Continuing on with my corset series (check out my profile for the full list), I decided to pick up the Elegant Interlude Corset by DreamGirl. From the first time I spotted it, I loved the color and design. It's so...elegant. Yes, for this one, I will agree that it is well named. While I don't always have good luck with DreamGirl products as a whole, they are the makers of my favorite corset, so I thought I would give this one a try.

The Basics

The color of this corset is a fabulous raspberry and black. It has a lovely, satiny feel, but the fabric make-up is actually 95% polyester and 5% spandex, aside from the trim, which is 93% polyamid and 7% spandex. Speaking of the trim, it features a black, "eyelash" fringe across the top of the front of the corset. The midsection of the corset, below the bust and above the belly, has a 5 1/2", black, floral, lace overlay which also features this eyelash trim, pulling the look together. This bit of lace is, like the trim, only located on the front of the corset. Across the middle of this lace overlay is a 1" wide piece of black ribbon with a pre-made, square bow that fastens with the help of a bra strap-like, plastic clasp.

The back of the corset is completely made up of sheer, black mesh. As such, it is incredibly stretchy. For closures, the back is laced up with two 1/4" black ribbons. The ribbon is laced through the holes in a very thin line of attached trim, meaning you can arrange the ribbons however you would like. The front closure has 14 sets of hook and eyes. The corset has ten pieces of plastic boning running vertically down the piece. It also comes with removable shoulder and garter straps and a matching thong.






Sizing and Measurements

EdenFantasys offers the Elegant Interlude Corset in four sizes: small, medium, large, and XL. For corsets, DreamGirl assigns a 32-34" bust measurement for the small, a 34-36" bust measurement for the medium, a 36-38" bust measurement for the large, and a 38-40" bust measurement for the XL. Now, personally, my bust measurement is 42" which obviously is outside even the size range for the XL. However, I am a smart consumer, and I had done my homework...having read fellow Eden contributor Kimmie1980ca's review of this same piece, I decided that the spandex mesh material would give enough stretch to the material that I could get away with a large. The decision-making process here may have also been assisted by the fact that the XL was out of stock at the time I was readying to make my order.

If this corset were laced as tightly as possible, it would be 38" at the bust. Extending the laces to their maximum amount would add a couple of inches, making it 40" around. However, this does not take into account the stretch allowed by the mesh back. When stretched as much as possible, another 6" can be added to the fit, increasing it to a maximum of 46"...wow! That's for the large, people. As for the length, it is 15" at its longest in the front, and 12" on the sides and in back. The basic, plastic garters have a length of 4" at their shortest and 7" at their longest. These lengths are unstretched. Another two inches may be added due to the garter's elasticity.

The thong's coverage is 5 1/4" at its widest in the front, narrowing to 1 1/2" in the cotton-lined crotch before widening again to 3 1/4" in the back. From front to back, the thong is 17" long. The black, elastic waistband can extend from 30" to 48" when stretched.

Packaging, Care Instructions, and Storage

This set came inside a clear, plastic bag. It was hanging on a black, plastic hanger bearing the DreamGirl name. A tag showing the product page photo is fastened to the corset with a swift attacher (yes, that is what that little, plastic doohickey is called). The care tag instructs the wearer to "Dry Clean Only." Yeah, like that will ever happen. For storage, you could attach the shoulder straps and hang the corset, if you have the space. I would advise rolling or folding it in a way that keeps the boning as straight as possible and keeping it in a drawer or another designated space.

I have some good news and some bad news about the Elegant Interlude Corset. Which would you like first? If you want the bad news first, skip this paragraph and come back to it, because this is the good news....The front of the corset is as beautiful in real life as it appears in the product photo. The raspberry color is vibrant and gorgeous, and the lace overlay is very pretty and well-attached. In fact, the overall craftsmanship of the piece is excellent - there are very few loose threads, no runs in the mesh, and the hook and eyes are well-secured to the fabric. Another plus, besides the beauty of the front of this piece, is the ease with which those hook and eyes can be closed. Seriously, I have never had such an easy time getting a corset fastened in my life! I am sure that is due to the stretchy back on the piece. That also makes it a pretty comfortable piece.



Now for the bad news...first, the boning in this piece is rather disappointing. In the front, it acts to flatten the bust, but not the stomach. On the sides and back, it twists out of line...badly. That's the reason for the title above. The corset's "spine," if you will, is badly curved. It is not helped by the mesh that makes up the back of the piece, I am sure. The fabric is so stretchy that it does little to hold the boning in place (and it certainly does not help the wearer attain an hourglass figure, as a corset should). I am not sure if this piece could be helped much by Eden contributor js250's incredible tutorial on how to replace plastic boning with metal boning, but I think it might be worth a try. In the meantime, I have found that the best way to wear this piece is to add a jacket or cardigan on top of it. That allows the gorgeous front to show while covering up the less appealing back of this piece.





This piece is so pretty that I want to give it a higher rating, but alas, the most I can in good conscience award it is five stars for the front, and one for the back...averaging out to three stars.

As pretty as the front of this piece is, the tragedy that is the back keeps me from being able to fully enjoy it. It would probably have been better had it been manufactured with no boning in it at all. The plastic boning plus the mesh just equals disaster in my book. It's a pity.