Eden Fantasys doesn’t really carry anything in the way of real, sturdy corsets. They carry what are called fashion corsets. For a fashion corset, this one actually has a surprising amount of structure. It has a few design flaws and required a bit of mending and reinforcing but all in all, I’m really in love with the look and fit of this corset.

So, first the flaws. One of the blessings and curses of this corset is that, even though it is plastic boned, the front busk closure is made with two sturdy strips of metal. This gives you a bit more shape and structure than your average plastic boned corset. Unfortunately, once you get the busks closed and tighten down the laces, those pieces of metal cut right through the wimpy stitching at the top and bottom of the front part of your corset. It’ll tear right up to the first busk which will stop it from tearing further and at the bottom it’ll tear up to the last busk which will also prevent it from tearing further.

I’m handy with a needle and thread and I hate the process of sending things back. Plus I really liked everything else about this corset. It only took me a short time to reinforce the stitching up and down the front to keep the metal pieces in place. The brocade is a nice vibrant red and it was really pretty easy to find red thread that blended in. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t think twice about my reinforced stitching.

However, not everyone wants to take the time to mend garments in which case, I strongly suggest you don’t bother with this corset. If you don’t mind devoting a little time to it, I personally think it’s worth it. The rest of the corset is well built. There is about as much structure as you can normally expect from plastic bones. Unlike many fashion corsets from EF, it comes laced correctly. Corsets are not meant to be tied at the bottom as we often see in fashion corsets. The top and bottom are actually meant to be laced and tightened independently. So this corset comes with separate cords for the top and bottom and meets in the middle so that you can lace the top and bottom halves and then tie together at once!

With the metal down the front, this corset will pull you in quite a bit! It’s nowhere near a steel boned training corset but it does a good job for costume purposes. I wore mine to the renaissance faire this year! It’s not exactly the right period but it went well with a more fantasy oriented costume.
Aside from the front panel, I’ve no other problems with the fabric or seams on the rest of the garment. Not sure why they didn’t just reinforce it to begin with but oh well.

Coquette says their 1x/2x is a 18-22. In their lingerie I often find this size works, in their corsets I often find myself needing a 3x/4x even though in regular clothing I am generally around a size 20. However, with the customizable nature of a corset, it will fit a fairly wide range of sizes depending on how picky you are about the rules of corsetry. Traditionally a corset, when fit properly, should have about 2 inches between the laces. This is rarely true with a corset that isn’t custom made or at least custom fit. I don’t worry too much about it. I often wear it with skin exposed but if I’m feeling modest or wearing it out to something that requires more coverage I just wear it over something.

I use my corsets more for costuming and play party purposes where I often intend to either keep them on all night or put in throw away laces so they can be cut or torn off for a scene. I would caution against wearing this corset in the bedroom if you want something that can be removed easily. The metal busk closure, while extremely secure and great for shaping, is kind of a bear to get closed and then opened again. Once the corset is tightened, you really won’t be able to open it from the front and it needs to be loosened significantly to get it open that way. So getting out of it in the heat of passion could be kind of a buzz kill since it will need to be untied and loosened and then unhooked.

Another word of caution, this corset has no structure for your boobies so you will need to wear a bra underneath it. It will aid in pushing everything up but without a bra it will either flatten you down or push you out completely.

I'm very happy with this piece since fixing it up a little. The repairs I made have lasted and there have been no other issues with it! I still totally recommend this one!