BREATHE IN

GIRLS,THE WAIST IS BACK(WELL...OF CORSET IS!).

The Daily Mail (London, England); 2/9/2001

Byline: JULIETTE DOMINGUEZ

THANKS to designers such as Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Galliano (for Dior), the corset is back in fashion for this spring and summer. But do we want to see the return of this highly restrictive and old-fashioned piece of underwear? Here, JULIETTE DOMINGUEZ speaks to five women who are proud to show off their corset-enhanced hourglass figures.

HEIDI COLE, 29, is a flight attendant. She lives with her boyfriend, John Davis, 37, a photographer in Horley, Surrey. She says:

WHEN I tell friends I wear corsets, they immediately think of the traditional, lace-up bodice which is both restrictive and uncomfortable. But the ones I wear are not like that at all - and some of them can look perfectly respectable as outerwear.

My corsets are flexible, so they move with my body. I wear them under clingy dresses or tight, cashmere jumpers, because they don't show any lines. A corset pulls you in in all the right places so you have a long, lean silhouette with no bulges - even when you sit down.

They make me look and feel sexy. When I'm wearing one, I'm aware of it even though nobody else is and it makes me feel confident.

A corset can slice an inch off my 27in waist and boost my B-cup bust to create a great cleavage. It brings my body more into proportion.

I think it's important to accentuate your curves. There has been too much emphasis over the past decade on the androgynous look.

A curvaceous figure is a much healthier image to be projecting to young women.

I exercise regularly, so I have quite a flat stomach, but corsets are great if you need a little extra help to pull you in. They give you a great figure without having to slave away at the gym or be on constant diets.

This Rigby & Peller white corset is one of my favourites because it's understated, yet feminine and sexy. I'm happy to spend up to [pounds sterling]150 each time.

My boyfriend John thinks I look fabulously sexy when I'm wearing one.

He may even be surprising me with a little lingerie on St Valentine's Day.

DIANA MARCHENT, 43, is a housewife and a public-speaking coach. She is married to Chris, 49, an advertising executive. They live in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, with their two children, Matthew, 19, and Charlie, 17. She says:

I STARTED wearing corsets 20 years ago. Even though they weren't fashionable then, I've always thought they looked beautiful and sexy.

The first time I wore one was for a glamorous ball. I was wearing a clingy, strapless dress and I needed a corset to help smooth down my stomach and support my bust. From that evening on I was hooked - I felt confident and I knew my body looked good.

My favourites are those which lace up at the back. They are pretty impossible to get into - you need someone with strong hands to do you up - but the wonderful shape they give is worth it. They are also great for your posture.

I love the way a corset curves in my waist and accentuates my hips and bust.

Anyone can have a waist with a corset, regardless of how square their torso may be.

THIS corset is sophisticated looking, and the numerous rows of boning make my 25in waist look even tinier. A corset also gives a smoother silhouette and enhances my cleavage - I'm a 34B - better than a strapless bra would.

I usually spend between [pounds sterling]100 and [pounds sterling]200 on a corset and my husband loves seeing me in them. He thinks it's both demure, as you're covered up, and very sexy.

I find it exciting to wear a corset - the fact that no one else knows you are wearing one is thrilling.

When you first do up the hooks, it can be a little uncomfortable. It does restrict your breathing, and my body always needs a few minutes to adapt.

I'm so glad that hourglass figures are coming back into fashion. Then again, I don't think many men would say they ever went out of fashion.

NATALIE JONES, 25, is a marketing executive for an international music company. She is single and lives in South Kensington, London. She says:

CORSETS have come a long way from those that women wore a couple of hundred years ago. I once had to wear a traditional lace-up bodice for a part in a play. It was very heavy, with thick cotton panels and whale-boning, and incredibly uncomfortable.

The boning dug into my waist and hips and, by the end of the night, my torso would be scored with red marks.

I can't imagine how women put up with wearing them all day. They caused awful health problems, such as severe bruising and, in extreme situations where the laces were pulled too tight, fractured ribs.

Modern- day corsets are much more comfortable. The fabric is lighter and stronger and the boning subtler. I can wear one all evening without being aware of it.

I am naturally curvaceous - a size 12 with a 34in B-cup bust - and a corset helps to give me a smooth, well-proportioned shape.

Although I'm happy with my 26in waist, when I wear a corset it just nips it in an extra inch, which looks great.

I have two corsets from Agent Provocateur, one in black satin and another in baby pink. They lace up at the back; but the really clever feature is that they also have hooks and eyes running up the front.

This means that you need to go through the lacing-up palaver only once, because from then on you can just use the front fasteners. Occasionally, I make minor adjustments if I lose or gain weight, but that's it.

I spend about [pounds sterling]150 per corset.

This one is sexy and fun, and black is so flattering. It could be worn as underwear or outerwear.

I once wore one with a smart black trouser suit - letting the corset show under the jacket. That outfit attracted lots of compliments.

I'm glad the hourglass figure is back. I'm very into the feminine look, with lots of curves and that little extra padding of flesh.

SORAYA SICHON, 37, is a housewife. She is married to Peter, 38, a black cab driver.

They live in Colchester, Essex, with their two children, Brogan, eight, and Callum, six. She says:

I'M GLAD to see a return to glamorous, feminine dressing. Women are meant to have curves and we've been bombarded with images of stick-thin models for too long.

Clothes look completely different on a voluptuous woman - they just hang better.

A corset merely helps to accentuate a shapely figure. I am happy with my body - I'm a size 12 with a 34C bust - but, with a little help from my underwear, I can knock an inch off my 27in waist, which I think is my best feature.

My husband Peter thinks I look fantastic in a corset. I first started wearing them when he bought me one last Christmas. Normally he buys me La Perla bras and knickers, but the sales lady told him corsets were back in fashion, so he decided that I should have one.

I was thrilled because it was a surprise. It's a classic black satin design from Rigby & Peller. It fits like a glove and isn't remotely uncomfortable.

It takes Peter a good 20 minutes to lace up, though - but he's getting better at it.

Because it laces up at the back I can't do it up myself, which is a bit of a pain, but then I suppose half the fun is having Peter do it up.

I've worn it twice so far - both times underneath a tight, lowcut dress for a dinner dance. I needed a bit of extra support, to push my bust up and to help cinch in my waist.

I felt confident and happy that I was showing off my figure to its best advantage. I didn't feel constricted at all and was able to eat and drink normally.

Wearing a corset every day would be too much bother because they're not easy to put on, but they're great for special occasions and when you want to camouflage any extra pounds.

ALSO, having had two children, even though I've got my figure back, my stomach isn't as flat as it used to be, so a little bit of cheating comes in handy when I'm wearing a close-fitting evening dress.

The corset here is pretty, flattering and demure. It fits perfectly and is very comfortable.

I'm definitely going to buy more corsets and would spend up to [pounds sterling]150.

DANIELA ALMEM, 25, is a PR executive for a national company based in London.

She is single and lives in Mayfair, London. She says: AS A child, I always fantasised about those romantic dresses women wore with corsets in the 18th century. I also loved films such as Dangerous Liaisons because I thought the clothes made the women look so beautiful and feminine.

I am delighted that corsets have become fashionable again. I love the shape they give me. They are very sexy and super-feminine without being tarty. They are also versatile: you can wear one with jeans just as easily as with a stunning, full skirt.

I've worn them on a few occasions and would be happy to pay [pounds sterling]200 for a really lovely corset. This pink corset is beautiful - it's simple and sexy.

I'm a size 10 and believe my 25in waist and 34in C-cup bust are my best attributes - and a corset just accentuates them. Besides, I find wearing corsets comfortable, especially the lace-up models, because they mould to your body.

It's such a plus that hourglass figures are coming back into fashion.

It looks as if the fashion scene may finally be catching up with what men - and women - really want to see.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Solo Syndication Limited

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