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I apologise if this is the wrong community for it, but I really felt the urge to post this somewhere, and I hope it's alright.

Product Type: Clothing
Review:

[NOTE: If you don't wish to read this entire in-depth account of my experience, you can skip to the last paragraph for my recommendation.]

Begin explanatory introductory paragraph. Last week some unexpected car trouble forced me to remove the battery in twenty-degree weather so it could be recharged. My last pair of gloves (some pink and purple things with hearts on them; no great loss) were needless to say ruined by the engine grease. Shopping online has desensitized me to Walmart, so a few days later, I was lethargically surfing Etsy, a wonderful site devoted exclusively to the buying and selling of things handmade or vintage, looking in vain for some knit or crocheted gloves with fingers. My short attention span meant I was quickly drooling over something I've no need for (spats), which led without much effort to corsets.

I had, a few months ago, fallen hard for the corsets Michelle (damselinthisdress) designs and makes, but decided with a heavy heart that they were an unnecessary indulgence. Stumbling upon them again seemed like fate, and I couldn't resist the breathtaking colours and curves twice. I hesitated, of course, double-checked the sizing, and someone else snagged the patchwork skirt I really liked. However, as they say, with every door that closes there is another that opens, so I rearranged my shopping cart, added a bustle skirt I'd been vascillating over, and with a few clicks, had it bought and paid for.

At which point the fun began. I had bought a red corset, because of the amazing price, despite red generally washing me out. Just after the payment was confirmed, I got a message from Michelle: she had realised when packaging my order that the corset would be three inches too large, and she was out of that fabric (thus the sale price), so would I mind terribly if she subsituted a green one she had on hand? She attached photos of the new corset with the skirt I had bought:
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Don't judge me, friends, for jumping on it.

This was late Tuesday night, and she had it shipped Wednesday morning. It arrived two days later, in a box smaller than I thought could hold such beauty, but nothing was squashed - quite the contrary. They were packaged very nicely, folded neatly with 'care and feeding' cards for the corsets. (Yes, plural; I'll get to that.) Each piece had a tag, slightly larger than a business card, attatched with contact and custom order information. I gave them to friend and family along with my strongest recommendation.

I had ordered two Peasant Pirate Blouses (pictured in all of her corset photos, but she sells them separately), the Rust Empire Corsair Tailed Corset, and the Deep Gold Mini Bustle Skirt. What arrived was one Peasant Pirate Blouse, the Green Empire Corsair Tailed Corset, the Deep Gold Mini Bustle Skirt, and a Gold Underbust Corset. Along with the care and feeding instructions there was a copy of the Etsy invoice, with a handwritten note:

Hello, lovely! I added a corset for your waist for free, just because I thought it would realy complete the whole look!

I had been intending to custom-order an underbust corset, since she didn't have on in my size in her online shop, so I could have the 'whole look'. Colour me shocked to find out she both recognised my desire and was sweet enough to help me achieve it with a gift.

She didn't mention the missing blouse, an accident I'm sure, and ordinarily I'd be the first to gasp in outrage, but after such a generous gesture there's not a chance I'm opening my mouth to say a harsh word about her. Because even if you count the price of the blouse, I 'bought' the corset for nearly two-thirds off retail price. I was ecstatic, completely ready to recommend her to everyone I knew.

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And then I wore the corset.

I put on the entire outfit, then added jeans because I wasn't quite comfortable showing so much pasty thigh, and made my way to a friend's house. Her sisters and mother were there, and they all ooh'd and ahh'd as I twirled and generally felt like a cacological queen. I had my friend take a few photos while I yammered on about how she really ought to get one of Michelle's corsets, and then hurried back home to get dressed for work.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a waitress. I spend hours a day on my feet and come home to an uncomfortable futon mattress, so I consider a certain amount of back pain irrevocable. Although neither the bustle nor the tailed corset would have fit under my uniform, the underbust corset was practically invisible, holding my back straight and shaping my figure for more than six hours. Michelle promises comfort, but it's difficult to believe with the mental image of Keira Knightly fainting playing in your mind at the word 'corset'. I myself was skeptical, and felt a bit of satisfaction mingled with my disappointment when after working for a few hours I noticed a painful rubbing on my side. Imagine my shock when I looked in the bathroom at the sore spot and realised the rubbing had been caused by my bra and not the corset.

More than six hours of hurrying about, taking orders and carrying food and greeting customers and clearing tables, and I don't have a single complaint. You can't bend at the waist, true, but it's easy enough to get around that necessity by kneeling or bending at the hips. And sitting isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, either, but it certainly isn't _un_comfortable, and the extra length is what gives the wearer such a full hourglass shape, so it's not as if it's something you would want to change. Not only could I breathe in the corset, I could breathe deeply, without loosening the ties at all.

I took the corset off when I got home, but I noticed that wearing it had an effect on my posture - for the better. All day, I found myself noticing I was holding my back straighter, my head higher, my shoulders back.

I almost immediately bought some footless tights for the outfit - they should be here in a few days - and I'm making my own Renaissance boots, so by the time my local fair rolls around in April I'll be all very decked out and in an exited frenzy, I'm sure.

I went out on a limb, 'risked' money on something I had never tried before, but it was the customer reviews that won me over. I don't regret one penny that I spent and though I'm sure no-one else would have the exact same experience, I am certain Michelle will bring the same helpful, understanding attitude toward any order. I can't swear to her sainthood, but if any religious leader reads this review and accepts my recommendation, I'm sure she'll be nominated. The customer service is fantastic, the price - even retail - is more than reasonable, and the product is worth six times what she's asking. She has devoted her life not only to her patterns and her materials, but also to her customer base. I don't know Michelle personally (though I hope that changes in the future), and she didn't ask for a review. I'm simply a very satisfied customer who thinks she ought to receive back what she gives to women everywhere: happiness and hope.

What are you waiting for? See for yourself!

Website: www.damseldress.com
Etsy shop: damselinthisdress.etsy.com
Ebay shop: stores.ebay.com/Damsel-in-this-Dress-Corsets

Rating: 10/10