Corsetiere seattle

Thank you! I have lost pnds in 16 months, I just recently purchased 2 corsets from naughty smile, they are okay, but do not fit quite right, my first purchase was Fredericks and YES, they do bend, poke, rub and hurt, I am really disappointed with my experiences, I feel like my breasts are pushed up abnormally in the naughty smile corsets, while sitting down it is as though the girls could be a resting spot for my chin, very awkward feeling.

I have read that even thin girls have some roll over in the back, maybe mine is more, due to the fact that I have lost so much weight? One thing I do love is the sexy curvy silhouette I get from it and the way my husband of 34 yrs looks at me when I wear it, plus it helps me stay aware of what I eat as I have a ways to go in the weight loss arena.

Thanks to all, your posts have been helpful, but I am still in a quandary over whom to choose. Right before the corset arrived I had a medication change due to severe edema throughout my entire body. My doctor had me stop taking the med and put me on water pills for a short time and I lost at least 15lbs and shrunk in size quite a bit.

Ann has been absolutely fantastic throughout this ordeal and has worked with me to not only get my original order cut down to my current size but also to order another corset that she and I designed at her salon in San Francisco to especially aid with my severe back pain I have a herniated disc and nasty fibromyalgia, I have found that corsets ae able to provide the torso support that my damaged body no longer can, plus they make you look amazing and feel like the confident, beautiful woman that you really are.

I find places that say they sell corsets, but you find they are fashion types, with no structure to them at all. My hub and I have spent hours looking…online, driving, calling — any recommendations for physical shops in the New England area?

Have you tried seeing if a custom corsetiere is in your area? They offer custom fitted Vollers corsets. For New England area corset buying my two suggestions are event based. The winter event has waaaay more vendors.

Buy a day pass and check out the vendors. There are usually at least a half dozen real corset makers. Again plenty of real corsets. I own quite a few corsets from Timeless Trends and I love them. Hi, I am just now getting into corseting, I really want to start waist training soon. A custom corset is the best solution both in terms of quality and in terms of your health for waist training. I was all set to order a corset from Meschantes, they have one that I just fell in love with.

Their corset liners look very affordable, too. Then I did some research. It appears that they have terrible customer service. Wrong corsets sent, corsets made with wrong fabric, corsets never sent to customers, and ignored emails about it.

Thanks for the great articles! For the down under divas, Gallery Serpentine in Newtown is a well known institution, almost to the point that almost any corset wearer in Sydney will be able to recognise one! It makes me so happy to see her on the list.

The girls there are wonderful to do business with no matter if you are purchasing off the rack or a getting a custom corset. They re-made an underbust of mine 3 times until I was happy with the fit and look!

And boy is it a show stopper when I bring it out. I bought my corset from Hips and Curves. I wish I could afford a really nice on with the steel boning, but for now I have a cheaper one, I love it…they have beautiful stuff on their website.

And you have great advice and information on your site. Thanks for all the valuable information! Hey has anyone ever heard of underbusts. Any specific suggestions or reviews on underbusts. Eurotique also makes some nice off the rack underbusts. For the off-the-rack category I would like to mention Axfords: reasonable quality, courteous and efficient service. I have been a customer for almost a decade.

Also, for custom-made corsets, J. Creations of Amsterdam has quite a reputation, though I have not used them myself. Creations though. Thanks so much for sharing this information. Like years! Great customer service, amazing quality. The corset I received was absolutely wonderful, objectively speaking. Why are all corsets sold online? Are there shops or store chains in USA where I can try them out before spending bucks on them?

Secondly even if I were to buy one form the online stores what measurements should I keep in mind to get the best fit. Hi Sankalpa! There are tons of articles about corsets on The Lingerie Addict, from why they cost so much to where to buy them to how to buy them. ToriFan13 I have a Frederick's corset that I absolutely love.

I got it on sale so the price was good, and I feel like for moderate use it is good quality. I bought my corset after having hand sewn about 4 other corsets for costumes for a show I was working on. I would say the quality of the Frederick's corset is similar to my hand made ones not to overstate my skills, but I am a fairly good seamstress and the material was a much higher quality.

The only part that worries me are the grommets for the lacing. It looks strong, but if I were making my own for regular use I would reinforce them more than would probably ever be necessary. I would therefore recommend the Frederick's corsets for a fun costume that will still hold you in, specifically if you are heavier or have large breasts both of which are my care , and will look very beautiful, though may not be as long lasting as a custom or more expensive corset.

The bonning is also not super stiff as may be desired, but it does do the job. As for sizing I ordered one size above my usual bra band size just because I am on the heavy side, the fit was great for loose or tight wear on myself, and was fairly decent on some girls smaller than myself.

Hope that helps anyone looking at Frederick's! Thank you for the awesome article! They do nothing for your figure, they warp, they poke, they bend badly. Good for the bedroom where it will be taken off in seconds and not much else. We've got a local corsetier here in Las Vegas who also owns the only corset store here called "Bad Attitude":. They do high quality custom-made corsets and their prices are very reasonable; definitely better priced than the Agent Provocateur Corsets being sold several blocks away over at Caesar's Palace Forum Shoppes.

And more options, too! They do sell Vollers corsets, which I've never rated highly but their own brand Luna underbust is fabulous. The lady there was really helpful too as I couldn't decide between a couple of the styles, she took my measurements and pointed me in the right direction. Melanie has one of the largest personal collections of vintage corsets, and she bases patterns on those, which I found very exciting. She is also one of Dita Von Teese's corsetieres.

Just a few weeks ago my wife bought a corset from The Bad Button. Samantha, not to speak for Treacle, of course, but I don't think Frederick's corsets are all that great. They are more in line with the not-so-well-made ones mentioned in one of Corset Week's earlier posts. They ripple, they poke, and they don't really suck you in all that well. I'm a natural hourglass, so they definitely stab me in various spots. Just my experience…! Thanks so much for Corset Week.

A lot of the companies in the 'custom made' section also have off the rack options! Maz x ps: happy birthday Treacle!!!!! I own a beautiful corset from Tomto, Berlin. Your email address will not be published.

The garments, which came in many sizes, would be fastened onto the client and the appropriate measurements taken. A myriad of little details would be noted and client's requests as to number and style of suspenders, thickness of bones, plush lining, material and fastenings would be accommodated, but at a price.

The technique was used for over eight decades, and this is demonstrated by following the process below. These pictures come from Spirella training manuals, the earliest of which is dated ! Sadly, these manuals were no longer issued after the 's although the measuring garments carried on for another two decades; prized possessions of the corsetieres. Let us learn to measure the client using a sequence of pictures that covers half of the 20th century! From comes this charming series of pictures.

The poorly fitting corset on the left is replaced by a proper Spirella resulting in the final product on the right. The young lady from these photographs were issued originally as stereo pairs shows the modelling garment and the finished product. If she doesn't look ecstatically happy in the final garment, at least she looks less nervous than in the first picture.

Perhaps those fluffy slippers bother her. On the other side of the Atlantic right , the client had no such qualms. Yes; it's a corset not an accordion! First of all, the client would be measured in her 'naked strip' The modelling garment laced to the desired tension is carefully measured in , , and In below left the examiner tests one of the aspiring corsetieres. The modelling garment front and rear from November left.

The garment looks cumbersome and the brassiere part definitely odd, but this was the way that Spirella took their measurements and it seemed to work. I think that any man who considers a corset to be an object of desire should look at these pictures!

On the right, we have the measuring tape that facilitated taking the measurements and could be easily fastened to the garment. The modelling garment above is made of a peach satin material.

Normally, the garments were very functional. They had to be washed regularly and were continuously being tightened and released. This one, I suspect, was more rarely used for wealthier clients. Note, however, the typical features: three lacers, many adjustable hooks and eyes, and the front measurement bone, which could be raised as the client sat down to gauge the longest comfortable length of boning in the garment.

Much design went into this garment which carried the patent 1,, After a few weeks, the final product is delivered and, once again, fitted by the corsetiere. The ruffles at the top of the stockings were used by Spirella's models to delineate the stocking top for the photograph.

This is a pose from Demonstrating a sample in and fitting a brassiere in To the uninitiated, fitting a brassiere might seem a simple and logical extension of fitting the corset, however, it is far more challenging.

There are, of course, many more complex curves and variations, that is why the brassiere was invented many centuries after the corset. Spirella's market in made-to-measure brassieres declined before that of the corset and girdle, largely because inexperienced fitters found it so difficult to measure. It was better to lose commission on the brassiere rather than lose the client altogether.

Regard below, the instructions for fitting a strapless brassiere in Either way, it appears that the model is not particularly happy. Perhaps like a number of corsetry models there was an unspoken "I'll model this garment; but don't confuse underwear with sensuality. Measuring and fitting were vital to the whole process. A poorly fitted garment would not just lose a customer, but her friends as well.

These cartoons from the Spirella Magazines of and reinforce the moralistic element that was part and parcel of the Spirella ethic. The ideal corsetiere featured strongly in Spirella's advertisements and has been illustrated above; however, there were thousands of more ordinary corsetieres in Britain in the 's, many of them women trying to supplement a meager family income, or a hopelessly inadequate state pension.

The vast majority of these women were dedicated, loyal and hard-working, but to survive, they had to be saleswomen first and foremost. Any form of transport was used to get their wares around to the prospective client base, even a mobile shopping basket would suffice Owning a car in was an aspiration for many; bicycles and scooters were far more usual.

As we shall see, on these pages, the more successful corsetieres were photographed with their cars, just to remind the younger fitters, that due diligence and hard work would one day pay off! A typical selection of corsetieres from Stoke-on-Trent in charter a bus to make the annual pilgrimage to Letchworth, whilst an elegant and well-dressed, but rather fierce looking corsetiere in practices an expression of disapproval!

Spirella fitters often had a sign placed in the window, or mounted outside their houses. In those days, and unlike any other marketing venture, all local phone directories carried a list of local Spirella corsetieres.

Another annual conference in One could guarantee that these ladies would be wearing or girdles with matching brassieres, and if more than one was supported by the classic corset, I would not be surprised. They look very happy! At Letchworth, they would gather in the evening. Nary a bulging abdomen to ruin the hang of their rayon dresses A group of American corsetieres from look altogether a tougher breed, however, don't be fooled, whatever the nationality, these ladies were expert saleswomen.

The era hasn't finished yet. Spirella was bought by Spencer in Britain in Spencer was taken over by Remploy, manufacturers of surgical appliances in the 's, and further still by Thamert UK in the late 's.

Yet the corsets are still produced and the corsetieres still exist, albeit in very small numbers. Despite low profit margin, a declining choice of materials and no advertising literature, these dedicated women persevere to serve a clientele that is largely passing away. I've been fortunate to be fitted by Spirella corsetieres right since the hey-days of the 's. Even in the late 's, I attended a Mrs E. As the number of clients decreases, so the area covered by each corsetiere increases and the basic costs of running a car soon erode the commission on the garments sold.

Sadly, the financial aspects of life ultimately overrule loyalty. Although Mrs. This charming lady had trained with Spirella in and had been based in West London. She had fitted many celebrities, including a very famous lady politician who wore a girdle and several TV personalities. In the 's she remembers that there were several hundred Spirella corsetieres in London.

Now she is the only remaining agent in the south-east of England. She fitted me for my last in ; however, in subsequent conversations she mentioned that she regularly ordered a corset front- and back-laced for a local woman in her mid's and showed me one of these that had been returned for a minor alteration in Other than this younger lady, her clientele consisted of a year-old, a few year-olds and then a few dozen ladies in their 70's to 90's.

Charming, energetic and an expert at her dying trade, she is a truly excellent example of the Spirella corsetiere. The Spirella corsetiere has been around as long as the company. Photographs of models in their corsets become regularly available in brochures only in the mid to late 's. The products of the intervening years are locked in a secure location where no one is allowed to go.

Sarah believes that good sewing is all in the amount of dedication you want to invest in it. Expect to cuss like a trucker. Expect to throw some tantrums. But in the end, if you stick with it, it becomes easier and easier. Sarah maintains a website of her work at www. Constance MacKenzie has enjoyed a love of history, costume and dressing up from childhood, and it has become her professional career. The historical costuming really started when her family took part in re-enacting at Kentwell Hall, Suffolk, UK.

As well as making for re-enactment, she has made costumes for various historic houses and museums interpretation teams. She went on to study Costume Interpretation at Wimbledon School of Art, and vowed to never work in the theatre.

Her main love is still hand sewn authentic costume. Jason started sewing thirteen years ago as a side hobby, fueling his thirst for living history. At nineteen, Jason left for America and was soon drawn into American living history. He bought a sewing machine and never looked back. The articles he wrote for us gave Jason the confidence and motivation to publish his first book, The Victorian Tailor: An Introduction to Period Tailoring.

Anna mostly taught herself to sew and make patterns after becoming interested in Gothic fashions at 13 and realising that there was nowhere in New Zealand she could buy any.

She is currently attending New Zealand Fashion Tech so that she can learn to sew and make patterns at industrial quality and speed. She discovered Dita Von Teese and soon became interested in corsetry which lead to her learning how to make them.

Dita also shone a bright light on lingerie for Anna and she confesses to owning, designing and making far too much of it for her own good. Anna also has a small Etsy store where she sells one-off and made-to-measure garments. Lynn has sewn almost all her life but her output has changed over the years. From everyday clothes, home decor and crafts she graduated to dressing porcelain dolls in period clothes, marketing and selling the patterns.

She loves embroidery, elaborate trims, real pearls and making hats; but above all making hats. This love of hats has lead to a line of hat patterns and the teaching of many millinery related workshops.

Marion loves teaching others draft their own patterns and explore new ideas. Marion loves teaching others to draft their own patterns and explore new ideas.

She has a serious weakness for the straight front corsets and beautiful flossing designs of the late Victorian age. Cecile Magnier started sewing corsets in when she needed foundation garments for a dress. The dress was never made, as she quickly became obsessed with making corsets, this time as outer garments. Besides classes, she has learnt a lot through her own experimentation. She is always interested in trying new patterns, tools and techniques to improve her work.

Alisha began life training in forensics and human anatomy, focusing specifically on the skeletal system. Fascinated with textiles and museum artifacts from a young age thanks to a bohemian upbringing spent in the museums of Europe, Alisha found herself gravitating to jobs in museums.

She has studied extant museum garments for years to gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation of historic construction techniques. You can see her work online at The Bad Button Corsets. She has been making corsets full time since Through some friends she discovered the gothic aesthethic of the corset and its beauty and soon came to realise that it was inspired by many historical precedents, cultures and references.

The corset soon became a cult object, and understanding its secrets became an obsession. Chloe is a jewellery designer and teacher based in Hampshire, UK.

She is a Starman Trendsetter alumni and continues to contribute to bead and craft magazines regularly. Chloe teaches her colourful designs at craft shops and arts venues up and down the UK. Kate Newton is a high school technical services and reference librarian, but secretly dreams of being a 16th century Spanish noblewoman. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. In addition to all things Spanish, Kate has a love of s fashion, knitting, garment sewing, and cooking things from strange early modern cookbooks.

Her label specializes in exquisite corsetry, bridal couture and perfectly tailored garments made with the most luxurious of materials.

Lowana began sewing when it proved nearly impossible to find the corsets and clothes she wanted with a fit that flattered. Taking matters into her own hands, her skills have been hard won through over a decade of self-learning. She is known for her attention-to-detail and love of subtle but extravagant details in her work. Andrea Painter attended the University of British Columbia, learning in the theatre costume shop while examining and coveting the gorgeous vintage costumes, especially the corsets, bloomers and petticoats!

She started creating corsets for herself in , and is continually inspired by the beauty of multicultural textiles found around her in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Andrea shares her expertise with other sewers, offering workshops in and around Vancouver and Seattle, teaching corset and bloomer construction. When not sewing, Andrea also hoops with fire, gets hit with swords and sticks, dispenses keys, re-enacts ancient Greek mysteries, and implements security policies.

She can be reached through her website, Luscious Pearl Designs , and through her etsy shop. Ever since then Barbara has created bespoke corsets and couture for her clients, always trying to develope her skills, discover new techniques and pushing the boundaries of tailoring and corset making. She started making corsets in , but she is no stranger to the world of sewing.

She even once made a pair of transparent pants out of her vinyl shower curtain. It proved a rather impractical design for all-night dancing. April loves corsetry for its niche place in the fashion market and its historical significance and controversy. April constantly strives to better her work through study, hard work, perseverance and experimentation. She prides herself on her knack for marketing and innovation. Her most recent accomplishment has been the successful launch of her line of Tighter Trainers, a four-tiered system of corsets aimed at the waist-training demographic.

Charlotte Raine is a third generation seamstress who has been sewing since she was a little girl. Now her designs are sold internationally to brides, theatres, museums, burlesque dancers, re-enactors, and women everywhere who want to feel special.

Stephanie Richards is a freelance writer with a special interest in costume and fashion, published in the UK and Australia. Her output includes reviews, short stories, features, articles and historical serials. She is the costume curator for a local museum, a role that includes organising exhibitions from idea to opening, plus giving talks and facilitating museum visits.

I like costume. Nicole Rudolph began sewing at an early age, quickly becoming enraptured with the world of costuming. She attended Ball State University, where she focused on costume design. Two years later, taking the knowledge and experienced gained from that position, she ventured to open up a historical sewing business. She continues to seek out research and knowledge through original texts and images, extant garments, and workshops.

Nicole can be found at her website, Golden Hind Millinery. Kim Ryser is also known by her steampunk alter ego of Baroness Violet von Mickelsburg. Her love of Victorian costume led her to the steampunk community, where she contracted the incurable Disease of Steam.

She runs a steampunk costuming and corsetry blog, Steam Ingenious, and teaches introductory corset making at conventions and workshops. She sells a line of sewing patterns for steampunk accessories as well. Kim lives in the middle of the woods in Central Texas with her husband and a literal colony of cats.

In addition to all her steampunk crafts, she enjoys knitting and playing video games, often doing both at the same time. Follow her adventures at steamingenious. Jill Salen is a lecturer in costume, and has been producing patterns of corsets from private and museum collections for many years. She is widely employed in the theatrical costume industry and the author of Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques.

She now combines her freelance career with teaching. Always interested in fashion and costume, Jill is pleased to be a member of various costume societies, particularly the Costume Society, of which she is the secretary and archivist. Astrida Schaeffer has been making reproduction historical clothing since and museum mannequins since She managed collections at the Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire for ten years and learned the craft of carving mannequins at the Textile Conservation Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Her background in researching and making historical reproductions gives her a deeper understanding of what each garment needs in its mannequin in order to look its best. In addition to working with museums and historical societies in New England and beyond, she has curated a number of costume exhibitions, most recently Embellishments: Constructing Victorian Detail; an award-winning book of the same name was published in Her website is Schaeffer Arts.

Cynthia or Cindy, as her friends know her has had a passion for sewing, historical fashion, film, and theater costumes since her early teens. She opened Redthreaded in as a way to offer her costuming skills to a global retail client base, and soon expanded the scope of the business to theatrical contracts as well. Her professional theatrical costume portfolio and technical resume can be seen at cynthiasettje. For many years they have enjoyed doing things together! They both have degrees in history.

They enjoy reproducing historical garments, studying their favorite historical eras, reenacting, and learning and teaching historical dancing. B ut with a passion for alternative fashion and lifestyle, Joni also turned her creativity into the small corsetry business Rainbow Curve Corsetry in Holly Stockley lives and practices veterinary medicine in Western Michigan.

Here in the heart of Dutch Country and the land of the Tulip Festival, she indulges a love of Dutch costume from the 16th through the 20th century. An unfortunately short attention span means that one never knows which era will be the next to fall under her needle. A vintage girl at heart, she collects antique textiles, trims, patterns, and other sewing paraphernalia. Sometimes these treasures find their way into her creations and sometimes they just take up permanent residence in the sewing room as inspiration.

Her work in early modern Dutch costume, as well as various other flights of fancy, can be found at: www. Originally concentrating on Italian Renaissance costumes, she now focuses primarily on mid-Victorian sewing. Anna moderates the long-running Corsetmakers LiveJournal community.

She has been in love with historical costuming since her very first Renaissance Faire. Sandra has been sewing ever since she was old enough to be responsibly allowed to play with scissors, pins and needles. Largely self-taught, through a hilarious series of trials and errors, she may even be allergic to formal instruction. Her love of corsets sprang from a penchant for dark Victorian-gothic style. Although her eyeliner is less dramatic these days, her passion for corsetry has never waned.

She is currently working away at the near-impossible task of creating a corset based on each of the teacups in her extensive collection. Recently, she quit her job to start her own home-based sewing business.

She is fueled by endless pots of strong black tea. An avid Live Roleplayer, Nikki had never picked up a sewing machine until 9 years before she first wrote for Foundations Revealed. She is now working to get her brand, Narrowed Visions , into the public domain with new and unique designs. Laurie was thrust into the costuming world when asked to not only play Mary, Queen of Scots but also to design and construct a gown fit for such a queen.

Having dabbled in sewing her whole life, she found her passion in historical garments. As news of her skills spread through the historical re-enactment community, more and more commissions and awards came her way. With a reputation for unrivalled attention to detail and uncompromising standards, she started a website , took commissions, and now maintains a waiting list for gowns, accessories, and corsets, her fondest specialty.

Outside the sewing studio, Laurie SCUBA dives in Monterey and worldwide, fences frequently in the classical Italian style and dances almost every night of the week.

She lives in Northern California with her husband Jeremy and young son. Jennifer has a masters degree in studio art, specializing in drawing, printmaking, and painting, but she has a true passion for creating historical clothing. She is an entirely self-taught and rarely uses patterns. Worth area of Texas with her son. She can be found on the internet at Festive Attyre.

Born to a mixed Nepalese and British heritage, Benjamin has been exposed to a diverse spectrum of cultural history from a young age. Having trained in graphic design and visual communication before working professionally across theatre, film, fashion and advertising, Benjamin has developed a multidisciplinary approach to creative thinking and storytelling. His design expertise includes costume and set design, concept design and illustration, textile print design, and creative direction.

Kendra Van Cleave has been sewing since she was a wee lass, when her mother taught her sew on her Singer machine. She now works as a librarian at a university, and pursues scholarly research in the history of fashion. Kendra has taught numerous workshops on the history and how-to of fashion and costume, primarily for the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild and Costume College.

Kendra can be found at demodecouture. Lisha Vidler discovered the joy of sewing doll clothes at a young age. Envy propelled her to start sewing her own historic costumes. Writing is her other obsession in life. Katarina was and still is so fascinated with the bustle dresses that shelearned how to make them for herself and weasr them almost every day. Katarina enjoys drafting patterns, making and wearing corsets and dresses, and hopes to open her own corsetmaking firm to share her love with the world.

On the Theatre Design course at Nottingham Trent University in the UK she specialised in costume and was accepted for a work placement at The Custom Costume Company, where she became an apprentice costume maker for over 2 years.