moment.

Colour is a dominating influence, and vibrant Jacquards mixed with plain pastels and vivid bolds create a wonderful yet romantic appeal. Court Royal’s corset latest designs particularly focus on:

Whites- great to wear just on its own, or mixed with contrasting brights.

Pastels – Softer tones which reflect a gentle mood in pearl blue, candy pink and ivory satin.

Brights – Jewelled coloured – fuchsia, gold, moonstone, emerald, regal blue.

Further enhancing the look and feel of the upcoming season, fabrics such as duchess satin reflect the dressed up shine of the summer, and Jacquards demonstrate a delicate oriental theme with Japanese blossom design.

About corsets…
The corset has been around for over 300 years, adored and famous for its ability to reduce waists, flatter curves, and add shape to every lady. The tradition of wearing them for these reasons has carried through to the present day, where it is a firm favourite as sexy lingerie.

The sturdy, body – hugging garment is also becoming increasingly popular for the casual and eveningwear, adding elegance and beauty to any modern day outfit, be it denim jeans or a satin ballgown.

Court Royal corset have based all of their designs on original 19th Century corests - but have enhanced them to ensure a more comfortable fit whilst still maintaining their ability to take up to 4 inches off the waistline.

In corsetry, this size – reducing technique is achieved with the use of ‘boning’ – adding strips of metal or plastic inside the garment to provide strength and structure to the material. In Victorian times, whalebone was used. Now, many corsetieres use strips or spirals of steel.

With patterns designed to perfection by Court Royal, the corsets may be worn on any body shape and still look stunning. Those with a smaller bust size will have a greater shape and fullness, whereas larger bust sizes will seem reduced but still maintain their shape. To illustrate this, Court Royal recommend that those with an A cup should wear a size 8-10 corset, whereas an E cup should a size 10-12. Court Royal corsets are available in sizes 8 to 18 (UK).

About Court Royal…
The Court Royal brand was founded in the early 1900’s, over the years, they have stood for the best possible standard in the corsetry market, producing high quality garments from traditional designs. The Court Royal brand name, along with its wealth of historic designs, was purchased by a fashion designer, whose design flair and creativity has combined modern materials and appeal with traditional design work and quality. The result is the production and launch of the new Court Royal corsetry lines.

‘Previously, Court Royal has sold corsets within Europe and held International accounts such as Victoria Secrets in the USA.’

No other garment in Western history has assumed such political, social, and sexual significance. What is it about the corset? A mere undergarment, designed to enhance the female figure, has become an icon of all that fascinates about the ambiguous sexual codes of the Victorian era. Was wearing corsets primarily about sexual empowerment or restrictive chastisement? Could the corset explain common female maladies of the Victorian era, from fainting fits to miscarriage? How great was the suffering, for how small a waist?

A corset was therefore needed which would help mould the body to the desired shape. This was achieved through making them longer and from more separate shaped pieces of fabric than the corsets of the 1840s. To increase rigidity they were reinforced with many strips of whalebone, or cording or even pieces of leather. As well as making corsets more constricting, this heavy structure helped prevent them riding up or wrinkling at the waist.

Steam-moulding also helped create a curvaceous contour. Developed by Edwin Izod in the late 1860s and still used in the 1880s to create elegant corsets, the procedure involved placing a corset, wet with starch, on a steam heated copper torso form until it dried into shape. Another technological invention was the ‘spoon busk’, which was invented in about 1873. Its distinctive shape was heralded as an important innovation, increasing comfort, preserving health, reducing unsightly bulges and enhancing the figure. It appeared in fashionable models until the 1890s and was known by other imaginative names such as ‘pear’, ‘envelope’ and ‘patent taper busk’.

In our modern age of lycra and comfort, it can be difficult to understand what it could have been like to wear a real corset. To wear a garment so restrictive as to hinder the development of vital organs, to wear this garment night and day from as early as the age of 5 years old.

Nowadays our lungs and rib cages are allowed to develop into the shape nature intended, allowing us a greater lung capacity and overall better health than our ancestors. Our happily un-compressed inner organs allow us the health and strength to carry a child to term as well as survive the delivery. Fainting couches and smelling salts are things of the past.

Yet the romance of the corset lingers on our minds. The influence of the corset and corsets themselves are found on modern fashion runways to this day.

At Court Royal we pride ourselves in offering a range of corsets that will capture the essence of the ‘Victorian Age’ and encapsulate a modern twist.

‘Court Royal corsets are versatile and are perfect to wear for any occasion.’
Young ladies going to their first prom or graduation ball will have a variety of colours to choose from with prices that are extremely affordable.

For those attending a fancy dress event or the ‘Rocky Horror Show’ should definitely look at our Ruby Plain corset with detachable suspender ends.

For the perfect hourglass shape, consider Court Royal’s Faith corset, which comes in six tantalising colours to suit every skin tone.

Recently we are seeing the corset being used more and more as a corset top in the media, after all there is the beautiful image of Hayden Panetierre in a black satin underbust corset. This is the best direction that the corset can go!

Under The Bust Corset Worn As A Corset Top

Shapewear should not be something that is hidden or to be ashamed of, why should we worry about our undergarments? The corset moulds the wearers body and it is should be worn loud and proud as corset top. It should make the wearer feel as fabulous as they are. The corset top is a statment that this is how good we look now and the only thing under here is our skin.

How many times have we been afraid of taking an intimate friend home, just because we have some shapewear or tummy tuck undies on? The corset top is freeing us of that fear, it just moves what we have around and lets us feel confident that this is the real me, the real woman. There is no nude coloured questionable underwear underneath, there is no fear about what we are wearing underneath as the corset top is both our corset top and our corset underwear.

We can feel confident in any situation, we are saying I am a real woman, without the invisible shapewear. The beholder can see what the corset top is doing and they can appreciate it more than any invisible shapewear.

So rejoice in our new friend the corset top.

Kentucky Fried Chicken In The UK!

Living in England when I go to KFC, I am under no illusion. The food is bad for my health, the Colonel looks a bit like a peadophile and employees probably earn minimum wage. These points can be argued, but the one point that cannot be argued is that the chicken is not made in Kentucky.

In fact it is fried in the town, city or village that the KFC is situated in. The chicken is usually local, my point is that the cooked or uncooked has not been flown in from Kentucky. We all know this when we go to KFC, we are under no illusions.

Made In England Corsets ?

Why is it then that when we go into a corset shop or online corset shop and we automactically assume that the corset is made in the UK and not by some sweat shop somewhere. I’m not talking about the American brands or the cheap UK brands, I’m talking about the British companies that claim to have steel bone corsets made by qualified corsetieres. Why don’t they just come out and say that they get their corsets made overseas rather than use the expression designed in the UK. The worst ones remove the tag that says where it is made, you know who you are! All this just makes me think, you are doing this because some poor child is making them for you, in some unregulated third world country.

So lets get it straight, the following are the corset manufacturers that I believe make British corsets. You have to start with Vollers, Axfords, Playgirl London, Snobz and Kinnaird, they all have their own factories. Velda Lauder, Fairy Goth Mother, Jane Woolrich and Eternal Spirits make some corsets themselves and get the rest made in the UK from other companies.

What Do They Have In Common?

KFC is Kentucky Fried Chicken, but the chicken is not from or fried in Kentucky. Most corset companies claim to make British corsets, but the corset is actually made in China or Pakistan.

Now just like KFC food you will be under on illusion about where your corset is made when you buy one!

If anyone is reading this that refers to sports socks as stockings and would like me to post regarding the difference just drop me a line and I’ll be happy to oblige.

This Makes A Real Corset

Corset are in two basic types, overbust corsets and underbust corsets. As the name implies an overbust corset, goes over the bust where as an underbust corset stops just under the bust. Corsets are always quite rigid, made from stiff and non-elastic materials. The corset is closed at the front with a little hooks & eye device called a busk and adjusted at the back with a long or lace. There is not point having a standard bra type hook and eye as this just creases and does not have the rigidity of a busk, similarly there is no point using ribbon to adjust the corset at the back as ribbon cannot provide the strength needed for wearing a corset correctly. The corset has vertical ‘bones’ which determine the silhouette, these should be made of steel to provide the neccessary rigidity a corset requires. The corset is nowadays not so much a undergarment as an extravagant outer garment which is used to provide the much sought after hourglass figure.

It is worth making sure the corset you buy is made with a steel busk and has all steel bones, as without this it is just a basque which is the same as one you can buy for a few pounds at any value store. At www.truecorset.com we only supply steel bone & busk corsets from reputable manufacturers. You will not find any reference to gentle boning on our true corset website. Gentle boning is the calling card of plastic bones.

Many manufacturers just use a steel busk and then have plastic bones in the body. As a rule of thumb most of the large American brands have plastic bones in theirs. You can usually find their products online with very high quality glamour wear images, soft focus lots of tint. If a corset is British and is over £50 you can usually safely assume it is steel boned. If in doubt drop me a line.

True Corset

Pink Duchess Satin Steel Bone Corset With Black Contrasts

Welcome to the blog for my corset website www.truecorset.com. The corset website was started about a year and a half ago and it is our aim to supply the most gorgeous corsets, to the most fabulous people. Over the coming weeks and months I’ll fill you all in on how the corset retailing world is treating me.

At the moment I’ve got a great range of corsets ranging from Vollers corset to Playgirl corsets. I tried a few other corset companies, but found there quality was not as good as these ones. I was particularly disappointed with the designer corsets, great PR but the product is terrible, on one the bones kept of falling out. I’ve not heard of anyone saying a bad word about the corset brands I stock plus my customers love the quality.

The prices range from £49.95 to £149.95 on www.truecorset.com which is really good value for steel bone corsets of this quality. I keep the price down by being cheeky with corset suppliers and buying in corsets for stock and getting discounts, as well as keeping my running costs down.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, I promise I’ll update this soon.

True Corset