I'm going to preface my review by stating that I've been attending Renaissance and pirate festivals since 1981.  I have worn just about every kind of bodice, cincher, and corset known to mankind.  Some fit my body style better than others, but it took a lot of time and money figuring out which style fits best.  I am short waisted, so long waisted corsets like this look much better on me.

Keep in mind that not every corset is for every body style.

When I ordered this piece, I went completely by waist size.  I know what size jeans I wear.  That is how I chose.  Never in my life have I ordered a 3x corset, but I did with this one based on other reviews.  I am 56 years old, 5'5" and weigh 145.  I wear a 36DD bra.  Normally I would purchase a large when buying a corset or bodice.  When I looked at the waist size in the guide, I knew exactly what I was doing.  Keep in mind that this is made in an Asian country where women have different body shapes than us.  These run small!

I will admit that the waist to bust size isn't exactly spot on, but I have a million options to fix that.  I'm planning on wearing a padded strapless bra to fill out my bust area and to keep my boobs from sagging down.  Unless you are young and have perky large boobs (like that exists), or have had a boob job, you'll probably need a strapless bra to keep the tatas from slipping down.  This corset will not keep the tatas up, especially if you are 56 years old and had two children.

The quality of this garment is exceptional .  I do not know why some people claimed there was no steel boning.  It's definitely there! Maybe that differs depending on which style fabric you choose.  All I know is that it is there, and it works perfectly.  The fabric is gorgeous.  I chose a brown to go with other Ren Fest garb I plan to wear, and to match my brindle Greyhound.  Weird ... I know.  I tried it on last night to make sure it fits.  The zipper is well made, the grommets for cinching are sturdy.  The faux leather doesn't look hokey.  You can't ask for much more.

One of the best features of this corset is that you can wear it with or without the top cap piece.  The cap piece definitely sets it apart, but I live in Florida, and even in February, attending a Ren Fest in garb like this can make one super hot.  Plus I'm 56 and going through hot flashes.  The fact that I can take the top cap piece off and just wear the corset makes this perfect. I imagine that if one were wearing this out dancing, removing the cap piece would be a great attribute as well.

Keep in mind that my daughter tried to buy a piece similar to this for someone kind of larger than me.  She ordered the 3x and it was definitely too small. Make sure when you order if you can sent it back.