C is for Corset

Yesterday's alphabet outfit almost didn't happen, as the day dawned long and boring with only a trip to Costco to break the monotony. Just when I was giving up hope, a friend appeared from the depths of my basement (he'd been playing video games with my boyfriend), pulled me up off the floor (yes, it was really that bleak), and persuaded me to trade my workout clothes and granny sweater for a night on the town.

It's a good thing he did, because I'd been planning my Letter-C outfit for 2 days! It was a corset!

I might have mentioned I have a thing for corsets. While they have not quite hit mainstream popularity this year as I hoped, they have a certain timelessness that makes them something an Unfashionista can pull off in any era. Corsets have this weirdly sexy reputation—weirdly, since they're one of the most covered-up and inaccessible pieces of clothing a girl can wear short of a chastity belt. So in addition to making me feel pretty, wearing a corset also makes me feel like a walking paradox, which affords me a sort of intellectual cheap thrill.

Anyhow, by the time I was ready for photos, my boyfriend was already at least two sheets to the wind, resulting in this series of bizarre pictures.

Originally I planned on wearing my corset with a jacket as a key element of the ensemble, so I went through every jacket in my collection before finally settling on this white one. However, I think the whole look was much better without the jacket, and I was fortunate that all the places we visited last night were warm enough to go without.

A note on corset-shopping: Although I was thrilled to find this real steel-boned corset on Amazon for only $10.98, I got what I paid for. You can kind of see in the first picture that the entire garment is skewed off-center. Apparently this was some kind of flaw in the construction (or I just have undiagnosed scoliosis!) because I spent all night tugging it back to vertical. So next time I buy a corset, I might just have to buy the premium variety...or just pay a bit more attention when I try it on. Five months after purchase is a little too late to initiate a return.