With the events of the Oxford Conference of Corsetry this past weekend, I’ve had corsets on my mind a little more than usual. And I have a hard time thinking about corsets without also thinking of Velda Lauder. For those who are unfamiliar with her name, Velda was a Master Corsetiere who passed away suddenly in March 2013. She was at the peak of her professional career, and her corsets […]
With the Oxford Conference of Corsetry coming up this weekend, England is flooded with corset makers and enthusiasts. Today I spent the day in Sparklewren’s studio, aka Corset Paradise, with Jenni “Wren” Hampshire, Lucy of Lucy’s Corsetry, and Lowana of Vanyanís. InaGlo Photography was also present to shoot a few styles for Vanyanís, and Sparklewren’s Jenni Hampshire got behind the camera for several impromptu photoshoots with me as I tried on […]
I first became aware of hip fins on corsets via Sparklewren, though there are quite a few couture corsets (particularly corset bodies) that feature them. Though “hip fins” has become the commonly accepted name for them, I like to think of them as miniature panniers; they could also be considered a sort of floating gore or a stiffened semi-peplum. This detail generally parallels the iliac crest and emphasizes the dramatized […]
Sometimes I get so preoccupied with covering trends and fashion items and staying on top of everything lingerie, that I forget it’s okay to talk about beautiful things simply because they’re beautiful. I found the items in today’s blog post through Tumblr, and trust me when I say they left me breathless. Though I’m not TLA’s resident corsetry expert (that honor goes to Marianne), I can admire and appreciate a […]
Whenever a designer asks if they can send me an exclusive, the answer is almost always yes. And when that designer is Jenni Hampshire, of Sparklewren fame, the answer is most definitely yes. Many of you know that we really enjoy supporting independent designers here on TLA; I personally see it as part of our mission to feature talent that’s apart from the mainstream. But I won’t deny that mission […]
