WHY BOTHER?

A corset bought off-the-rack will often not fit properly. Corsets are sized by waist measurement, but not length, so if your body is longer or shorter than average for your waist size the corset will not look right, and may be very uncomfortable. You will also be limited in selection of styles, colors and fabrics.

You will have a wider selection of options and sizing if you can afford to have a corset custom made.

But if not, you may want to make your own. There are companies that make good patterns, but again, the selection of styles is limited. There will probably be changes that need to be made to the pattern, either because the corsets do not reduce the waist enough, or because your body isn't of the average shape. Sitting down with a pencil, measuring tape and calculator to calculate any changes is far too frustrating and abstract for me.

By making your own pattern, custom fitted to your body, you can make any style you want with any fit you want, and, while the finished pattern may vary slightly, you can still get a much better idea of what the end result will be than when using a purchased pattern.