If you have someone close to you who loves corsets, gushes about corsets, has openly dropped hints that "gosh, it would be SO NICE if I could get a corset one day!", you may have weighed your options before and despaired that there is very little chance of keeping such a tricky-to-size item a secret. And traditions being what they are, sometimes the surprise is half the fun!
Well fret not! I've personally helped lots of customers on their secret corset gift missions. Here are a few pointers to make reconnaissance a cinch!
1) Measure your loved one's skirts, trousers, dresses, or bras to get their bust, waist and hip measurements. Choose garments that are a good fit, preferably in non-stretch fabrics to insure accurate sizing. With this info, we can help choose a style and size that will fit their body type, as well as their personal tastes. From there, it's just a question of picking a colour!
2) Start planning early and let us know ahead of time if you need something by a certain time. That way, if we know what you need, we can secure corsets in a certain style, size or colour, and make sure that they are shipped out on time. If you want to add any additional fun features like lace trim or embroidery details, we'll sometimes need a little more time to make sure everything looks just right. This is especially important if you are shopping around the Christmas holidays, when we often have sales on, and certain styles are more likely to sell out.
3) While we're usually able to get pretty close with choosing a good fit, sometimes there may be some adjustments needed after the gift wrapping has come off. No sweat, just book an online or in-store fitting for alterations, and we'll check to see what needs to be done to make the corset of their dreams fit them perfectly.
Now, most of this advice applies to our off-the-rack styles, but if you are wanting something a little more custom, we can still make something extra special for your special gift.
I personally helped a mom last Christmas to surprise her corset-loving goth daughter with a bespoke piece that made her whole year! We began our secret mission three months in advance, and booked a fitting that was staged to look like "just an lazy afternoon of mother-daughter vintage shopping on Main Street" followed by "lets try some corsets on for funsies while we're here!" Both mother and daughter got measured up for corsets and tried on a whole bunch of styles to gauge our subject's favourite silhouettes and fabrics, took a bunch of "fun photos to show family and friends later". Mom then urged her daughter to head on to the next store nearby where a friend (read: fellow agent) was waiting, while she made a purchase on a few items for herself. While we were alone, we quickly discussed style details, fabrics, and favourite colours, and took a deposit to officially begin the work on creating her daughter's dream corset.
Three months later on Christmas day, our subject declared that she truly had "the best mom ever". Safe to say, we hit it out of the park with that one.
If you're ever looking to run a secret mission of your own, you know who to call. (Or, you can email us at info@laceembrace.com😉)
- Carmen, Store Manager