Kitten Plus Wet Look Halter Corset with Mesh Panels 11-6602XK

What this corset is

The Kitten Plus 11-6602XK is a women's halter corset made by Allure Lingerie in black, combining glossy wet look panels with sheer mesh ones and finished with garter straps at the lower edge. Allure Lingerie carries it under style number 11-6602XK in its Kitten Plus line, and it is made in one size, cut to plus-size proportions.

It sits in our corsets range because of how it is put together: this is a panelled, seamed garment with a laced detail at the centre front, rather than a chemise cut from a single piece of fabric. If you are browsing by label rather than by shape, it also appears under Kitten Plus.

On fabric content and washing, the sewn-in label inside the garment is the authority and should be followed in preference to anything written here.

How it is built

The 11-6602XK is assembled from vertical panels that alternate between the two fabrics, and the arrangement changes as it travels down the body.

At the top, a band of the glossy wet look fabric passes around the neck and runs down into the bust. The bust is cut as two shaped panels with a deep scooped upper edge, each seamed down the middle so the fabric follows a curve rather than lying flat. Both are the wet look fabric throughout, so the bust is fully opaque.

Directly below the bust the garment opens into a keyhole at the centre front, and this is the piece's main detail. The opening is laced across with narrow bands in a criss-cross arrangement running from just under the bust down to the waist. On either side of that opening is a tall, narrow panel of the wet look fabric that frames the lacing and carries the line of the garment down past the waist.

Outboard of those two panels, at the front waist and over each hip, the fabric changes to sheer mesh. The mesh continues down into a flared lower panel that falls to the top of the thigh, so the whole lower half of the front reads as sheer rather than solid, with the wet look confined to the centre and the outer hips.

The back is largely open. From the neck down to around the waist there is no fabric at all — the halter band at the neck is the only thing crossing the upper back. Below the waist the garment resumes with a wet look panel down the centre back, flanked by sheer mesh on each side, and the lower edge sweeps down and around the hip.

Narrow straps hang from the lower edge at both the front and the back, and each one ends in a garter clip. A garter clip is a small two-part fitting that closes over the welt at the top of a stocking and holds it there.

The two fabrics

The garment is built from two materials with deliberately opposite characters, and that contrast is the whole design idea.

The wet look fabric has a high-shine coated face that throws back light in bright streaks and highlights, which is where the name comes from. It is completely opaque. Because the shine is directional, the same panel reads as near-black across most of its width and almost white along whichever edge is catching the light, and that is what gives the bust and the centre panels their sculpted look.

The mesh is a fine, even, open knit with no pattern in it. It is genuinely sheer — skin tone reads straight through it — and it carries no shine at all, so it sits back visually while the wet look panels come forward. Set side by side with a seam between them, the two fabrics make the shape of the garment legible from across a room.

Both fabrics are black. What they are made from is printed on the garment's own label, and no fibre percentage is stated on this page.

How to wear it

Put the halter over your head first and let the garment hang before you adjust anything else. With an open-backed halter there is nothing at the back to work against you, so the piece will drop into roughly the right place on its own and you can correct from there.

Settle the bust next. Each cup is seamed, so it has a front and a centre, and that seam wants to sit square rather than off to one side. Run a finger along the upper edge of each panel to flatten it against the body — wet look fabric creases visibly if it goes on folded, and a crease catches the light the same way the rest of the panel does, which makes it obvious.

Then set the band around the neck. A halter carries the weight of the front of the garment on the back of the neck, so the usual test applies: you should be able to slide a finger comfortably under the band. Any tighter and it will become uncomfortable across an evening; any looser and the bust panels will sit lower than they are cut to.

Leave the centre-front lacing until last. It crosses an opening that is part of the design rather than a way into the garment, so the job here is cosmetic — even the bands up so they lie parallel and the opening is the same width top and bottom.

Stockings go on after the corset, not before. Draw each one up, then bring the strap down to meet it rather than pulling the stocking up to the strap, and lay the welt into the open jaw of the clip before closing it. Do the front straps first and the back ones second; reaching behind you is easier once the fronts are already holding the hem in place. Keep the tension even between the straps, because one strap pulling harder than the others drags the hem down on that side and the line of the mesh panel goes with it.

Who it is for

This is a one-size, plus-size-cut garment for adults, and its whole design language is evening and bedroom rather than everyday. The mesh is sheer and the back is open, so it is worn as lingerie or as part of a costume look, not as a layer under daywear.

One size is a real limitation and worth being plain about: a single cut cannot suit every body. The measurement that matters most on this style is the distance from shoulder to hip, because that is what decides whether the bust panels and the hem land where they were drawn. Measure your bust, waist and hips before ordering rather than working from a dress size, and if you want the maker's measurements for this style first, ask us.

If you already own thigh-high stockings, this piece is built to be worn with them — the garter straps are not decoration. If you do not, the corset is still wearable on its own and the straps simply hang.

Good to know

• The fabric content and the washing instructions are on the garment's own sewn-in label. Follow that label in preference to anything written here.
• As general practice with coated wet look fabrics: keep them away from heat. No tumble dryer, no iron on the coated face, no hot water.
• Fine mesh snags easily. Take rings off before handling it, and keep it away from hook-and-loop fastenings, rough stonework and sharp zips.
• Hang or lay the garment flat to dry rather than wringing it. Wringing creases a coated fabric in a way that can stay visible.
• Store it flat or on a hanger with the panels unfolded. Long-standing creases across a wet look panel show up under light.
• Adult garment, intended for buyers aged 18 and over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the mesh on the 11-6602XK see-through?

Yes — the mesh panels are genuinely sheer, and skin reads clearly through them. The mesh runs across the front waist, over each hip, down the flared lower panel and either side of the centre back, so a substantial part of the piece is transparent. The bust and the centre-front panels are the opaque wet look fabric.

What does the back of this corset look like?

The back is open from the neck down to about the waist, with no fabric across it apart from the halter band at the neck. Below the waist the garment picks up again with a wet look panel down the centre and sheer mesh either side of it, and the lower edge curves down and around the hip.

Can I wear stockings with it?

Yes, and it is built for them. Narrow straps hang from the lower edge at the front and the back, and each one ends in a garter clip that closes over the welt at the top of a stocking. Put the corset on first, draw the stockings up second, then bring each strap down to the stocking rather than the other way round.

What size is the 11-6602XK?

It is a one-size garment cut to plus-size proportions, which is how Allure Lingerie sizes its Kitten Plus line. Because there is only one cut, measure your bust, waist and hips and work from those figures rather than from a dress size before you order.

How is my order packaged for delivery?

Orders are sent in plain outer packaging with no product imagery and no description of the contents on the outside. The sender details do not identify the category of goods inside.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe product specifications directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Adult novelty device for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children.