Orchard Corset Haul

Orchard Corset

    -- So I wasn't planning on this being done until the end of January, since I'm a complete poor fuck and couldn't afford any sort of quick shipping. However, the angel of shipping mistakes is apparently looking over me, because once again I received my order in 3 weeks instead of 6-8. It was a pretty nice surprise, considering I was in hospital yesterday. I also got some long satin gloves but they were impossible to photograph nicely

   I was gifted some money by a friend, and spent some of it on expanding my collection of Orchard Corsets. Being the slight nitwit that I am, I didn't think to take photos of the package or of them nicely wrapped as they come with delivery.

nonetheless, Orchard Corset bundles their pretties up in these pretty two-layered tissue paper -- white with "Orchard Corset" printed on them, and a colour underneath. Sometimes pink or blue or green, but mine was red this time! I know that packaging is kind of irrelevant but it's always felt very nice to me.

   The corsets I got were the 411 in black mesh and the 426 with hip ties in black cotton, to go along is my beloved black mesh 206.

Mesh 411

   The black mesh is just like the mesh waspie -- strong, non-stretch, fairly widely spaced net mesh. It's honestly one of my favourite materials. Fresh out of the mail, it is a bit heavy, but I find it stretches out and settles during seasoning. The binding and bone channels are bound in a different fabric than my 201, which is bound in a black drill cotton like the external black cotton on the 426. Instead, it appears to be bound in a very very small weave black cotton. It has little to no stretch to it.

   The mesh 411 is the first corset from the brand that I know of to have more bones the higher the size number. Mine is a size 26 (so, for those not in the know, the waist measurement is 26"), and there are fourteen spiral bones on each side, plus two flat steel bones either side of each set of grommets (of which there are 20, ten on each side.)

   The busk is very heavy duty, a total of just under two inches wide in total. The fabric around it is unstiffened, and there is no supporting bone beside (although there is a channel that would accommodate one -- baffling, but probably a design decision that made sense at the time. The busk itself measures 10", with about an inch total of fabric including binding in total (so about 1.5cm either end of the busk). There are four loop and pin sets, with the bottom pair slightly closer together.

   There is a one inch wide waist tape, sandwiched on the underside of the mesh between the boning channel casings. It appears to be made of a heavy duty canvas type something.

   I really like the Orchard Corset label. It's really nicely designed. I just wish they put a black one on their mesh so it's less obvious!

   I measured the waist straight out of the packet. The waist internally measures closer to 25" than it does 26", which isn't a problem for me, but is good to keep in mind if you have more specific requirement.

      I noticed that one of the bones in the centre back is, or appears to be, slightly twisted towards the top. I will alert customer service about this fault, however I won't be requesting an exchange or refund and if it is a problem at all, I can easily replace the bone myself.

   There are no suspender tabs on this corset, but I don't like using suspenders attached to a corset, so that's fine with me. If you prefer this sort of feature, you could easily add some yourself. I didn't take a picture, but it has a 5"-ish modesty panel, that I will probably remove, either permanently or to stiffen and put in as a floating panel.

426

   This update on the very very popular 426 was designed by my dear friend Lucy of Lucy's Corsetry, I believe as part of the "Level 4" line she assisted in designing, which will hopefully be released in the next few months.

   The 426 is possibly the most well-known and popular design in the Orchard Corset range. It is very longline (in fact, they just released a shorter version), measuring just over 11" along the front busk, plus fabric and binding leaving a total around about 13".

   The design has a very obvious Lucy flair to it, which I'll go over!

   First of all, in lieu of the usual Orchard Corset label with the size and production information (which are listed on a smaller label further down), it has Lucy's logo and corset branding. Incidentally, I believe Lucy's logo was partially designed by my dear late friend Christine Wickham, who passed earlier this year just shy of her twenty-second birthday. I smiled to myself when I saw it -- a reminder of a very good friend.

   Another Lucyism -- a placket under the pin side of the busk. I don't believe this ever existed in any other Orchard Corset, but it may have, since I've only ever seen the meshes and the 411 in person. I am a cat, what do I know? I would like it more if the placket was stiffened, but it doesn't really make a difference, I think.

   There are eighteen spiral steel bones, nine each side. Eight of these bones are placed either side of the seams, and one is placed on the seam of the back panel. There are, of course, two flat steel bones either side of the grommets, of which there are twenty-four, twelve on either side.

   The busk is one of their standard 1" wide total, half an inch on either side. It is rendered rather inflexible, because -- Lucyism Number Three! -- there appears to be some sort of stiffening interface with the busk and in the first panel, which ends halfway through the second panel. Presumably, this was done to prevent bowing in the front around the busk, which is a common problem with any narrow busk. I also suspect the final panel, the grommet bones, may also be reinforced in this way. The busk has five pin and loop sets, with the bottom two slightly closer together.

   I took a picture of the hip ties (Lucyism Number Four!), but my phone decided it didn't want to send it to my laptop for whatever reason. There are two hip ties, one on each side, between panels three and four. The steel bones that hug that seam separate over the hip tie opening. There are ten grommets on the ties, five on each side of the split, making twenty of them in total between the two sides of the corset.

   I am unsure how this development will work functionally. Usually, when corsets have hip ties, they have two per side -- on the front and the side, and I don't think I've ever seen it between two bones before. However, given that this design was negotiated by Lucy (who is more or less the bastion of all corset knowledge), I have faith that it will work well. In saying that, I've heard that her attempts at design were somewhat hindered by the company.

  The fabric is a very nice black drill on both sides, and there is a one inch wide waist tape in between the layers. The only faults I can really find immediately is that the binding is very very bulky and doesn't appear to have been ironed prior to being put on. It's not a big deal, but is kind of annoying for me. Then again, I'm pretty neurotic, so. Once again, there is a 5" modesty panel that I will likely remove.

The Facts

   The 426 with hip ties is available in black cotton and black satin. The mesh 411 is available in plain black, red mesh with black binding and casing, and a really rather nice warm beige. These corsets are available from Orchard Corset. The mesh 411 retails for $USD76, and the cotton 426 retails for $USD88 -- however, a rather nice Lucy-related trick will get you a good 15% off any order, any time -- simply enter her discount code, "LUCYCORSET15" at the checkout.

      I will make a full proper review of this once I've managed to season the corsets; but it may take time, as I was just in hospital with a gall bladder issue and will need to take it easy on the corsets for a little while.


   Wishing everyone a great new year.
         xxCat

cat tax!

Lipstick Review -- Illamasqua "Shard"

   So typically, my grand plans of Actually Bloggingtm didn't work out exactly as planned. Instead, I went to hospital at least once, have been sick as a dog, and broke a wheelchair wheel (thanks, dickhead who left thumbtacks outside of Cranbourne Music).

      But, in saying that, it means I have a lot of ideas as to what to actually post. So without further ado, let's go.

front: illamasqua sheer gloss, don't remember the colour because i suck
midde: Illamasqua "Shard" "Salacious" "Sanger" and "Box"
back: Lime Crime "Poisonberry", Illamasqua "Lily-Rose",
Face of Australia "Pure Plum," Lime Crime "Red Velvet",
Manic Panic "Blood Red", Australis "Grunge"

   Anyone who knows me knows that I love lipstick. I mean, love lipstick. I mean, that picture isn't all of my lipstick. It's about half of all the ones I currently have. Those ones? those are just the ones that live in my handbag on a permanent basis.

   The focus of this particular review is my newest Illamasqua lipstick, Shard. Illamasqua is my favourite brand. There's an Illamasqua counter at the Myer on Bourke Street in the city. They all know my name. I'm kind of a fan, you see.

   The Illamasqua lipsticks come in a lovely, sleek, black square case. It's probably my favourite case of any brand, because it means it doesn't roll all over the joint.

Cat for scale.

   So, full admission here, I am a dick and actually broke this lipstick. I am trash. I am useless. Since I haven't tried any other products in that particular group of releases, I can't say if this is a problem with that line, so let's just assume it's because I am a ham-fisted bun vendor. Literally no other Illamasqua lipstick I've had has done this, though, and I've had about 10 different ones.

      The colour is a very lovely red-purple, which I find is very flattering. It's quite berry-ish, but cool blue-based berry, rather than a warm, orange-based red or pink. The website calls Shard "red violet," but I feel it's more "berry-violet." That's just nitpicking on my behalf, though.

   It is a relatively sheer colour, that I find can be somewhat inconsistent when worn by itself (either with no liner or no gloss over the top) or without blotting. Despite its sheer nature and creamy texture, I feel that it is quite heavy to wear. I quite like lipsticks that don't feel like nothing, but if it's not for you, steer clear.

 

excuse my dodgy skin. it's bad, I know.

   I think from the pictures you can see what I mean by "inconsistent." It tends to cling a little to parts of my mouth, but without any real rhyme or reason. Gloss, lining, blotting and all of those things seem to fix this problem, but I'm not a fan of lipstick I have to work to wear.

excuse my hair covering.
i have bandtu knots in, which
have become my default style
when not going outside!

   It does match my skin very nicely though! It's a flattering colour, stays well, and with a bit of work does sit quite nicely. Also, Illamasqua products all have this sweet, almost sherbet or gummy bear smell. I like this. I like this a lot. Their lipglosses even taste it!

The facts

    Shard retails online for £18.50. Illamasqua is the only company that does not upcharge for retail in Australia, which means the lipsticks retail in Myer for $30 -- a more or less exact exchange from the British price. They brought in this no-upcharge policy about three years ago, and thus far are more or less the only company that does. By contrast, MAC lipsticks retail in Australia (both online and in person because MAC makes you pay higher prices even if you buy online for some reason?? fuck you guys) for a minimum of $36, compared to less than $20 in the USA. It is good value for a high quality product from a brand with an excellent brand identity (which is beauty -- or not -- for everyone, regardless of age, race, gender or personal style).

Long Story Short
Feel: Heavy
Texture: Creamy
Finish: Semi-Matte
Staying Power: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Colour: 9/10
Overall: 8/10