Review: Lidia Harness by Karolina Laskowska
Karolina Laskowska "Lidia" harness styled for a night on the town, with Karolina Laskowska spiked bracelet, Dark Garden "Grable" corset, and Pop Antique soft fascinator.
While in England for the Oxford Conference of Corsetry last year, I met up with fellow Lingerie Addict columnist Karolina Laskowska for an afternoon in London and picked up a few accessories from her eponymous lingerie line. In addition to the lace-and-spike motif bracelets I got for my punk femme girlfriend, I ended up with a strappy Lidia harness.
Lidia Harness by Karolina Laskowska, £45 £30
I've been admiring Karolina's strappy styles for a while. Much of her line is handmade by her personally, though you would never know from looking at it because her construction is beautiful. The Lidia harness is characterized by its crossover straps around the rib cage, and is sleeker than some of her other styles as it lacks textured details such as spikes or bows. This makes it ideal for wearing under clothing, peeking out from a low neckline, and easy to style over clothing.
Layered over a simple shirt with the strap lengths adjusted, it instantly tailors a waistline!
Being me, I of course like to pair it with a corset, as shown in the above outfits. When wearing it at Masquerotica in the ensemble at the top of this post, I shortened the halter part so that the horizontal straps sat under my bust at about bra-band level. Recently, I've been waist training again, so I used it to set off a simple t-shirt worn over a waspie cincher. I lengthened the halter strap and snugged the lowest horizontal strap; worn over my shirt, it settled nicely on my waistline and contoured my casually fitted tee. Brilliant! (Tightening the lower strap is necessary to keep it anchored on the waistline.) Regardless of where you wear it, you will have to check the straps occasionally to make sure they are still fanned out attractively.
Adjusting strappy bits
Karolina is also currently selling a limited edition harness to fundraise for her final collection as she completes her degree in Contour Fashion. The Fundraiser Harness is available with several customizable options, from elastic color to accent detailing. All options are priced the same at £25 (roughly $40). Standard sizing for both harness styles is S-M-L, though since Karolina handmakes each item to order customization is available for an additional fee. The design itself also lends a certain flexbility in sizing.
Karolina Laskowska Fundraiser Harness, £25
How would you rock these strappy harnesses by Karolina Laskowska?
