Lace Up Corset Dresses: Back Versus Front Lacing and How to Tie Them

A lace up corset dress closes with a cord drawn through eyelets, so the fit can be tightened by a few centimetres where a zip cannot, and the lacing itself becomes part of the design. Lacing is one of the codes of the Rasario Fall Winter 2026/27 collection, which Coveti carries in full: the velvet corset midi laces at the back in red, black and dark blue at $4,190, alongside a devore velvet midi and a velvet top that laces at the front. Browse the wider midi dresses edit, and see strapless corset dresses for how a laced bodice stays up.

What is a lace up corset dress?

It is a dress with a fitted corset bodice that fastens with lacing, sometimes alongside a zip. The lace is a cord, sometimes a ribbon, threaded through pairs of eyelets along two edges of the bodice, then pulled to draw the edges together. It is the oldest way to close a corset. The V&A holds an 1864 silk corset with metal eyelets and a back lace fastening, and the method has hardly changed.

In eveningwear the lacing does two jobs. It adjusts the fit at the waist and ribcage, and it adds a line of detail where a dress would otherwise be plain. On Rasario’s Fall Winter 2026/27 pieces it also nods to the house signature, described by Forbes in 2022 as the corset combined with frills and bows.

Back lacing versus front lacing

Back lacing

Back lacing is the traditional position. It keeps the front of the bodice smooth, which suits a strapless neckline and a sculpted seam line, and it turns the back into the feature. The trade-off is that you need help to tighten it. The Velvet Corset Midi Dress with Lacing in Red uses back lacing on a strapless sculpted corset.

Front lacing

Front lacing puts the detail where people see it first, and you can tie it yourself. It works best on tops and on less formal shapes, where the lacing is often decorative. Rasario’s Velvet Top with Lacing in Black laces at the front, over contoured cups.

How does lacing adjust the fit?

A zip has one setting. Lacing has many. Pull it closer and the bodice tightens around the waist and ribcage; let it out and you gain a little room, which is useful for a long dinner. That flexibility is why a laced corset can bridge small changes in measurement between fittings. It cannot fix a bodice that is a full size wrong: if the two edges meet completely when laced, the dress is too big, and if they stay wide apart with the fabric straining, it is too small. A gap of roughly even width from top to bottom is the sign of a good fit.

Sizing Rasario

Rasario uses French sizing. Its own chart says UK equals FR minus 30, so FR36 is UK6 and FR40 is UK10. Many generic charts list FR36 as UK8, which is a size out for this label. The house model is 175cm tall and wears FR36. Many sizes are made to order, and each Coveti product page shows which sizes are ready to ship. Our Rasario size guide has the full chart.

Rasario’s Fall Winter 2026/27 lace-up pieces

Velvet corset midi dresses: red, black and dark blue

The red Velvet Corset Midi Dress with Lacing is cut in 80% viscose and 20% silk velvet, with a strapless sculpted corset bodice, back lacing and a straight midi skirt with a back slit. The skirt is 87cm long on a FR36, and the price is $4,190. On the product page UK6 and UK8 are ready to ship and other sizes are made to order. The black and dark blue siblings are listed as the Velvet off-shoulder corset dress in Black and the Velvet off-shoulder corset dress in Dark Blue, both $4,190. Our full review is at Rasario velvet corset midi dress.

Devore velvet midi dress with lacing

The Devore Velvet Midi Dress with Lacing in Red and Beige is $4,430. Devore is a burnout technique: a chemical paste dissolves some fibres in a mixed fabric, leaving a sheer pattern against the solid velvet pile. With lacing on top, it is the most detailed laced piece in the collection. Read what is a devore gown for the technique.

Velvet top with lacing

The Velvet Top with Lacing in Black and the Velvet Top with Lacing in Red are $2,370 each. They are 60% viscose and 40% silk velvet, fitted through the waist and hips with a peplum flare, with contoured cups and front lacing. Styling ideas are in velvet tops for evening.

More laced pieces

The FW26 Crepe Midi Dress with a Corset Bodice and Lace-Up Detailing in Black ($5,250) moves lacing onto crepe. The Laced Satin Corset with Panniers and Bows in Black ($4,240) is a laced corset top with panniers at the hip; it also comes in white. From an earlier collection, the Sequined Maxi Dress With Lacing is $2,995.

How do you tie a lace up corset dress?

Back lacing is a two-person job the first few times. These steps work for most laced bodices.

Step by step

First, loosen the laces fully before you step in, so the bodice opens wide. Close any zip and hooks first. Then, with the bodice positioned where it should sit, have your helper take up the slack from the top down to the waist, and from the bottom up to the waist, a section at a time. Pulling evenly from both ends keeps the gap straight. Breathe normally while they tighten; do not hold your breath, because the fit should be comfortable at rest. Finally, tie the ends in a bow at the waist and tuck the loops under the edge so they do not hang.

Checking the result

The gap between the two edges should be the same width from top to bottom. Sit down, then stand: if the top edge moves away from your body, tighten the top section slightly. If you feel pressure under the ribs, loosen the waist section.

How to wear a lace up corset dress

Show the lacing. With back lacing, wear hair up and choose a bag on a short handle that does not hang across the back. With front lacing, keep the neckline clear of a necklace that competes with it. For a winter wedding, add a fitted jacket over the dress for the ceremony, such as Rasario’s Velvet Fitted Jacket with Satin Collar in Black ($2,770), then take it off for the reception so the back is visible. Shoes can be simple: see designer pumps and, for the red version, what colour shoes to wear with a red dress. For the season’s red edit, see red velvet dresses and corset midi dresses, and the house styling notes in how to style a Rasario corset dress.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between back lacing and front lacing?

Back lacing keeps the front of the bodice smooth and makes the back the feature, but you need help to tighten it. Front lacing puts the detail at the front and can be tied alone. Rasario uses back lacing on its velvet corset midi dress and front lacing on its velvet top.

Can lacing make a corset dress fit if it is the wrong size?

Lacing adjusts the fit by a few centimetres at the waist and ribcage, but it cannot correct a full size. If the edges meet completely, the dress is too big. If they stay wide apart with the fabric straining, it is too small.

How do you tie a lace up corset dress?

Loosen the laces fully, step in and close any zip first. Tighten from the top down to the waist and from the bottom up to the waist, a section at a time, then tie a bow at the waist and tuck the loops away. Aim for a gap of even width from top to bottom.

Which Rasario dresses have lacing?

In the Fall Winter 2026/27 collection, the Velvet Corset Midi Dress with Lacing in Red has back lacing, with black and dark blue siblings, all at $4,190. The Devore Velvet Midi Dress with Lacing in Red and Beige is $4,430. The Velvet Top with Lacing comes in black and red at $2,370.

What size is a Rasario FR38 in UK sizes?

A Rasario FR38 is a UK8. The house chart says UK equals FR minus 30. Generic charts that list FR38 as UK10 are a size out for this label.