I got a message from
pfft asking for a bit of an explanation about when and where exactly does one
wear a corset in this day and age.
There is no established etiquette about what kind of underwear to wear with what clothing, except for the obvious guidelines of trying not to have it show. Therefore one is expected to wear a neutral bra under a white blouse, a low-back bra with a backless dress etc. With strapless dresses one would either wear a strapless bra, or, in the case of larger breasts, a bustier, which is like a mini-corset or a strapless bra with a very wide strap, reinforced with stitching and metal bones. Unlike a corset, it has no lacing, only hooks, and is not designed to pinch the waist, just support the bust.
Now, there really is no specific need to supplant any of these with a full blown laced corset. A well made corset, however, will go under many types of clothing and will add the benefits of improved posture and a narrower waist to those of a bosom you can balance a coffee cup on. It can also provide extra lift for those of us with less than gloriously developed mammaries, and is conductive to the addition of discreet padding.
When wearing the corset discreetly as underwear, a side benefit is the delicious feeling of slight decadence, even lasciviousness which the little secret gives the wearer. Sure you'll look better in a corset, but you'll feel like a courtesan and act like a diva, too.
A corset can also be worn by itself, Madonna-style, for the right kind of occasion and to the right kind of place. This is considerably more risquée, however, and will of course take the whole thing from the realms of sexy underwear and into those of fetish dressing.