Rule #6: During the lacing you should be entirely relaxed.

In Rule #3 I already mentioned that you should put on the corset before breakfast and after your morning toilette. Another reason for this is that your body is totally relaxed in this state. Thus it is no problem to form it as desired with the help of the corset. Many women unfortunately do not stick to this rule and thus have great difficulty to lace themselves tightly. When putting on your corset and having the laces tightened, you should hold fast to somewhere, for otherwise it won't be possible to tighten the laces appropriately. But the act of holding fast to somewhere does also cause your muscles to tighten and thus diminishes the lacing success. An absolutely abominable tradition is the following procedure: the maiden (or whoever helps with lacing) puts her knee into the lady's back and then pulls the laces with all her might. Here now I'd like to reveal you a secret that I recommended my customers with the most enviable waists: The lying position is the best for lacing. This is due to the relaxation of the muscles. My tightest-laced customers all tried on their corsets in a lying position. For this purpose I've had made a lacing bench. Many of my customers were so fond of this device that they bought one for themselves. The lacing procedures are so very much easier on such a bench than in any other position. The bench is about 2 to 2.5 m long (corresponding to the lady's height), upholstered, with a knob at one small side and with two hollows, one for each breast. Once the front clasp is closed and the laces are adjusted to the lady's body (so that the smallest part of the corset encloses the lady's waist, she lies down on the lacing bench, comfortably with her breasts in the corresponding hollows. She should hold to the knob at the small side, but without tightening her muscles. The flexing of the arms above the head flattens the belly and brings the bust into a favourable position. After this, the actual lacing process can be started with. It is best done by two cooperating persons, one at each side of the bench. The person at the right side pulls the left lace and the other pulls the right lace. Using this method it is very easy to lace even the last 2-3cms, which are often the hardest. After having bought a lacing bench, many of my customers were able to have themselves laced tighter by several centimeters, because the new method made it so much easier for them to lace without any problems. The bust, too, is positively influenced by this method; it no longer has to be pressed upwards, but it has its natural position during the lacing and the corset only supports it corset.