“Am I ready to sell?”

This is a very common question within our industry, heard so often perhaps because of the fact that most of us are self-taught. There are a handful of corsetry courses available, but none that will see you graduate with any sort of specialist qualification which you can use as a benchmark of your skill.

Many new makers consider opening for business a daunting impossibility. They haven't been studying as long as corsetiere X, they feel intimidated by the expertise of their heroes, or they don't know what exactly they would offer to stand out from the crowd.

Taking the ideas of expertise, experience or uniqueness too seriously can undermine your efforts and your confidence, affecting your chances of success. It is for this reason that I would like to focus on the idea of preparation rather than expertise. Expertise is, to many of us, a fictional end goal, an unattainable dream. Preparation, by contrast, is measurable and controllable. Preparation allows you to know confidently when you're ready.

There are any number of factors influencing how much preparation each individual requires (eg: previous sewing experience, natural talent, access to materials/machinery, etc.), but essentially you can establish appropriate preparation choices by following these basic guidelines:

• Only sell those particular details that you have already practiced.
• Only practice those skills you hope to sell.

Figure 1: My first sales were of standard-sized samples, in a range of sizes that had been tested on friends and family. What you mustn't do is take these guidelines too literally, however... it is not necessary to practice each flossing pattern or placement of lace on ten complete corsets before offering those particular designs, for example. Use common sense.

For example, you may start out selling simple items, such as a few underbusts in standard sizes (figure 1). Or you may have only ever studied historically-accurate conical stays, so limit yourself to these for the time being.

This is absolutely fine. You do not need to be an expert in every single type of corsetmaking in order to confidently and successfully sell one particular type to satisfied clients. Indeed, if you were to wait to attain that level of expertise before selling, you may wait fifty years to "open shop", and once open would probably be outside of everyone's price range! No-one is an expert on every single detail of corsetry, there's just too much to explore and learn.

So we need to establish a sensible level of preparation.

Figure 2 shows a portfolio piece. This was the second corset body that I produced with an attached collar (the fifth or sixth overall, if I remember correctly), in order to practice and cement my confidence in that particular detail.

But hindsight shows me that I could have trusted my abilities and not second guessed myself so much (if you can make a well-fitting corset, you can make a corset with attached collar with little fuss, you just use toiles and fitting opportunities as normal). This isn't to say that this piece was perfect, far from it. Being an experimental photoshoot piece, I had to compromise on certain details (number of steels and fitting opportunities, for example), and this compromise is something I regret now (this question of quality and compromise in practice/preparation will be discussed later).

Figure 2: My first corset-bodies were made as experimental pieces after having produced hundreds of other, more ordinary corsets. The extra techniques/skills required were thus minimal, and I only needed to produce two corset-bodies before I was comfortable offering these garments professionally.

Figure 3 likewise shows a contemporary stays-body, and this was my second time producing a "short stays" type garment. Having produced short stays, many tightly nipped Victorian corsets, and items with unusually shaped, bound edges, I could now, with very little difficulty, merge all of those skills and observations in order to create fully-boned tabbed stays (figure 4), for example. One must take their preparation seriously, but also be aware of their transferrable skills and overall ability.

Figure 2: My first corset-bodies were made as experimental pieces after having produced hundreds of other, more ordinary, corsets.

Figure 3 likewise shows a contemporary stays-body, and this was my second time producing a "short stays" type garment.

Figure 4: Corset en brocart d'or (Musée des Arts décoratifs). From Le corset a travers les ages

 

So, with all that in mind, how can you prepare your corsetmaking skills? What should you practise? How can you get the most benefit per hour spent from your practice? These are the questions that you need to answer in order to go into business with confidence and clarity.

Inspiration

Figure 5: What could possess you to put real time and dedication into deciphering this?!My boyfriend is a musician. A drummer. Contrary to popular jokes I am assured that drummers "don't just hit things". It is an instrument that requires as much dedication and musicality as any other. He and I both work from home and, in order to remain friends, we often discuss working habits, practice, schedules, and so on.

Recently, John has been reading about approaches to practice, which inspired this article.

It is true enough that many who take up a musical instrument (or any new skill) abandon it in time. For example, I played piano as a child but stopped at thirteen years old. My teacher was wonderful, but rather old-fashioned and obsessed with getting me through each grade as quickly as possible. The pieces I was learning were, on the whole, boring to me. Examinations frightened me. The only time I practiced was when I knew I had to (or else face a telling off), when it was turned into a game or competition (I do like a challenge), or when I actually did love the music (which happened infrequently). There were obviously more factors to it, but the reason I gave up playing piano was that I was not interested in the music I was playing and could not afford to buy my own sheet music. Learning theory about harmony and such felt like such a lot of clinical, cold effort when I was only applying that knowledge to music that I disliked.

Sure, I could have been forced to continue with my lessons since most kids go through bloody-minded spells of disliking their studies, but money was hard and I clearly wasn't enjoying it. So the lessons ended (much to my delight, at the time) and those skills slipped away. I wish they hadn't - teaching piano can be a nice supplemental income!

The point of this story? Practice and passion go hand in hand. If you don't know why you're doing something, you will soon lose motivation to do it.

Since the skill of corsetmaking can be seen as an artistic practice, it is worth thinking about how you practise. If corsetmaking is something you hope to pursue as a vocation indefinitely, then preparing your skills and working habits is well worth the time involved. Indeed, improving and broadening your skills is a never-ending task. If you wish to remain "in love with" and progressive with your corsetry, I do believe it is worth assessing your practising/studying habits.

How to Practise: Don't Practise Your Mistakes

Figure 6: Image courtesy of Rjgodoy

In discussing the teaching of drumset with John, he noted that one of the biggest problems for a tutor is when their student doesn't practise. In turn, this appears often to be because the student does not know how to practise. They are not taught this particular, separate skill, even though it is arguably the most important to master.

The first thing you must realise is that practice is not just about frequency.

If you want to shine in your chosen niche (whether you are producing streamlined one-hour corsets or elaborate thousand-hour pieces), you need to ensure that each component technique is up to scratch. Does this mean making dozens upon dozens of corsets and just hoping that you'll improve?

No.

"It's about repeating correctly. If the student repeats something ten times and gets it right twice, those two correct renditions don't cancel out the eight previous incorrect ones. In other words, if they keep repeating something and getting it wrong, they are learning how to play it wrong."

John Hirst, drummer/teacher

John's quote is as applicable to corsetry as it is to music. It is perfectly possible to practise incessantly, producing countless garments, and without making much progress, or even to learn poor technique.

Practise your mistakes often enough and they become habit, thus impeding your progress towards a higher skill level. This can be taken further too: it is also possible to practise complacency, those little time-saving or material compromises that we make thinking them to be a "one off". As hinted with figure 2, without mindfully considering your practice it is easy to become complacent about these "compromises". Before you know it, your skill level has plateaued and you've settled for second best. The ripples I had in the satin of the corset-body in figure 2 really were not acceptable for where I wanted my brand to go, and at that point I decided that the time for compromises in sample design was past.

If you wish to attain the highest skill level you can (in details and techniques that are appropriate to your particular brand), then it is important not to practise your mistakes or compromises.

 

Figure 7: If I made 100 cinchers each like this, I wouldn't have progressed very far...

Figure 8: There is always more to learn and improve, but the days of making "good enough" samples are hopefully behind me.

 

Since John's exemplary approach to practice inspired this article, let's refer to a key text that he has used in establishing it. Here are a few "habits of excellence" from The Musician's Way by Gerald Klickstein, with thoughts about how this can apply to the practice of corsetry.

Figure 9: Corded corsets are not the most elegant (visually, or to produce) within my skillset, and I feel this is apparent in how I present them.

"Ease. Masterful performers exhibit ease in all that they do."

Ease equates to elegance. If you are comfortable in your construction techniques and these techniques are pared down to their most effortless point, that comfort will be perceptible in the final garment.

For example, I find full-cording to be a beautiful effect, but consider it the least easy and effortless in my repertoire. I personally believe that this has a strong knock-on effect to the way I represent fully-corded garments in comparison to the other styles that I am more confident in. It also influences my desire to produce fully-corded corsets.

The aim is to create a working practice with techniques that are as effortless as possible. They may be time-consuming and complicated, but they must also be refined and elegant with unnecessary or inelegant processes/materials removed.

To give another example, my corsetry is already very heavily constructed, but it is certainly possible to add more... an interfacing on the lining layer, an interlining of canvas for solidity, an extra steel in the busk channel (rather than alongside it or using a heavier busk in the first instance)... but why would you? These sorts of additions overly complicate the process in an inelegant way.

The corset, and your practice/production, is no longer "easy" and elegant. The shortest way to put this idea is thus: if you feel frustrated producing the garment, you are not "exhibiting ease".

 

"Expressiveness. The only way that you can become an expressive performer is to be an expressive practiser."

This really is very music-specific. But I do think there is merit in considering the idea of expression and artistry in our practice and business preparation.

If you hope to produce expressive, artistic pieces for your future clients, why would you choose not to produce similar work in your practice? Yes, finances can be an issue when you're trying to create elaborate designs, but I have often found that working around financial constraints pushes you to be more creative and innovative, with sometimes wonderful results.

Clients will not commission expressive designs unless you demonstrate your aptitude for them. It would be very unlikely to get a commission for figure 10 (left), if all that preceded it in your portfolio was figure 11 (right). Be expressive in the portfolio designs that you produce prior to going into business (or in the early stages), as it will have a big impact on the clients whom you attract.

Figure 12: "Comparing precision and accuracy. 

 

"Accuracy. When you repeat material [...] you must uphold precision of thought and action."

This ties directly to our quote from John above. Each incorrect repetition latches onto the previous one in your mind, forming habits that you will have a hard time shaking in the future.

Decide upon your definitions of "correct" and "incorrect" (ie: your brand's precise requirements of construction and quality - we will talk about this more in Part 2) and work hard to practise your skills accurately.

Figure 12: "Comparing precision and accuracy. (a) is neither precise nor accurate. (b) is precise and accurate. (c) is precise but inaccurate."

 

"Focussed attention. Disciplined mental habits in practice will lay the groundwork for you to direct your thoughts under pressure."

Figure 13: A potentially stressful, but ultimately effortless and relaxed, situation.In short, if you are complacent about quality when practising, you may find yourself being complacent about quality when working "for real". Make a mistake (it helps you learn), settle for a compromise (they are necessary at times, however much we regret them)... but then take note of these moments, be aware of them, and ensure that you do not repeat them, either in practice or for a client.

You want correct practice to become an automatic part of what you do. This will give you greater confidence in stressful situations (such as when dealing with a difficult client, fitting an unusual physique, or working with an expensive client-provided fabric).

Figure 13 shows a train embellished with parts of a heavily damaged antique shawl, gold trim, and a blue/gold lace beneath that was in limited supply. The satin, also, was the last I could source of that colour and I did not have enough to cut any new parts, should anything go wrong. This piece also involved a general lack of sleep.

But this potentially stressful experience was anything but. It was exhausting, but joyous, the simple reason being that I absolutely love working with lace and have done it often enough to be confident, even with limited/rare/expensive pieces. Likewise, the benefit of creating portfolio work on next-to-no budget is that you get quite good at not making mistakes! So the fear of needing to re-cut wasn't that great.

Practice these difficult things now, so that you may be comfortable and confident if/when they arise with a client.

 

 

"Positive attitude. Accrue reservoirs of optimism by regarding difficulties not as personal failures but as opportunities for learning."

Figure 14: Doing something well, once, isn't enough... Image courtesy of LambtronDifficulty when practising/learning is not a bad thing. What matters are your actions following that difficulty. The goal of any artisanal practice is to become consistently better, which requires acknowledging (without shame) that you have things to improve on. We all do. Criticising yourself, or others, for errors in corsetry is utterly pointless. Instead, address those errors and move on.

If you interpret a mistake as "failure", then you run the risk of no longer trying to improve, of becoming consistently and complacently okay. I've seen this a lot amongst friends and peers from all walks of life, a fear of failure which makes them settle for just being okay. But being consistently "okay" doesn't help your business to shine and it doesn't seem to make people happy. Aim to be consistently "good" instead!

"BE CONSISTENT! What will cause your breakthrough is not what you do once or twice, but what you do on a constant basis." Twitter quote from Haute Living Magazine

 

On Client Expectations

Figure 15: Taken at Chatsworth HouseI used to think that as a corsetmaker, one would be expected to produce anything and everything one's clients asked for. But the truth is that what we do can be posited as art, in which instance, the client doesn't want to dictate every detail. They want something that is decidedly YOU, as well as something that fulfils the brief.

Whilst we may not be quite so fortunate as to have clients who quite adhere to the 12th Duke of Devonshire's views on art (left), we certainly do not need to be "jacks of all trades". You can certainly decline to take orders for skills/aesthetics that you either dislike or are uncomfortable with.

I firmly believe that the surest way for a self-employed creative to scupper* their own chances is to produce work that they have no passion for.

Whilst it may sometimes be necessary to compromise on design, if you hate one particular aesthetic (for example, flossing) then there is little point in mastering it and showing it in your portfolio. Those starting out should be especially aware that clients will ask for what they see in your portfolio, so don't fill it with techniques you dislike, just because you feel it's something all corsetieres must be able to do. Master the skills/aesthetics that you wish to explore and forget (for now) about the others.

It is, of course, true that clients will rightly expect a certain level of quality. But what does this mean? It's a contentious subject, but I feel we can make it more simple:

The corset must be functional and it must look as advertised.

That's all there is to it. In your preparations, you must learn to create corsets that function as intended. Tightlacing, waist-training, bridal, fetish, fashion... these different niches have different requirements. Establish those requirements and ensure that your corsets meet the requirements of the niche your target clients come from.

The second part of that point is simply one of honesty. I believe that if you represent the garment fairly, then that is all you need to worry about. This is as basic as photographing an item clearly and not lying about its features or details. One doesn't list a polyester taffeta sample as silk!

So long as you meet these rules within the specific requirements of your brand offer and target client base, you should be fine.

Specificity

Now that we have established basic principles of good working practice, we need to consider interpreting them for the specific needs of our own businesses.

If you are yet to start up in business, then you may be uncertain where to begin. It is certainly difficult to see where you are going when there are so few corsetry companies to take business inspiration from. The first step in establishing how your business should work is to establish what sort of garments you hope to create. If you follow the processes outlined in my Branding articles, part 1 and part 2, you may find that the sort of designs you want to create emerge quite naturally as you learn more about the sort of branding that makes most sense to you artistically. It then follows, that the type of corset you hope to make will dictate the client base and business structure that you should aim for.

There will be more on this in Preparing for Business: part 2. For now, I will give a few personal details to show how one's specific "brand offer" influences practice and preparation choices.

I was encouraged early on to try producing a corset with numerous steel bones. Having done so, I fell in love with it! But I also have an admiration for lightly constructed corsets, and each idea has its own set of problems. I am, however, curiously uninterested in many of the in-between approaches. Figures 16 and 17 may look similar, but actually one features an in-between number of steels, whilst one is carefully crafted to feature full steel-boning. Figure 16 has (to my mind) a definite and lovely aesthetic, whilst figure 17 is "neither one thing nor the other".

Figure 16: This is exactly what I want to do with my time...

Figure 17: This is not what I want to do with my time...

 

What does this mean for my practice habits and choices?

What to Practise and Why: a Personal Example

Let's look at corsets that feature one steel every two inches, as a generic example (since it is an oft-cited guideline), think about how I could practise my skills further in this area, and whether it would even be appropriate.

In order to obtain a result that I was entirely happy with, the "one steel per two inches" corset would potentially require the following changes:

•  Different interfacing (in the case of satin, in particular). This may have a knock-on effect to the needles I use, the way in which I floss, whether bulk needs reducing, etc. etc.
•  Different construction order, which may bring up other issues to "fix", such as proper turn-of-cloth.
•  Different steel choices, thus potentially altering my choice of supplier, etc.
•  Different seaming, etc.

There are a lot of very small and specific issues that I would want to address and what for? To create the "two steel per inch" corset (which I am not even that interested in) to a level I'm happy with.

Practising corsets that don't enhance my aesthetic interests or brand offer would be redundant. Instead, I can choose continually to focus on refining the aesthetics that I do love.

Figure 18: I probably won't be returning to these sketches any time soon unless commissioned to do so... 

With each new corset, I pay attention to any areas that can be improved a little more and so my mental checklist of techniques is becoming more and more specific as I progress. My practice/preparation checklist now includes items more like this:

•  Meet (or exceed) quality level of most recent work with each new piece.
•  Return to practise with twin-needle machine to refine quality of stitching along the boning channels.
•  Continue refining flossing process. Get into proper habit of threading multiple needles before beginning.
•  Be more consistent with lace applique (ie: stick to fell-stitch exclusively).
•  Baste turn-of-cloth at front seam of each panel edge by hand instead of machine (when using satin) to prevent last few ripples or areas of creep from occuring.
•  Continue exploring light and sheer corsetry using improved material choices. Experiment with decoration that is neat enough from inside view of sheers.

As your work develops, you will come up with ever more specific details for improvement. But for now, as someone perhaps getting ready for business, try to focus on the bigger picture.

Perhaps you love the idea of 2" spaces between steels, in which case practicing fully-boned corsets may be silly... Or perhaps you love single-layer minimally boned corsetry... in which case, don't worry that you must learn sandwiched steel construction in order to be a "proper corsetmaker"!

Just focus on the techniques that are appropriate to you. Pursue the interests that stay with you, allow the others to "rest" in the meantime.

 

* "to scupper": British slang, meaning "to ruin or destroy". - Pub.

 

Summary

To summarise, each time you make a new corset, stitch a new flossing sampler, or draft a new pattern, you are practising. You are preparing the skills, techniques and habits that will underpin your business and dictate its success.

It is important to know what and why you are practising if you want to avoid becoming trapped by problems that you just can't shift. These days I am careful not to practise on new samples just for the fun of it: there has to be a specific reason and use for the piece and the quality must be as high as I've ever done. Our original article-inspiration, John, is careful not to practice drumset to excess, having had many occasions over the years in which he has been overworked and exhausted, and has actually fallen asleep whilst practicing (only to wake up five minutes later, still drumming). These sorts of poor practice that we have both worked through in the past (lacking direction on my part, and energy and attention on his) are potentially very detrimental to your overall progress, and should be avoided at all costs.

Try to remember the relationship between mindful practice and ability. It isn't enough to have a natural flair for corsetry or to be an accomplished seamstress in other areas; you must also choose to approach the improvement of your corsetmaking skills intelligently. Not because I say so, or because it is the only way to do things, but because it will let you progress faster, with fewer depressing setbacks. It will let you become confident in your work (and therefore your business), as you will know that you have prepared appropriately.

In Part 2, we will look at establishing what to study in more detail. But for now, please pause to think about your habits, routines and rituals when working. Are they helping or hindering your work? Are you progressing? Are you confident enough to sell your work?

If not, what is it about your approach to practice/study that is holding you back? What could you do differently?

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