Packaging
This corset came packaged in a plastic bag with one attached cardboard tag that only said Tesa Classics by Escante. On the top inside hem of the corset there are two more tags stacked on top of each other. One says Tesa and the other gives what the corset is made of, where it was made (Mexico), and the size, all in three languages. On the other side of the tag are the care instructions, also in three languages. It is nice that the care instructions are actually written out instead of being just symbols like on some products. The tags are sewn in pretty well, but it shouldn't be too difficult to remove them if they become irritating.

Details
The sweetheart corset is made of 100% polyester and ours is a beautiful shade of bright shiny purple. The polyester fabric is silky smooth on both the inside and outside, with the inside being slightly rougher and less shiny. It has 11 pieces of plastic boning that are protected by soft fuzzy covers on the inside of the corset. The back does have a privacy panel to keep more from showing than is wanted. The back laces up with two separate laces, one starting from the top and one starting from the bottom and meeting in the middle. The ties are very similar to shoe laces, and are tied together at the ends to form a loop. They are plenty long and could probably be trimmed shorter if needed. With the back cinched all the way up there is still 30 inches of lacing left on each side. Because of this sizing is fairly flexible, and the only concern would be the privacy panel not covering the entire gap. In addition to the lacing on the back of this corset there is also a zipper up the left side. This is helpful because the lacing can be left tied in the perfect place and then the zipper can be done and undone instead of having to shimmy in and try to tie the laces from behind or turn the corset around.

Care and Maintenance
According to the tag in the back, this outfit should be hand washed in cold water and mild soap and let drip dry in the shade. It also suggests not to use chlorine, not to wring or twist and not to iron or dry clean. As usual, I would suggest following the manufacturer's directions for care, especially with such specific instructions as this item has. We haven't had to wash it yet, but I feel that using just a damp washcloth would be good for any spot cleaning that is needed. The workmanship on the stitching seems to be very good, with the front side that people see being well finished with little to no loose threads. The back side however has a few inches or so of long threads and a few frayed pieces of polyester where the boning was sewn in, but these don't seem to take anything away from the product quality. The sweetheart corset travels just fine as it can easily be rolled into a small travel package and taken along. Be careful folding however because the fabric may hold wrinkles if creased.

Measurements
Our corset is size 36. From the top of the cups to the bottom of the corset is 15 inches, and the length is 14 inches between the cups. The shortest part is in the back where it laces up with a height of only 11 inches. Unlaced and laid out flat the corset is 34 inches long at the smallest lacing and somewhere around 38 inches with the lacing at its largest size. This puts the size 36 right in the middle, meaning the size is fairly accurate. Since the privacy panel is a little over 4 inches wide, when the laces are the loosest, only an inch and a half of skin would show through the gap. Due to the fact that this corset didn't follow small, medium, and large sizing, we decided to play it a bit safe and get a 36 while my girlfriend's band size is a 34. The adjustability of the corset is excellent as we were able to get it to fit with the lacing cinched all the way up. The only problem is that the top half won't quite cinch enough so there is a small gap between her breasts and the front of the corset, a problem that is solved by layering strapless bras.

Front view, notice how shiny the material is



Back View

The softer plastic boning of this product seems to be designed for comfort more than some corsets are. Because of this the Sweetheart Corset has become a favorite of my girlfriend to wear out to ladies night. The weaker boning also means that this corset wouldn't be the best option for someone who is looking for a major slimming effect.