Between March and May this year, I had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Toronto corset brand, Starkers Corsetry on a bespoke corset. I had been a fan of Starkers for a while and had previously collaborated with them for the release of their full-bust bralette, the "Holly" bralette, named after yours truly!
Photo by The Beastly Genius
So when Dianna from Starkers emailed me to collaborate on a project, I was so excited! Funnily enough, she emailed me while I was at a burlesque show in Montreal!
I went over to her studio and she basically said she wants to do something extravagant for social media, I was thrilled. I immediately thought of the beautiful corset bodysuits I'd seen but never thought I'd never be able to own. She was excited about this idea too because it wasn't something she'd ever done before, so it was new territory for both of us.
As I'm a sucker for baby pinks, pastels, and anything girly, we ultimately came up with making a piece that was baby pink with mint green ribbon, freshwater pearls, and bouquets of flowers on the hips. Extravagant, right?
Dianna took 25 of my measurements all over my body, ensuring that the piece would fit perfectly. The next time I went over the week after, the mockup was already done; she works fast! It was so fun going over week after week seeing how the corset would all come together.
It turned out better than I could have ever imagined! I even told Dianna when she showed me the final piece that it's too beautiful not to be on display. Even the modesty panel is beautiful, with a naughty modified Mae West quote embroidered on the inside.
I couldn't wait to show the photographer for the shoot we had planned for this fantastic piece, Courtney Reader, how it turned out. She was so excited when I approached her about this project that I had to get a picture right when I got home. Unfortunately it seems that someone else took a liking to the corset!
When it came to shoot, it seemed as though the odds were against us. We planned on shooting with the cherry blossom trees in High Park but it was a dreary rainy day and it was likely that the blossoms wouldn't even be there anymore. They only stay in bloom for about a week or two and by the shooting date, they were almost at the end of their run.
But we stuck it out and the rain actually turned out to be a good thing, it meant that no one was around while we were shooting! The photos turned out incredibly and it was worth being out in the cold in just a corset bodysuit.
Photos by Courtney Reader, hair by Sam's Hair Band
All in all, it was a wonderful experience to collaborate on such a creative, beautiful piece. It's definitely something I'll keep for decades and hopefully be able to pass down. If you're interested in corsets, there really isn't anything like a beautifully made piece, even if it isn't custom. But craftsmanship and high quality materials are always worth paying more money for, especially for a body modifying piece like a corset. If you have the option of going bespoke, I'd absolutely recommend it, the process is so fun and you get a piece that's 100% made for you and to your tastes.
Check out Starker's blog post about the making of this piece for more information about the process of making a corset bodysuit!
Have you ever wanted to wear a corset? Have you ever bought a bespoke piece? Tell me about it in the comments!