Overall enjoyed, only very minor qualms.
I adore the cut of this corset. It's (sort of) my first one—I bought it along with the waspie. I got a size 20 and have a natural waist of around 26 or 27 inches, but I was able to lace it almost closed the first time I put it on. It is very comfortable, certainly not very heavy. Two downsides to the novice corset: 1. Because it uses fewer layers, it's unlined, so you've got the casing of the boning rubbing on your skin. I didn't find this to be that uncomfortable, especially since I don't plan on wearing it on bare skin much, but I didn't expect the corset to look like this on the inside. 2. The novice uses MUCH worse lacing. The waspie I got had proper shoelace-type laces, which are much sturdier, and this has flimsy ribbon in it. Not my fave. The only upside is that it's so slippery that lacing up the corset is super easy—although that does also mean it slips out of position rather quickly. For me, this meant that I had to be really careful that the laces were parallel, otherwise they would start bowing out. I worry that with a thin corset like this, that might result in seasoning it badly. Then my one gripe with this model: the hips. For me, the hips are not cupped enough. I have very mild scoliosis, making my body a bit asymmetrical, which means that on one side my hip is totally fine, and on the other I feel a bit of a pinch, especially when I lace the corset tightly. I just wish the hips were more rounded on this. What I've learned from this is that I'd probably like the UFR, which I kind of already thought I would, but I didn't have THAT much money to splurge. These negatives don't detract very much at all from my overall enjoyment of the corset. I'm a big fan and I'm very happy with my purchase. I might have an addiction now. TL;DR: Negatives 1. Lower number of fabric layers may reduce structural integrity; 2. Lacing quality sucks; 3. I, personally, could use more rounding in the hips. Positives 1. Very easy to lace into; 2. Remarkably comfortable (I'm more squeezable than I thought!); 3. Gives a gorgeous silhouette, of course; 4. Definitely great value for money.
