Temple of Geek Chic is back this week with a look at the geeky fashions coming out of Castle Corsetry.
Lauren Matesic of Castle Corsetry is an award-winning designer. She has been sewing since she was a child and she has been making corset since she was a teenager. She started Castle Corsetry almost 10 years ago and has made a name for her self in the geek and fashion world. Today we are going to test out some of the geeky products that she offers in her shop. We will be testing out corsets, mermaid leggings, spandex dresses and more.
Corsets
What we love about it: They look great! These corsets are fun and gorgeous. We love that they actually do what corsets are meant to do. These corsets pull your waist in very nicely. Many times as convention goers, when we purchase corsets for cosplays or as a fashion piece, we are disappointed to find that they are more for looks than they are functional. The same can be said when purchasing a corset pattern and attempting to make them yourself. They are not easy to make, let alone fit properly. These fit very well.
How does it feel? They all wore really well and fit well. Castle Corsetry offers a long-line corset as well as a waist cincher. You can waist train in the long-line corsets. Something that we really appreciated was that for as tight as the corsets were laced you did not feel the boning or steel poking at you. (They only use European spring and spiral steel in them). The fabrics are all different depending on the style you choose. We were very pleased with all the fabrics that we tried.
What is the quality like? The fabrics used for the corsets are high quality. Many times at conventions or on Etsy, you find vendors selling corsets made from fabric of lower quality. Those vendors do this to keep costs down. Unfortunately while those other corsets may be more affordable, they are not as appealing or look as great as the ones from Castle Corsetry do. We really love that they use high quality fabrics. Combined with the fact that they are well constructed and do not bunch or pull when laced up, we would say that these are well worth the asking price.
Can you dress it up? Absolutely you can. We styled the Long Line Legends of Zelda Corset with both jeans and a long sleeve top and with the Castle Corsetry “Perfect Little Dress” and we think it looks great either way. These corsets look great as cosplay, casual wear or dressy.
Overall: These corsets are great. They fact that you can wear to waist train, wear them casually, dressy or as a cosplay makes them a great addition to any geek wardrobe. There are so many options to chose from on their website. Everything from classic corsets to Halloween costumes. Lacing the corset can be tricky if you have never done it before. We recommend watching the YouTube video at the bottom of this article on how to properly lace your corset (or click here). We recommend that you make sure you know your measurements before ordering.
The Perfect Little Dress:
What we love about it: This above the knee spandex dress is adorable. The style and shape of this dress is flattering on multiple body types. It is a heavy material, so it hangs very nicely and gives fun twirl action. It looks great on it’s own but also it is made to go with your Castle Corsetry corset. It is available in a variety of colors and custom color options are available as well.
Mermaid Leggings
What we love about it: EVERYTHING! Ok, so the leggings are definitely our favorites. The thing we really enjoyed about these is the shine. These are made from some kind of magical fabric. They have this iridescent shine that our photos do not do justice. Indoors and in the shade they look like solid shiny leggings. But in the sunlight they are like a rainbow explosion. The colors on the fabrics are vibrant and gorgeous.
How does it feel? The spandex is soft, smooth and heavy. They are stretchy and tight fighting all at the same time.
What is the quality like? They are thick, comfortable and tight. The spandex really pulls you together so be sure to check the sizing charts and get the size that is right for you.
Can you dress it up? Yup! You sure can. I know that Mermaid themed clothing usually gives off those relaxed vibes. Where you just picture yourself relaxing on the shore somewhere. But these leggings are definitely sexy. Worn with the right top and accessories, these make pretty sexy evening attire. Its nice to own something that you can wear casually with a pair of comfy shoes or with a pair of sexy heels.
Overall: These legging were our favorite. They are fun and comfy, they feel and look great. We want them in every color and style! Great for a day out, great as part of a costume or cosplay. Just all around pretty great.
Bodysuits:
What we love about it: Our model, Lane, called this white hooded bodysuit a “Leia-tard”. And she isn’t wrong. This absolutely has Leia vibes all over it. We paired this body suit with a white skater skirt and it is the perfect Leia disney bound. Add a silver belt and you have a casual Leia cosplay. The bodysuit looks good with the hood up or down. It is perfect for the convention floor. Like the “Perfect little Dress”, these are made to be worn with a corset over them. The body suit is also available in more colors.
Active Wear:
What we love about it: POCKETS! It has pockets! It is hard to find active wear that has pockets. If you do find some with pockets they are usually sweat pants or track suits. It is rare to find spandex type leggings or yoga pants with pockets. They have a ton of really fun styles. Marvel, Wonder Woman and mermaid themed to name a few. You can shop their active wear collection here! We took the Harry Potter themed active wear out for a spin. Our models are wearing the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor themed work out gear. We vote that these be the new quidditch uniforms at Hogwarts. I’m sure they are more comfortable to fly around in than those pesky robes.
How does it feel? Just like the mermaid legging, they are thick, comfortable and tight. The spandex really pulls you together so be sure to check the sizing charts and get the sizes that are right for you.
What is the quality like? Excellent, sturdy and well constructed.
Can you dress it up? Umm, No…. I mean, I guess you could try. But it’s not really meant for that! But if you do dress it up, tag us in the photo, we’d love to see what you came up with.
Overall: This is a really fun way to add some geek to your daily life and routine. We like how they look and how they feel. We are obsessed with the fact that they have pockets.
We are super impressed by the designs that we’ve played with today! The leggings were a clear winner, but everything else was pretty awesome. To find out more about the products that Castle Corsetry offers check them out at the links below. Also worth a look is the corset lacing video below.
https://www.facebook.com/CastleCorsetry
https://twitter.com/castlecorsetry
Which styles and designs did you like best? Let us know in the comments!
Models:
Lane: https://www.instagram.com/miss_laneous/
Alex: https://www.instagram.com/catalyst.cosplay/
Katie: https://www.instagram.com/kamikazekatie/
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