Introduction

In Part 1, we discussed how it was possible to approach the topic of silhouette in such a way as to move towards a distinctive house style. I concluded that the hardest part is to then remain true to the principles of the shaping options you find beautiful, whilst also navigating the client's particular curves and requirements. In this article I want to write a bit more about silhouette, but also its relationship to your business as a whole. The first question is whether you are creating off-the-rack or bespoke corsetry:

1. Are you creating bespoke corsetry for each client?
2. Are you manufacturing ready-to-wear corsetry for sale by waist size?

Whichever route you choose, your patterning (i.e. your cut/silhouette) can be explored for most beauty, creating a silhouette that is synonymous with your brand. Each route has its own limitations and challenges, but they're often considered very different approaches (and I imagine that most of you here will be erring towards the bespoke side of things). But I would suggest that one key lesson from RTW corsetry is actually something bespoke makers should keep in mind... that you should be aware of your 'average' client (or of who that could be, if you don't have one yet).

Each fashion brand works from its own set of demographics. This is why a 'medium' size, for example, is not consistent across different brands. Each brand's 'average/medium' customer can be different. If your average customer is 18 years old and British then your 'medium' sizing may not work for a 'medium' 50-year-old in Russia. Grade up and down from your 'average' customer, and you can see how the knock-on effect of that disparity can become even more pronounced at each end of the size range available. The issue with RTW is clear, but if you wish to have a signature silhouette as a bespoke maker, you need to understand that the challenge can be the same: how to make your one or two signature silhouettes work for the vast range of bodies out there.

Well, the answer is that you don't have to. If you specialise, you will soon begin to recognise an 'average' client for your work. For example, I do work with a range of sizes and shapes, but there is certainly an 'average' emerging, with 22” closed being a rather common base-point for my clients. Not all 22” closed waist corsets are created with the same cut and proportions, of course, but there are certain general observations to be made around this size which would change if my 'average' client were, for example, of my own size and shape (figure 2).

Figure 2: Different bodies respond to corsetry in different ways. Observing those
differences can teach you about fit, comfort and shaping, and you establish
understandings about the requirements of your 'average' client.

Some contemporary brands have recognised that this difficulty of 'average' sizing is compounded by corsetry and have subsequently started manufacturing corsets that suit different hip-springs, etc. This is a great approach and one that echoes the manufacture of antique/vintage corsets, which might have a range of designs apparently suited to figure types all the way from 'short slender' upwards and also encompassing differences in posture/shape/purpose. If developing a broad range of ready-to-wear patterns is something that interests you, then you can adopt a similar approach whether you are a big manufacturer or a one-person business. Whether your silhouettes/styles are single or varied, intended for ready-to-wear or bespoke, make them fit for purpose and appropriate to your client base.  

But what I'm going to put forward today is that whichever route your business takes (standard-sized corsets or completely bespoke fit), it can actually be very satisfying and useful to move towards a 'house style', a silhouette that is instantly recognisable as yours. In doing so, you begin to learn who your target customer would be, and thus what structure, price-point, etc. your business needs to adopt.

Figure 3: I took this screencap of Lucy's 2nd Sparklewren corset as I feel it is a nice angle (from a nice video!) that shows 'Sparklewren' well. Aside from the fabrication, I recognise my own hand here in the cut, proportion and swell of the curves, and I hope that others will too.

 

My Preferred Silhouettes in Detail

Figure 4 shows the two main variations on torso-shaping that I find interesting:

Figure 4: My two main variants. Left: the conical hourglass. Right: the almost wasp-waisted hourglass.

Essentially, my focus is on specificities within 'hourglass' corsetry. Hourglasses that almost tip over into wasp-waists (well-suited to both heavily boned and light-as-a-feather corsetry, with each producing different results) and conical hourglasses that contrast a narrow back/torso with a very rounded (sometimes sharp) hip (well suited to my recent Bird's Wing style, which I may write more on next time).

Some of the details that make these silhouettes more specific than Part 1's example 'conical' and 'wasp waist' sketches are as follows:

1. Where a conical upper torso is preferred, it is with careful distribution of curve to allow for a sleek side along with comfort through the ribs.
2. Where a wasp-waist is preferred, the length/height of the nipped waist (which could become a 'stem waist' if pushed further) is balanced with the client's overall proportions and chosen construction method (since some methods flex into a dramatic wasp-waist more readily, whilst others will smooth out the waspy shaping a touch). On the whole, the length of the waist section is rather short to avoid tipping over into stem-waistedness.
3. The preferred shape is usually for a low-hipped corset with overbust cut not too high, to create an hourglass that, whilst not equal above and below the waist, is well balanced, i.e. the visual 'weight' of the upper section is balanced by the length and width of the low hip. As a rule, corsets with more length below the waist than above give the prettiest shapes (as per this silk toile/test-piece).
4. Where a sleek hourglass is preferred, this emphasis upon upper and lower balance is especially important. Corsets cut on the high hip are generally made with a view to being worn with a skirt that will bring the attention back to broad, feminine hips, to prevent the corset giving too 'mannish' a shape (a high hip cut can unwittingly make the back and chest appear broader than it is).
5. Busts are generally smoothed rather than rounded, but where a wasp-waist is appropriate, then rounder bust-shaping is preferred.

Perhaps many of these little details will be noticeable to few but myself. Certainly, clients that are not educated in corsetry cannot explain what it is that makes a design special and it is also a given that not everyone will like your work... but I think these little specificities are still important to explore. They can function beneath the viewer's first impressions, giving a sense of the care and attention gone into the design's development, and I hope that even if my styles aren't your particular cup of tea you would still recognise their particular 'Sparklewren-ness'.

Figure 5: A detail shot of the side-back. Satin corsetry is especially lovely for showing curves due to the way it reflects light. This angle shows us how the waist is smooth and sleek. It is quite a dramatic shape, with a small amount of length to the waist instead of nipping to a sharp point (partly a result of the construction method), but without tipping over into stem-waistedness.

I wrote last time about wanting to create lines and proportions that are a lovely expression of their own character i.e. a full hip should be very full, a conical rib should be obviously so, etc...

...but even with an average client/size, the small differences between bodies will mean that your corsets either have to adapt to fit (custom/bespoke) or will be adapted by the body anyway. By this, I simply mean that when you put one corset on four or five different people, it looks different each time. This is even more noticeable on dramatically cinched corsets and I have also found that different approaches to patterning work better than others when trying to negotiate many different bodies. As with the mannequin/human difference discussed in my last article, different bodies press the corset into different shapes.

The Burning Coals 'Birds Wing' corset is a good example of how slight differences in an individual's shape and body can have an impact upon the corset...

Figure 6: Perhaps one wearer has a slight asymmetry....




Figure 7: ...and perhaps another has a very narrow back/ribcage and small internal organs. A conical line or wasp-waist might be more pronounced. Perhaps a fullness through the low hip compared to the high hip will change the appearance dramatically.

Figure 8: Perhaps one's pelvis is shaped/angled such that the corset hips are noticeably delineated in a sort of angled ellipse (left), whilst another's low hip is less full bringing the emphasis back up to a sharper high hip (right).

Figure 9: Of course, lacing a corset onto an unyielding mannequin gives a different effect yet again. As discussed in my last article, the Edwardian-shaped mannequins press the upper torso of the corsets into a front-to-back oval, instead of side-to-side.

Perhaps one individual's body cinches very readily at the front waist and thus the corset is inclined to collapse there even when the reduction is taken mostly from the sides and side-back. Perhaps another's natural sway back gives the corset an unintentional Edwardian look. The list can go on and on!

All of these little specificities, and more, reveal a garment that is quite fluid for all its rigidity; it is only once on the body that corsets are properly 'finished', as they need the body filling them out to be truly beautiful.

As corsetmakers, we must understand this and make garments that work with the body - not against it - even whilst we explore sometimes extreme shapes. It is a challenge, to say the least! Fortunately, I get bored quite easily so being intrigued by a couple of different silhouette variants allows me to work around client figure requirements whilst also producing shapes I love.

 

Client Limitations and How to Learn About the Laced Body

To reiterate, the same corset on a few different people will look different, even if their measurements are very similar or almost identical.

It's all to do with how those measurements are distributed, how they do or don't compress, and how the individual is made up of flesh and bone, organs and nerves. The Violet Ink corset, for example, has been laced onto many people. It gives the waspiest effect on its intended wearer, as it was cut to cup her ribs and hips for dramatic effect, whilst working around a short waist. It has looked long and narrow on some, mildly pear-shaped on others, beautifully curvy on some, and a positively perfect hourglass in one particular instance. Some found it supremely comfortable (the intended wearer, mostly!) whilst others found it slightly too waspy, or ever-so-slightly too roomy round the rib or bust.

What this teaches us is that it is appropriate and useful to lace your work onto as many different people (ideally within your target demographic, if you have one) as possible. Using your own body as a learning tool for corsetry is very well and good, but the sheer range of difference in how bodies respond is so vast that you cannot rely solely on your own bodily experience. I firmly believe that a good corsetmaker doesn't take their own experience as gospel where the rules of 'good corsetry' is concerned, but looks outwards and listens to others' experience with openness.

Figure 10: The idea that a corsetmaker must test their own work on their own body is a sound one but it is certainly not the only way to develop skill, nor is it a complete way of doing so. If I worked on the assumption that the lessons learned in corseting my own body (figures 2 and 14) were universal, I would struggle to take on board the lessons/feedback required to produce work suitable to so many disparate bodies.

A related challenge can be in conveying the fact that not all bodies can achieve the exact same shape. Yes waists, and even ribs, can be trained into smaller/narrower silhouettes, but one is still always working around the client's existing, natural proportions. This is a time for tact, as your client may desire an end result that is not 100% possible with her physique. It is also a time at which an extensive knowledge of cut AND construction can help you - if the same pattern is created once as a fully-boned corset and once as a lightly-structured sheer, the two versions will not shape the body in the exact same way. It is in the combination of cut, fabric(s), steel type/thickness/width/number and client's body that the magic happens. You can see this quite clearly by comparing a lightly-boned toile with its fully-boned, final corset counterpart.

Last year, my talented corsetmaking friend Luthien of Waisted Creations commissioned me to create a fully-boned underbust corset for her. This was a complete delight, as Luthien has such a dramatic natural hourglass shape that she is able to achieve very wild proportions with ease.

In figure 11 we can see the first toile. The fit clearly needs work at this stage, but the shaping is very dramatic. This toile, being the first, was very lightly boned. Figure 12 shows us the final corset at first lacing and figure 13 shows us the piece in motion. The final piece is fully steel-boned and so those dramatic curves are smoothed out ever so slightly. The rib becomes a touch more conical and the angle of the side seam at the hip becomes slightly more sloped (whereas the first toile had it close to horizontal).

Figure 11: The first toile.

Figure 12: The final corset, at first lacing.

Figure 13: Video of Luthien's Sparklewren corset.

Now, I would call this a conical wasp-waist. The 'nip' is dramatic, but the lines through the rib quite smooth and the hip full. If Luthien's waist was shorter, however, or her horizontal proportions broader, it may tip over into being a more obvious wasp-waist as the relationship between the vertical and horizontal would change (see figure 2 again for an example of this). The bisected 'wasp' look of a sharp and dramatic waist reduction is the first thing you notice about such a shape. As a basic rule, the closer those lines move to horizontal, the more dramatic the effect. So you can even cut a corset with a milder reduction to look more waspy, simply by adding extra ease or curve to the ribs and hips on the side-seam - should that shape be a key aesthetic for your brand.  

Aiming for pretty shaping and proportion is important, but the client's existing physique influences it hugely. This is why a comparatively small waist reduction on a catwalk model can give rise to long, elegant proportions, whilst a 9” reduction on plump 5'5” me (figure 14) will give more curves but not the same lengthened lines. It is also why I often like to do a sweetheart shape on underbusts that almost peak over into being midbusts (and why I prefer overbusts to underbusts in general), as that extra height helps balance the corset's width.

Figure 14: Extra bodyfat can be displaced to create shap, but even fleshiness isn't a guarantee of dramatic shape! Some people compress more readily than others. Never take your own bodily experience of corsetry as absolute gospel.

On the whole, most clients tend to be happy with any pretty creation of shape (and some don't want a dramatic shape, but rather a sleek smoothing of the torso with the corset functioning mostly as a site for embellishment), but all of these details are worth being aware of, regardless, as  they allow you to anticipate what is possible. For example, if I am fitting a toile to someone with very little bodyfat or prominent ribs, I would know to steer them towards a more cupped (obviously hourglass) rib-shape, or a construction method that allows for a lot of flexibility through that area.

Figure 15: Whilst super-pretty, this sample corset wasn't made for bonnie corsetmaker PopAntique and so the smooth, heavily-boned rib wasn't the most comfortable for her. You can see in Marianne's own work how she favours a cupped rib.

By contrast, when creating shape on someone by mostly displacing bodyfat, your options for shape are wider, as you can create a conical rib line (for example) without being anywhere near to compressing the ribs at all.

(Insider Info: in-person fittings (and failing that, as many toiles/fittings as you can) are always best!)

Client feedback can be based upon inaccuracies or misunderstandings. Maybe clients may think they can get an extra inch off their waist with ease, or that a conical rib will be easy for them to achieve. Or sometimes, even as a corsetmaker, you can be surprised that a client's body responds differently to your expectations (perhaps they are surprisingly flexible, or more solid through the abdominals than you anticipated). A lot can be visualised/anticipated, but be aware that clients (even those who have worn corsets) don't always give you the best information/feedback.

It is an additional joy for the bespoke corsetmaker that clients do tend to fall in love with your work and come back for more. Working with the same body again and again allows for further refinement of shape and fit. I find myself inspired by certain clients when I lace them into my sample corsets, and love that I am able to have these people to try on new designs, new variants, new constructions and so on, so that I may push an idea further. If you're lucky enough to have a muse like this, they can be hugely instrumental in helping you discover more and more about your aesthetic preferences.

For example, when a client who purchases a sample design comes back for more, you can use what you know about fit and comfort to inform your next piece for them. The sample they purchased essentially functions as a first toile in many ways. If you are able to study the fit/shape in person, or if they send you comprehensive images for analysis, then so much the better (figure 16). With a careful eye and a bit of time (rushed fittings aren't helpful!) you can spot any slight asymmetry and so on (figure 17).

Figure 16: Many thanks to Lucy for sending these images from each horizontal angle so that I may illustrate this article.

Figure 17: When slight asymmetry is present (as it is in most of us) a sturdy corset can often disguise/counter it - although a careful eye may still pick up areas that could be accounted for in the patterning/fitting process of the next corset, if so wished.

Having a range of samples ready to lace-up also helps with assessing each client's body-type and again, this is why you should consider lacing your test designs onto as many people as possible: to observe and learn. One of the main joys of my boutique project has been in getting to lace sample designs (usually the most sparkly or eye catching pieces!) onto lots of different bodies and study the differences.

(Please note: where tests of durability and long-term shaping are concerned, you would ideally want to test one corset on one wearer.)

 

Business Practicalities

I hope it is becoming clear that your shaping preferences must be in balance with the comfort of the client. Or, to flip it, your client must be appropriate to your silhouette. You can make the choice as to which is your priority and then ensure that your business model allows for that choice.

Whilst bespoke makers are often expected to create any silhouette/shape/fit as instructed, I actually think we do not have to be spread so thin if it isn't our interest to be so. The industry is broad enough for us to each specialise (if we want to): male corsetry, trans-gender, plus-size, petite, tall, catwalk, stage, television, etc... Each niche has its own requirements and challenges, so if all you want to focus on is lightly-reducing, comfortable, easily-alterable corsetry for stage and screen, go ahead! Craft your silhouette, your aesthetic, your business type, and your target client, so that each part works to form a coherent whole. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing.

Pursue your preferred shapes to your heart's content! We sometimes try to be all things to all people. We really don't need to. There is a certain merit in specialising and focussing your efforts, and the work you produce can often be more accomplished as a result. There are certain styles that I won't do (e.g. stem-waists, Regency, etc.) and I am rather unapologetic about it. After all, I know enough talented corsetmakers in the industry to be able to direct such enquiries to one of my friends.

In considering the relationship between your silhouette(s) and your business, here are a few questions you might want to ask:

• Consider the complexity of your styles: Is the time/effort involved being fairly compensated? Are you able to get profit on top of that?
• If demand increases, will you be able to keep up?
• Is your preferred shape one that needs in-person fittings, or one that is especially reliable for distance work?
• Does your silhouette suit the clients you are getting, or do you need to reach your potential clients differently?
• Is your construction method one that you could one day teach to a team of seamstresses or transfer production to a factory (if that's your goal)? Is it one that especially strains your hands or eyes?

If you make work that is somehow especially physically challenging, you need to either change your processes or charge/earn more-than-enough to allow for the fact that your working years are going to be potentially cut short.

Figure 18: My fully-boned corsetry relies on so much manual shaping (moulding around curved shapes, finger-pressing at various points, gliding/curving the pieces whilst stitching) that I would be very hesitant to hand over its production to other stitchers.

Final Thoughts

My point of view would be that one should be aware of business practicalities and so on, but ultimately work for where you want to be as opposed to where you are now. Push and strive and work hard to create your dream designs.

Work on the assumption that no-one will hire you to provide wasp-waisted corsets for their incredible live shows (or whatever scenario you prefer) if you haven't shown you can do it. Be aware that your portfolio needs to represent the sort of work you want to be asked to create. Make sure your portfolio, website, branding, etc. communicate the sort of work you truly want to do.

I hope I've shown you my own preferences in silhouette and used those to illustrate why I think understanding your own house style(s) is so important to crafting your business. Make the business serve the corsetry, not the other way around, by targeting the right clients and focussing your efforts in the right place. Don't fall into a style just because someone else does it or because you think you have to. Focus on your style, your shape, your specificity.

Pursue the shapes, the fit, the client type, the construction, and the presentation and branding that will support the kind of work you dream of creating.

 

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