2.6 corsets
[note: for a look at how corsets are made and what kind of materials and skill might go into them, see section 4.5; for reviews of Frederick's of Hollywood corsets, see section 2.6a]
AlterYears (formerly Raiments)
8960 E. Huntington Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91775, US
Phone: (626) 614-9400
Fax: (626) 4614-9499
Sales@AlterYears.com
Catalog: $6.00 4th class US, $10.00 Priority Mail US, $9.00 US to Canada/Mexico (air), $10.00 US to Europe (surface), $17.00 US to Europe, $10.75 US to Australia/Asia/Africa (surface), or $21.00 US to Australia/Asia/Africa (airmail)
Over 1,000 historical patterns for Medieval through 1950s clothing, plus ethnic, belly dancing, and riding clothes. Also carries Elizabethan corsets, corset-making kits and supplies, hoop skirts, panniers, bustles, fancy clasps, and over 600 costume reference books. Does mail-order, and also has a retail store at this address and holds costuming classes there.Trystan comments: This is my absolute fave. pattern catalog! If you want to sew historical clothing (especially Victorian), you *need* this catalog. I order from AlterYears a couple times a year and have good service. Occasionally, a pattern will go out of stock due to the manufacturer, but AlterYears will let you know.
Sarai comments: From my own experience, I would recommend them. I've only bought things from their actual store, but I've been happy with what they sell. Anyone who lives in the area and has an interest in sewing/costuming should check it out, too. It's a teeny store, but has all kinds of hard-to-find sewing products. Even the ever-elusive black hook and eye tape! Not to mention all the lovely patterns and corset supplies, etc. *swoon*
Jackie Manni comments: Wow. What a piece of eye candy! They sell corset patterns and kits (from Past Patterns, as well as their own AlterYears Kits, which are cheaper and include fabric). *Glove* patterns. Stripey thigh-his (including burgundy and black!!) with garters. So, so much! I can't even mention the wealth that this catalogue contains!!!!
Amazon Dry Goods
411 Brady Street
Davenport, IA 52801-1518 US
Phone: (800) 798-7979
Fax: (319) 322-4003
info@amazondrygoods.com
General catalog $3
Reproduction 19th century merchandise, including corsets, corset-making kits and supplies, hoop skirts, hats, fans, gloves, spats, canes, parasols, sewing accessories, historical research books, and some readymade Victorian reproduction clothing.julishka comments: the amazon corsets in their catalogue *are* vollers corsets AFAIK. i ordered the corset catalogue from amazon and the vollers catalogue arrived. when i called, the lady at amazon was very helpful to me. i bought my first one from them but was very nervous about measurements and such. i also wanted to get one that i could return if necessary. there are only certain ones they'll accept returns on... she was very reassuring and helpful with the measurements. so i got one that they accepted returns on if in pristine condition. nope, never returned it!
Lady Bathory comments: Anyone ever wondered what the quality of readymade goods from ADG is like? I have. I mean, I've done a lot of business w/them in terms of sewing (specifically corsetry) supplies: busk closures, boning, etc. I'd always been perfectly satisfied... *pleased*, even. But I'd never seen any of their _pret_a_porter_ clothing before.
Today, the shop at which i work rec'd a pkg. containing frock coats from ADG, & I thought I'd share my opinion w/the gentle ladies of a.g.f.
They suck shit through a crazy straw.
No, really. They are the crummiest quality cheese I've ever seen. No, let me rephrase that. They are the crummiest quality pasteurized process cheese food I've ever seen. We are talking *Velveeta*. They are made from a synthetic crepe so thin you can see through it when a light is behind it. They are unlined (except for a thin acetaty yoke-lining over the shoulders). The upper lapel & pocket flaps are done in a crispy poly low-pile velvet (think "glamourous cat collar" velvet here... like the kind used to make those little gooby poodle collars w/the diamelles on them). They have cheap plasticky flat buttons & need little more than some baby blue braid to be dead ringers for _Wedding Singer_ tuxes.
Granted, IIRC they were only around $95 each, so i expected they'd be a tad costumey, but these babies are El Cheapo Grande. I guess if you plan on wearing them in a dark club & have a bit of skill w/the needle, you could add some braiding & half-lining inside the frock & make them passable (this is what we are doing for the show). And if you really don't care about a remote approximation of quality tailoring, they're alright for your money. They don't come any bigger than a 46, tho', so bigger guys haven't even got a choice about it.
What's more, we ordered 3 of them & only rec'd 2. Hmpf. On the oh-so-acute upside, we did order them on Thursday & rec'd them today, so paying the extra dough for quick shipping does pay off.
As a now-experienced comparison shopper, i'd say if you want a man's frock coat, order from Tuxedo Wholesaler in Scottsdale, AZ. Lachesis' SO wore one of their frock coats to the Goth Prom, & it was similar in price but far superior in quality.
Ateleir Polonaise
4610 1/2 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92116 US
Phone: (800) 618-7606
Fax: (619) 291-8709
Catalog $13
Custom-made 1700s-1940s costumes for women and men, including corsetry and bridal.
AvalonUSA
P.O. Box 42547
Houston, TX 77242-2547, US
order@avalonusa.com
Inexpensive decorative corsets, as well as PVC, lingerie, swimsuits, costumes, and hosiery.
Axford's
82 Centurion Rd.
Brighton BN1 4LN, UK
Phone: 44 (0)1273 327 944
Fax: 44 (0)1273 220 680
michael@axfords.com
Catalog £10
Traditional back-lacing, boned corsets in a wide variety of styles. Site includes information on the history of corsets and how to put on and wear a corset.
Azrael's Accomplice
422 Lovett Blvd.
Houston, TX 77006-4801, US
batty@io.com
Gothic, fetish, and historical style clothing, corsets, and accessories for women and men. Does custom work and mail-order.Babybat comments: This home-run gothic clothing business is wonderful! I love it to death because it's all so original and beautiful and also of very high quality! I highly recommend this business to any and everyone!
kristy comments: I ordered a dark blue velvet waist cincher from there. It's *great* quality, I got it quickly, and they were very pleasant to deal with.
Trystan comments: I purchased a black PVC waist cincher from here (thru eBay), and it's fabulous! Great construction, excellent fit, and a pleasure to do business with.
Dark Garden Unique Corsetry
321 Linden St. (at Gough)
San Francisco, CA 94102, US Phone: (877) 431-7684 or (415) 431-7684
Fax: (415) 431-7699
Elisa@darkgarden.net
Custom-made corsets in historical, fetish, and fantasy styles.Bathsheba comments: I am indeed one who owns both a Dark Garden corset and a Starkers corset. I have the Amazon in leather with side lacing from DG and the Pandora in black satin from Starkers. I bought my DG corset two years ago when it was $100 cheaper. I love it to death, but I don't think I'd be willing to spend as much for it as now want. However, I have to say that it seems like the work is just a tad bit better on the Dark Garden corset. At the bottom of the Starkers corset, the two sides of the ribbon binding do not meet in the center; there is a 1.5 cm gap or so. I do love the Starkers corset as well. Despite the small point made above, I have no qualms about it. And it has a lacing protector in the back which the DG corset does not. Also, Starkers was much more prompt in getting it out to me. It came before the expected time. My Dark Garden corset was over a month late, and they did not send it to the address I had put as the shipping address; instead they sent it to the mailing address, and by the time they shipped it I had moved.
Dream Dresser
Retail Store: 8444-50 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, US
Retail Store: 1042 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Georgetown, Washington DC, US
Mail-Order: P.O. Box 16158, Beverly Hills, CA 90209, US
(800) 96-DREAM
customerservice@dreamdresser.com
Catalog $10
Fetish clothing, corsets, toys, and accessories.
Eurotique
3109 45th St., Suite 300
West Palm Beach, FL 33407-1915, US
Phone: (561) 684-2302
Fax: (561) 684-2877
eurotique@aol.com
Catalog $20
Leather and PVC clothing, corsets, S&M toys, and accessories.
Fallen Angel Fashions & Brute Force Leather (formerly Brute Force Leather and Lace)
1024 South 18th St.
Harrisburg, PA 17104, US
(877) 255-2198 or (717) 233-6111 (in PA)
BruteForce@BruteForceLeather.com
Leather, Renaissance faire, and gothic clothing and corsets for men and women. Does custom work.
Frederick's of Hollywood
Retail Stores: in shopping malls across the US
Mail-Order: P.O. Box 229, Hollywood, CA 90099-0164, US
(800) 323-9525
custserv@fredericks.com
Free catalog
Trendy/sleazy clothes, decorative corsets, lingerie, and accessories. For information on Frederick's of Hollywood and 'decorative" corsets, see section 2.6a.
Gallery Serpentine
123 Enmore Road, Enmore
Sydney, Australia NSW 2042
Phone: + 61 2 9557 5821
Fax: + 61 2 9557 0964
annette@nightmachines.net
Gothic and historical clothing, corsets, and accessories for women and men. Does custom work.Tangent comments: My friend and I just received our order from Gallery Serpentine and... whoohoo! She ordered the steel-boned Edwardian corset in black and a long A-line skirt that fit PERFECTLY. (She's 6 feet tall and can never find clothes long enough.) I ordered the steel-boned Edwardian in green with lace, the pointed PVC waist cincher (which whittles my waist down to nothing!), and the spiderweb top which Annette custom-made for my freakishly long arms. I love that woman. I see a re-order in the near future...
Gibson Girls Corsetry
P.O. Box CP74
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2G9, Canada
Phone: (403) 471-1587
Fax: (403) 471-1587
corserts@gibsongirl.ab.ca
Catalog $5cdn
A selection of traditional Victorian and Elizabethan corset styles as well as bra/cincher sets.
Jurnecka Creations
P.O. Box 191851
San Francisco, CA, 94119-1851, US
info@jurneckacreations.com
Custom-made corsets in historical, fantasy, and fetish styles. Also custom-order bridal, evening, historical, and fantasy outfits based around the corsets.Trystan comments: Sheri made me a classic Victorian corset, and that was money well-spent. It lasted in great condition even after being worn under Victorian gowns for proper teas and over ruffled shirts to smokey clubs for five years. More recently, I purchased one of her "Elizabeth" corsets -- it's a combo of classic hourglass and 18th century shapes. The fabrics and workmanship are exquisite!
Le Chateau Exotique
27 West Mechanic St.
New Hope, PA 18938, US
(215) 862-3810 or (877) 789-0568
info@fetishwear.com
Corsets, latex clothing, and fetish fashion.
Leather Works
Island Heights, NJ 08732, US
(732) 288-0574
info@leatherworks.com
Gothic, Medieval, and fetish leather clothing, corsets, shoes, and boots for women and men. Does custom work and mail-order.
The Lily Guild Corsets
P.O. Box 490594
Lawrenceville, GA 30049, US
(912) 382-6850
thelilyguild@alltel.net
Custom-made corsets and waist-cinchers in historical and fetishy styles.
Romantasy
199 Moulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94123, US
Phone: (415) 673-3137
Fax: (415) 567-2466
sales@romantasy.com
Custom-made corsets by a variety of designers in the US and UK--see the Corset Makers page for a listing of all the corset makers they represent. Also has field representatives in different locations who can do measurements for custom corsets.
Silks and Velvets
c/o Yosa Addiss
700 Mass. St. Suite #105
Lawrence, KS 66044, US
catalog@yosa.com
Custom-made corsets, fantasy gowns, wedding gowns, and historical gowns. Plus-size orders are welcome (up to about a US 24) and no additional charge.Daednu comments: Today I received my second Yosa corset. I previously bought an Antique corset from her. I bought my own brocade, and she made a perfectly fitted corset from it. This time I got a Century corset to wear under a bridesmaid gown. I had it made of black cotton for durability. I couldn't be more pleased with it. It's wonderfully finished and looks beautiful even though it's made of plain cotton. The cotton is a perfect weight, and it fits me like a glove.
Trystan comments: I have several items made by Yosa, and they're all divine! The materials are lush, the construction is precise and exquisite, the fit is amazing (even by mail!), and she's just a dream to work with. Highly recommended!!!
Siren
463 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada MSV-2A9
(416) 504-9288
info@sirenweb.com
Catalog $10
Large selection of gothic clothing, shoes, boots, corsets, jewelry, and accessories for women and men.Dr. Frank N. Furter comments: I own quite a bit of stuff from the Siren catalog. Yes, my wardrobe is the main reason I'm in piles of debt, but Siren isn't trying to sell you things that you can get somewhere else for half the price. The fabrics they use are gorgeous, and the workmanship is impeccable.
Starkers! by Dianna DiNoble
P.O. Box 207, Station B
Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2W1, Canada
(416) 871-1675
dianna@starkers.com
Catalog $3
Gothic clothing and corsets for women and men. Does custom work and mail-order.Carnell comments: I can speak from personal experience since both Catia and I own Starkers! corsets... They are wonderful! Excellently made and beautiful to look at.
Bathsheba comments: I own Starkers! Pandora corset in black satin, I LOVE it. I just wore it Friday night to the Black Tape for a Blue Girl show, and felt quite happy with it. I also own a Dark Garden Amazon corset. While the Starkers corset may not be quite as exquisitely made as the DG corset, it is still quite high quality. Also, the prices at Starkers are much lower than Dark Garden's, especially when the currency conversion is taken into account.
Dionysia comments: on monday i got my new corset from starkers! i wore it for the first time last night to man ray. it's the yummiest thing i've ever seen. it's purple brocade... victorian style, coming up to right under the breasts. i loved what it did to my waist (buh bye tummy!) and the fact i stood up straight for probably the first time in years! i love it i love it :) i'd definitely recommend a corset from starkers!... albeit i don't have much comparison, this being my first corset and all, but all the experience i had with starkers! was positive, from the woman vending at c4, to dianna herself (who i spoke to on the phone), to the corset.
Stormy Leather
1158 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94103, US
(415) 626-1672
online@stormyleather.com
Fetish fashion, corsets, accessories, and gear. Includes a plus-size line. Stormy Leather merchandise is also available in many retail stores.
Tight Situation
P.O. Box 860
London SE12 0LL, UK
Fax: (0) 181-857-4251
tightsit@dircon.co.uk
Catalog £5 within the UK, £6 for Europe, £7 / $10(US) for Overseas)
Corsets, fetish and fantasy clothing and accessories.Aconite comments: The corsets lace up front and back, and some are very tacky but a few are ok, and the prices are quite cheap.
Trashy Diva
829 Chartres St.
New Orleans, LA 70116, US
(888) 818-DIVA or (504) 581-4555
and
2048 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 299-8777
thetrashydiva@aol.com
Vintage clothing, accessories, and jewelry from 1900s to 1960s, as well as reproductions of vintage styles and a variety of corsets.
Trashy Lingerie
402 North La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048, US
(310) 659-4550
customerservice@mail.trashy.comCorsets, lingerie, hosiery, "trashy" clothing, swimsuits, and shoes.
Versatile Fashions
1010 North Batavia
Orange, CA 92867, US
Phone: (714) 538-0257
Fax: (714) 538-7950
versatile_fashions@yahoo.com
Fetish clothing, corsets, and accessories.
Vintage Elegance
sales@vintage-elegance.com
Custom-made corsets for women and men, plus historically-styled lingerie. Does some mail-order.
Vollers Corset Company
6-9 The Approach, Claybank Road
Copnor, Portsmouth, PO3 5LL, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 2392 66 01 50
Fax: +44 (0) 2392 66 09 58
info@vollers-corsets.com
Catalog £10
Traditional back-lacing, boned corsets in a wide variety of styles.Kathryn Quinn comments: They're top quality and fast.
Gillian comments: i'm still bouncing due to my velvet one (it's the long line one, and is fab). and here was me saying i'd only ever buy one corset!
Wasp Creations
5531 Harrison.
Kansas City, MO 64110, US
Fax: (816) 444-5558
Amy@waspcreations.com
Custom-made corsets, with an emphasis on tightlacers.Bill Hagerup comments: My wife has just ordered a 21" corset from Wasp Creations. Unfortunately, the prices just went up, but starting at $225, they are still pretty reasonable. The turn-around time is also good; a month or so.
Zoe's Closet
P.O. Box 575
Greenville, MI 48838, US
Fax: (616) 754-3337
zoes4u@pathwaynet.com
Catalog $15 US or $20 foreign, Visa and Master Card accepted
Custom-made Victorian corsets.
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