By accident of birth and editorial inclination, I’ve become something of a woman’s holster guru. Over the last month or so, ladies have been sending me links to the Dene Adams corset holster, wanting to know if it’s worth the $119.99. Good question! To paraphrase the Bard, once more into the britches, dear Horatio . . .
When I opened the package for the Dene Adams corset holster I was smitten by the delicate lace and champagne color. I prefer a lighter color for concealment; it lets me wear white or light colored clothing without revealing that I’m packing. After unpacking — both the corset and my Taurus snub-nosed .357 revolver in its belly band — I clocked the complementary trigger guard for my Ruger LCP .380 and slipped on Dene’s handiwork.
Most corset holsters remind me why corsets went out of fashion; unless you’re into BDSM they aren’t wearable for longer than about an hour at a time. The champagne SLIM corset in a size XS was surprisingly comfortable. I wore the Dene Adams corset while vacuuming, sweeping and mopping the floors, changing all three beds and doing three loads of laundry. It was so comfortable I almost (almost) forgot I was wearing it.
The corset comes with two pouches for two guns, or one gun and spare magazines. After four hours of chores with the Ruger LCP and my knife in the corset, I swapped the blade for a Springfield XD. Female fans of the New York reload (as demonstrated by Massad Ayoob) will be pleased to know the Dene Adams corset accommodates two guns comfortably enough.
Wearability didn’t change much but the extra weight was noticeable. Plus the larger XD printed. It wasn’t terrible, especially as I was wearing a looser and longer top with leggings.
Both of the holster pouches come with a velcro “strap” to hold the gun in place. Truth be told, I didn’t use it. The guns were secure enough on their own — triggers protected — without needing to worry about latching them in place. Plus I like being able to quickly and efficiently grab my gun if I need it. That is, after all, the whole point of carrying a gun in the first place.
I had Dene Adams fashion a trigger guard for the corset. The corset’s reinforced fabric is fairly effective on its own as a trigger guard, but the tiny piece of plastic offers additional peace of mind. The LCP’s trigger guard has a textured strip on it that sticks to the inside of the corset, making drawing the gun extremely safe and easy. In terms of retention, I’m not confident enough to do a handstand without the velcro strap securely in place, but who does?
The wearer can rotate the corset to place the gun in a comfy spot. They can wear it forwards for appendix carry, backwards for back carry or twisted to the right or left to place the gun on the preferred hip. All positions proved comfortable save back carry — a personal opinion which has nothing to do with the corset or its limitations.
The corset closes with two rows of hook and eye clasps to adjust tightness. I originally had mine on as loose as it would go, but found it got more comfortable when I “snugged” it up and used the second row of clasps instead. There are 11 total hooks and eyes in each row to clasp together. This has to be done before putting the gun in the corset.
Draw from the Dene Adams corset holster is easy; the grip of the gun sticks out the top of the corset. Although this affords a superior draw, it makes for slightly more difficult concealment. I’d rather have the gun readily available and change my top to hide the printing, rather than adjust the garment for deeper concealment.
One unique point about this corset compared to others I’ve reviewed: it doesn’t have a no-slip strip to prevent movement under clothes. That’s a feature not a bug. Those strips are hot, itchy, sticky and do little for the discomfort they provide.
Quality * * * * *
The Dene Adams corset is sturdily built, well-sewn and machine washable.
Retention * * * * *
The velcro strap will keep your gun really secure, at the cost of extending draw time.
Price * * * *
At $119.99, it’s the most expensive corset I’ve reviewed. It’s also the best by a wide margin.
Comfort * * * * *
The Dene Adams corset is perfectly wearable for extended periods of time, although a little warm on the skin (like any corset).
Concealment * * * * 1/2
When using the corset with a larger gun with snug tops, printing happens. But it’s relatively minor (and not a crime). Minor outfit changes or corset adjustments – such as spinning it slightly — will eliminate the problem.
OVERALL * * * * *
The Dene Adams corset holster’s worth the money. It’s the most comfortable and firearms-secure such garment yet tested.
Sara, Thanks so much for this review!!!!!
this will be perfect for early spring ensembles.
thank you.
Got a good laugh from the Shakespeare quote, Thanks!
Me too. Best thing I’ve read this morning.
Sara, serious question:
how do you think this would work for someone that has had a dbl hernia surg?
i had to stop carrying iwb @ appendix position ‘cuz not comfortable.
judging from the pics this looks like it positions the gun higher up than iwb holster.
the next serious question would be do they make it w/o the lace for men, so an attacker wouldn’t run off laughing in a dgu?
Is the attacker runs off laughing, then that is a success.
I think they do make it without lace. But I think it’s made with women in mind. Not that a man couldn’t wear it. But the sizing would be off.
My sizing has been “off” for years. Not a skinny kid anymore, Too much bad eats!
I empathize. If I carried AIWB, a negligent discharge would exit just above my a$$ hole.
Have u ever tried a good old belly band? I’m not sure how it works with a hernia and I know they get a lot of shit, but I wouldn’t trade mine for the world. It’s not something I would want to wear all day, but for trips to 7-11 in the middle of the night in sweats it can’t be beat. Never had a problem with mine, carried a full size 1911 comfortably enough. I bet you could wear it tight and high and get some support for that hernia.
I know people are going to hate me, but I have to ask…
Why do every one of Sara’a articles always include pictures of her showing off her concealing a gun or posing with a gun? She is a woman and easy on the eyes, I get it. It is kind of click bait….but every article?
She is a fine writer, but her articles are always Sara-centric. Robert and Dean don’t do that. It just gets old after awhile. The only other person who does this is FirearmConcierge and he us just an egomaniacial opportunist.
Anyone else feel this way? I am not a hater, just an observer.
I for one am glad she’s doing this. It may not be helpful to you, or to me, but it WILL help other women, the ones who are slender and can’t imagine how on earth they can hide a gun. Sara shows them, and I do mean shows them, that it can be done. The articles would be less useful without the pics. The articles are Sara centric, because she’s the demo.
And I do want a lot of women packing out there. Hell, if I thought doing so would get them all packing, I’d give up my gun. (Easy for me to say, since there’s no way that’s true–and because I have another gun. 🙂 )
Hear, hear!
Pretty sure every holster review on TTAG has photos of the person wearing it.
The pictures on this one I would say are helpful for the review to demonstrate fit and printing.
Sara loves her some Sara.
+1
Would you rather “Bozo the Clown” or “Freddie KRUGER” model the fashions?
It is Probably easier to set up a camera on “self timer” or find someone to snap the picts of her, than it is to have a tree trunk wear the corset.
“The only other person who does this is FirearmConcierge and he us just an egomaniacial opportunist.”
I’m not sure I want to see FirearmConcierge posing while wearing a lacy corset.
(Not that there’s anything wrong about it…)
I know. If she would only move out of the way so we can see the Jeep better. 🙂 Kidding. Any chance for women to step forward and prove to other women that guns are okay is good for the 2nd amendment.
Glad to see more people taking up the difficulties women have concealing.
That’ll have to do while we continue to work on making open carry the social norm.
Corset ? More an Girdle ^^
This is what TTAG should be videoing.
“I was smitten by the color”. This was my chuckle for the day knowing the no nonsense CCW attitude of Mrs. Tipton.
As retired except for some pet sitting, have the luxury of wearing cargo pants & long cotton blouses or T-shirts, so can “pocket carry” Ruger LCR but this article makes me pine for younger shinny days gone by! I like all of Sara’s articles. Nice to have a women’s viewpoint. Reviews are a bonus.
Serious question: could a woman (or man for that matter) accomplish the same thing with a belly band? What is special/better about this corset over a belly band?
Probably much more comfortable fitting, compared to a glorified rubberband with a pocket.
“What is special/better about this corset …”
A corset allows women to show a more flattering figure…
I have an Idea…………………
Sara’s Secrets fashion show on CBS. highlighting fashions for the Well Armed Woman.
I could air Early December, just in time for Christmas gift giving ideas.
That should be “it ” could air
That name is already taken by an adult novelties shop in Dallas. They have billboards everywhere.
I don’t really understand how that fits. Maybe more pictures minus the shirt and jeans interference!
I think you might be looking for a different channel to view.
Do you think this would fit me as a athletically built man who self-identifies as a woman?
Probably will fit you better than someone who is not “athletically built” regardless of how one identifies.
Hmm… The wife likes the idea of corsets. She also has gotten much more interested in carrying lately. Might make a nice birthday present.
Sara, that looks a whole lot like appendix carry, that may not be wise to use a semiauto with one in the pipe…
It’s a Ruger LCP she’s got in there, It will darn near take an act of congress to make it fire, not like some hair trigger single action.
That just looks like a really bad idea, see butt shot post.
I showed this to my wife. Her comment? “An XS!! That b***” 🙂
If you had this up before Valentines Day it would have been even better.
I as a 200# guy won’t be wearing this but i do think the fact that its designed to accept a holster insert is a smart idea.
You never know, it could be very slimming for you.
I would like to see if it prints in lingerie, and a bikini. From multiple various angles. For science.
I’m a size 14 and just got my corset last month. I had previously tried the belly band and hated it. It would slide up to just under my boobs and was very uncomfortable. I really like the Dene Adams corset. It does tend to slide a bit too, but not nearly as much. I did opt to take it off after 4 hours into my 13 hour drive. It was becoming quite uncomfortable at that point. I have no issues wearing it all day around town or working around the house/farm. It conceals perfectly with a regular ol t shirt.
Sara,
I’m curious to know your size clothes wise. Silly question, but I just recieved my corset in size small and it feels big. my waist measures 29″ but I don’t want to exchange to find the XS be to small and not be able to get the small back :/
CAUTION: deneadams.com does NOT maintain one’s privacy when ordering online. They share your private info on social media, Facebook, without permission. Once your info is put out online it becomes public and there is NO way to remove or retrieve it. If you value your privacy, do NOT order from this company.
Looks useful, but had a woman in TX tell me the plastic stays came out & its too hot to wear in TX.
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