Last updated on April 8th, 2023 at 02:51 pm
Fan lacing may also be referred to as “Camp” lacing, “Cross” lacing, or “Cluster” lacing. Fan-laced corsets are relatively rare today, but they can be useful for those who have limited strength or dexterity. Fan-laced corsets differ from ‘regular’ corsets by their utilization of metal slides (usually, but not always!). These slides have grommet-like small holes on one end through which the laces are secured, and an adjustable serrated slot which grabs securely onto a grosgrain tape or belt. This allows the wearer to tighten their corset the same way that they would adjust a bra strap; simply by pulling on a pair of belts on either side of the lacing panel. For those who are unable to reach behind them and ‘pluck’ the individual X’s of the laces, a fan-laced corset may be just the trick for quickly and easily adjusting one’s own corset; for those with disabilities who use corsets for medical purposes, the use of fan lacing can contribute to one’s independence when dressing oneself. For those who would like a fan-laced corset as a fashion statement, you will find this page useful as well. Scroll down to see a gallery of corset makers who are experienced with making fan-laced corsets!
*Corset makers: if you have made fan-laced corsets and would like to be included in the gallery, please submit your best photo to my email here with a 1-sentence description and your website URL. Safe-for-work photos are preferred! Thank you!*
Corsets with Functional Fan Lacing
Corsets with Faux or Decorative Fan Lacing
Corset Fan Lacing Tutorials
Honorable Mentions (makers that are retired/on hiatus)
The following corsets employ fan lacing to actually tighten and loosen the corset, rather than being used simply for embellishment. Scroll down the page if you’d like to see corsets which simply use fan-lacing for embellishment.
The following corsets have a fan-lacing embellishment, but their use is not imperative to the actual function of the corset. Faux fan lacing can have a stunning effect on corsets, especially when contrast laces are used.
Fan Lacing Tutorials
The following tutorials show how to lace / relace a corset with pre-existing fan-lacing sliders, how to convert regular-laced stays into fan-laced stays, and how to make fan-laced stays from scratch:
~Honorable Mentions~
*Please note that I have not personally tried every corset brand in this list, nor do I necessarily endorse every company on this list. This is for informational purposes only. Please contact the individual corsetieres for more information about their fan-laced corsets. This page may contain affiliate links which help keep these galleries online and free for everyone to use.
Helen
May 30, 2023
Thank you so much for this guide, Lucy! I ordered a fan-laced double premium corset from PureOne and I’m really loving it. The fan-lacing system is really sturdy and it gives a really nice hourglass figure with an extremely comfortable fit. I think I’m going to order more in their fan-laced corset line – there’s one geared towards exercising that I would love to try out! They’re surprisingly easy to order on wunderwelt, a company that offers customer service in English as well as worldwide shipping. I got mine within a week of ordering (I live in the US) with no shipping charges.
A UK company called Pip & Pentalaimons also started selling OTR fan-laced steel-boned corsets recently, I think. I bought one to try out – the fan-lacing system is functional, easy to loosen, but definitely much flimsier than one on the PureOne corset. Nevertheless, it offers good support and the mesh penals are lightweight, so I’d give it four stars.
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Shawn
February 12, 2022
The corset deal fan laced corsets I fear don’t have the reduction I’m used to and they don’t look at the hip and rib springs.
The other corset I would be interested in is the Vollers. However they also don’t list hip or rib springs. Should I assume that I’m out of luck for a fan laced corset OTR ?Reply
Lucy
February 14, 2022
Hi Shawn, Vollers is a small family company so I’m sure if you email them, someone will get back to you with more information about their products. But in general, it’s fairly difficult to get a tightlacing reduction in a fan-laced corset – more often than not, it’s designed more for support and quick use than for dramatic reductions.
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A.M.
June 25, 2021
Hey Lucy! I’m the one that ordered the fan lacing overbust by Nemuro Corsets. I am sad to say I had a really bad experience with the corset and Evgeniya’s customer service left a lot to be desired and I can’t in good faith recommend her for fan lacing corsets at the very least. In short, I ordered fan laced overbust that provided 3-4″ of waist reduction and she expressed no reservations, made it seem like it was totally possible. The mockup came and it mostly fit ok but didn’t test the fan lacing at all, which was odd considering it’s her first time doing fan lacing and it’s important to test and make sure it works early on in the process. Then the final product came and it looked way cheaper than in the photo: half the bones were plastic (I don’t think it was synthetic whalebone), no waist tape, the fabric wasn’t fused together at all, it definitely looked more like a fashion piece or a mockup than one suitable for tightlacing. The construction looked like it cut corners and for €250 it should not be that cheaply made. I’m not expecting Dark Garden quality, but frankly it was much worse quality than my Restyle overbust, which cost €50.
Most importantly, the fan lacing mechanism was not properly put on the corset and was useless! The ribbon wasn’t anchored on the front of the corset. It was just a pull and tie type which only may work for regency stays or fashion pieces and I think would not be good for the corset because tying laces around the waist wears the fabric down. When I complained, she acted like I was the problem and made unreasonable requests for this commission even though she never expressed any concerns during the process and knew what I wanted all along. Paying customers should not be guinea pigs. She never admitted her mistake in doing the fan lacing wrong for this type of corset.
The corset and specifically the fan lacing was not fit for purpose and therefore when I contacted her I asked for a refund, I had no choice. I couldn’t see the corset lasting under pressure from lacing it moderately tight. It already looked a bit worn and strained around the waist. When I tried putting it on and tightening it the bottom two busk pins came undone. Not acceptable.
I don’t say this to be rude to Evgeniya or to slate her work. But I think people should be aware because people who use fan lacing corsets often have physical disabilities and I don’t think it’s responsible for her to market her attempt at it being a success – someone could have gotten injured from that poorly done fan lacing (my husband pulled a muscle and heard a pop in his shoulder from trying to pull the fan lacing slides). Perhaps her work is good for people who use corsets for fashion or can use regular lacing, but that wasn’t my experience.
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Lucy
June 25, 2021
Hi A.M., thank you for sharing your experience so thoroughly, so that others can make an educated decision on whether or not to work with Evgeniya in the future.
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Rosie
April 7, 2021
Hi Lucy, do you have any thoughts on Pip & Pantalaimon’s corset line? Also, I notice that the Corset Deal says that it is the only functional fan-lacing OTR corset in the industry – is that still the case, or do you consider the Vollers ones functional as well?
Thank you so much for your website, what a gem!Reply
Lucy
April 18, 2021
Hi Rosie, thanks for introducing me to Pip & Pantalaimon – I was not familiar with their corsets before now, but they do look to have functional fan-lacing systems! I will add this and others to the gallery soon, but just at a first glance the style looks to be similar to Orchard Corset’s CS-201 mesh corset, just with fan lacing added.
I’ve been hard at work updating all the galleries but only have time to focus on one per week, and the project is a huge undertaking that will take about 6 months total to complete. Your patience is appreciated!Reply
Dana Lynde Candella
April 22, 2022
I own this fan lace corset and it’s fairly good quality. Their sizing says “order to your natural waist measurement” which is incorrect. Their sizing is actually the standard fully closed sizing. So if you order a 27″, that is the fully closed measurement. Also you will need to re-lace it. They use a “bare back” lacing style which has no laces running horizontally except for the top and bottom grommets. When you tighten, the top and bottom goes slack and cannot be easily adjusted. I re-laced with a standard even-odd straight lacing which will lace down properly. Like most fan lace corsets, it is not to be used for tightlacing. The slides will dig in and destroy the fabric if you try reducing by more than 2-3 inches.
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Melina Reilly
November 29, 2018
Vollers introduced a beautiful fan corset in 2017 (perhaps earlier). They call it the Majestic and you can view it on the Vollers website.
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Lucy
December 4, 2018
Hi Melina, it’s been added to the gallery now. :) Thanks for your tip!
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Judy
August 7, 2018
I broke my back in 1969 when I was 15. I was fitted with a camp back brace and have had to wear it on and off ever since. I have been back brace dependent for the last 4 months — my old faithful back brace fell apart and I had to have a new one made. Since then I’ve taken the parts off my old one and made a black one and it is brilliant. But, where can I get the camp pulls? I’d really like to make another one — it was fun. But I’m out of hardware! Can you help?
I live in Toronto, Canada.Reply
Lucy
August 9, 2018
Hi Judy, I have found some fan lacing sliders at Vena Cava Design in the UK. I’ve looked at all the other corset supply shops and I think this is the only place that still stocks them! Hope this helps.
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Kristen
June 30, 2014
Can a normal laced corset be coverted to a fan lace? I have issues lacing myself and my partner near has a heart attack from doing the corsets up on me so being able to covert my collection would be so helpful!
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bishonenrancher
June 30, 2014
Hi Kristen, I haven’t personally tried to convert a regular-laced corset into a fan-laced one, but talking to another corsetiere, she says probably no. The “waist tape” or “belt” portion that anchors the laces has to be very strong and anchored in very securely; typically right through the whole corset itself. So to convert a regular corset to a fan-lacing one, a lightly-sewn-on anchor would carry the risk of ripping right out, and a properly anchored belt might be, well, very ugly.
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Kristen
June 30, 2014
Ah never mind. I will have to start adding new fan laced corsets to my collection :)
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Dorothy
March 3, 2014
Looks so complicated!
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bishonenrancher
March 3, 2014
It can be a tad tricky to make/ set up, Dorothy, but as long as the laces stay untangled, fan-lacing is a breeze to use! I have some functional fan-lacing on a girdle, and a decorative fan-lacing detail on one of my Serindë corsets, and once you get the hang of it, it’s almost 2nd nature. The only downside is that it’s not the smoothest under clothing.
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sharon
March 3, 2014
Oh GOD.. How I LOVE these!!!
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