I fell in love quickly with leather, but my love affair with corsets came much earlier. As an ex-burlesque dancer, I often invested in bustiers and corsets. I joked they were “uniforms” or “for work”, but I really just adored the things they did to my figure–fat and skinny, in all the right places.
No matter the trends that come and go, I can’t get away from a deep wish to maintain a feminine form. Men often recite Oscar Wilde quotes and joke about fashion, but what they don’t get? Style is timeless, a science.
A leather corset pulls you in around the waist, letting your hips bust out freely. A great leather corset won’t constrict your chest, which would make you disproportionately pear-shaped, but will mimic the width of your hips.
Here, I pair a sweetheart-necklice (the most feminine neckline of all, if you ask me) leather corset with an inherited vintage high-waisted tulip-shaped grey wool skirt, inspired by these classically vintage shapes:
To tone down the explicit sex appeal of an exposed leather corset, I threw on a sheer black oxford, sleeves rolled up, tied behind my back and tucked into the skirt, for giving it the effect of an entirely new top. Finally, nude and black cap-toe heels hint at a vintage shoe, both lengthening the leg and providing a bit of current interest. The best part? I made them myself! Not from scratch or anything, but I took a can of vinyl spray paint to a great, but puppy-destroyed pair of nude heels and emerged with something current, that looked intentional.
All of that to say this,
Femininity, dear readers, is a science. To come later, a survey course (field drawings included).
Would you wear a leather corset? If so, how?
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Your photographer should get a raise! Nice shots and nice article!
I’ll consider it…