First, I should start off by saying that I was a little nervous about how the color was going to differ from what it showed in the stock picture. So, as far as that goes, I can say the color is a dark mauve or light burgandy, but far from the Dusty Rose color that was so popular in home decor in the 90's. The lace decor, ribbon, laces in the back, and inner lining are all black.

This is the corset WITH the waist ribbon:


This is the corset without the waist ribbon:


I should mention, though, that the waist ribbon is NOT detachable, unless you cut it off. It is attached in the back where the corset ties up:



The other thing I was worried about, was the length of this corset. I'm short. A whole 5 feet tall in fact. So it wasn't that I thought it would look weird on me, but I like my corsets to cover that little bit of belly I have from having kids. I ordered a Medium, and at the longest point (the highest part of the front, to the bottom), it's 13 inches long. On me, that comes to right at the top of my pants. Usually, most corsets are a couple inches longer than that on me. In the back, it's 10.5 inches long, which hits the same point on my waist, but is lower cut on the top.

Side view of the corset so you can see what I mean:


Along with the lace-up back, there is also a zipper on the left side.

When laid like this, totally unzipped, the measurement from one end to the other is 28 inches (for a size medium) with the laces almost completely tight:


My measurements are:
Bust: 35 inches
Underbust: 31.5 inches
Waist: 30 inches
Hips: 37 inches

It fit me just as I would have expected it to, with the laces creating a gap in the back of the corset of about 3 inches.

The two little diamond-esque accents in the middle of the chest are a little on the cheesy side, but there is something to be said about the way they accent the corset. Not that it matters, because I have a million of them with all the lingerie I've ordered, but it's worth mentioning that it doesn't come with your typical black thong.

It's made out of acetate, which basically feels like a thicker silky material. It doesn't feel cheap at all. It says that you should hand wash it in warm water, and doesn't have drying instructions, but I would assume that the proper thing to do is to lay it flat to dry.

Overall, I'd say the corset is pretty well made. Even though it has no modesty panel, it would still be cute to wear out. The first thing I thought of is maybe for a company Christmas party, with a blazer and slacks, and a cute pair of heels. It would also look fantastic with a high waisted pencil skirt.

One of the 'buttons' fell off one time, but it was easy enough to sew back on. I really wish there was an option to wear it with or without the waist ribbon, but either way, it's still gorgeous, and has that perfect mix of dressy but not TOO dressy!