Why Madame le Strange corsetry does not come cheaply...

  

 
At first glance, my prices may seem like a lot of money to pay, especially when a lot of people are used to plastic/Rigilene boned basques and bustiers that can be bought for a fraction of the price. However, these are not real corsets and will tear or break within a year.

Naturally, their low cost reflects the lack of quality of these garments. Not to mention the fact that they will not address any figure concerns that one might have. Neither will they enhance the bust or waistline, nip in the hips or smooth a less than washerboard-flat tummy!

Then there are the cheaply-made corsets from China, India et al. Very often these are made from inferior materials, are skimped on sizing and often even worse (in my opinion), made by people who are treated little better than slaves. As the adage goes:

“If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”

Whilst I would never refer to low paid workers as being in any way simian, I wholly understand why a person receiving the barest wage and enduring poor working conditions, would not give 100% to the task in hand. Would you? Neither would I, and that is why I believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. This is reflected in the cost of my garments.

You may think that spending several hundred pounds on a single garment is a luxury, an extravagance even. You would of course be correct in thinking the former – but are you not worth it? A properly made corset however, is never an extravagance. It is an investment!

How so?

Imagine you buy one of the aforementioned cheap garments and it costs you £50. How many times will you wear that in a year? Every day? Once a week? Once a month? In that case, it’s not a bad investment – under £1 per wear for everyday use, around £4 for monthly outings.

However, when it becomes unwearable after a year (usually a lot less), what then? Do you replace it? Do you keep replacing it year in, year out?

And what happens to your figure during this time? You put on weight – time for a new garment. You lose weight – do you buy yet another new one? If you do, that’s already around £150 you’ve spent…for a year’s wear.

What if you only wear it the once? £50 for a one-time wear? That doesn’t sound very economical. This is especially true if the garment is badly made. Is a cheaper price tag really worth having boning poking through the fabric and into your skin? Is it worth having the fabric tear and the grommets coming adrift? What if this happened while you were out, or during your performance? To me, £50 for a garment that is likely to behave like that, represents a poor investment. In fact, I’d go so far as to call it a complete waste of money.

And so would many of my clients after having bought garments that retailers or manufacturers claimed were good corsets, only to discover to their embarrassment, distress, or anger, that they had wasted their money.

Now consider a properly made to measure corset. It may well cost you upwards of £250 but what do you get for your money?

A garment that is tailored to your body shape and measurements. A garment that allows for fluctuating size and shape. You can easily put on 1-15lbs and not have to replace your corset. In fact, if my clients become significantly smaller and find they need a different size, I’m always happy to alter their corsets for them – for a small fee of course! Similarly, I'm happy to replace certain elements, should they become worn out.

What else can one of my bespoke corsets do for you?

It can accentuate your bustline – I offer different shapes for different sized ladies (and for gentlemen who like to be ladies!). It will pull in your waist, allowing for a 2”-6” reduction…and it won’t break or lose its grommets! And it will trim your hips too. My corsets are hardworking garments, flattening tummies and smoothing hiplines where needed. They are designed to be tightlaced.

And they are glamorous and beautiful too. Just like my clients!

So what about this investment? Let’s say you spend £250 on one of my corsets and wear it every day. Over a period of a year, this works out to around £5 a week. Slightly more expensive than that £50 garment. However, when you take into account that my corsets can, with the proper care, last around ten years – often longer - suddenly that cost becomes less than 50p a week! To get the same amount of wear out of those basques or cheap corsets would cost you at least double the cost of one of my corsets. Of course, it must be borne in mind that those who tightlace 23 hours a day, seven day a week, will find that their corsets wear out quicker.

Perhaps you are now thinking that whilst all the above may be true, it is still sometimes cheaper in the short term to buy prêt a porter corsets. I cannot argue with this fact; however, because we are all different shapes and sizes, I truly believe that bespoke is the only way to get a correctly fitting garment. Have you seen ladies wearing corsets that make them spill out all over the top? This is because of one of two things (or a combination of both); the corset is too small or it is the wrong style for the body shape. I provide a bespoke service because it’s vitally important to ensure there is good breast support, and that my garments do exactly what they are designed to do.

There are many manufacturers and retailers offering prêt a porter corsets of all styles, some have even built up extensive businesses from it but it must be remembered that off-the-peg corsets are made to standard sizes. Are you a standard size? Yes? Congratulations – come and model for me! However, in my experience, the human body steadfastly refuses to pigeonhole itself into a set of standard measurements. It may have a long or a short waist, its breasts may not be in proportion to its waist (this is bad news for prêt a porter corsetry), it may have very ample hips but a small bust…or vice versa. Moreover, the fashion industry is still using an outdated set of 'standard' measurements that just does not apply to the current female form.

Prospective clients should note that most corset makers take between one and three measurements, then expect their corsets to fit correctly. A lot of my clients come to me after discovering that this is not acceptable; after all, how can a corset with a 24” waist (for example) be expected to fit people with 36”, 40", 42” etc. busts? Yet corset makers and sellers will often have you believe that all you need to do is give them your waist size and voillá, a magical garment that fits every shape and size with that waist measurement!

It’s just not going to happen.

Similarly, even those that claim to make bespoke corsets very often only take the circumferal measurements (bust, waist, hips)…and they often charge a small fortune for this. It’s better than just having the waist size but still doesn’t allow for the vertical statistics.

If a client is long or short waisted, how is the corset maker to know that just from circumferal measurements? And how will s/he make a corset to compensate for any bodily quirks but still give the wearer the appearance of perfect proportion? The short answer is, they cannot.

For the average corset, I take 14-18 measurements – both circumferal and vertical. I also look closely at the shape of the body I am corseting. This ensures that the client receives a truly bespoke garment that is made to fit only her/his body. If a client cannot get to me for a fitting, I ask for photos (usually four; front, back and each profile – all clad in underwear not outer clothes). This enables me to see any oddities or quirks that may be present (we all have them!) and to take them into account. I don’t actually know of any other corsetière that offers this service (although that’s not to say there are none!).

Of course, since it is you, the client that is paying for the corset, you deserve to have something that is not only functional but beautiful too. For this reason (and those of practicality), I use only the best grade coutil, cotton-backed corsetry satin and heavy duty cotton twill as the basis for my corsets. Most corset manufacturers use much cheaper and inferior materials. Unfortunately these traditonal corsetry fabrics do not come in a huge range of colours, so I offer a range of luxury face-fabrics to be used in conjunction with the basics. These are obviously not cheap, and can sometimes add to the overall cost of the finished garment. Similarly, a more complex design of corset will be more expensive.

Clients providing their own face fabric receive a £10 discount – this is because I still have to flatline the client’s fabric to coutil; alone, it is not strong enough - plus use a very heavy duty cotton to interline the corset, in addition to the coutil lining.  If a client doesn’t wish to have corset satin (which is so thick it almost stands up by itself!), or one of the coutils that I supply, I do have a sample book they can choose a fabric from. I’m always happy to meet with clients to discuss their needs, or send small swatches by post.

Other things which can also add to the cost might be (but are not limited to):

Trims such as –

  • Venise Lace (yes it comes from Venice but in the UK we know it by its French name – gros point de Venise. The Italians call it Punto a relievo, which in my entirely biased Anglo-Italian opinion sounds much better!)
  • Fringing
  • Tassels
  • Diamanté
  • Crystals
  • Ruffles

Fabrics –

  • Silk
  • Silk satin, taffeta, dupioni, brocade (as opposed to the usual synthetic ones)
  • Prints
  • Latex
  • Lace

Boning –

  • Rigid steel boning – wider and stronger than standard steel bones

Busks –

  • Spoon – resemble large, flattened spoons (yes, really!) and perfect for flattening tummies!
  • Gold coloured clasps – look very pretty in bridal wear

Aglets –

  • Filigree or engraved metal lace tips. A pair adds the perfect finishing touch!

 Sizes/Shapes –

  • Whilst I would be the last person to discriminate against a person’s shape and size, the plain fact is that larger corsets use more materials. Therefore a corset to fit a waist of 40” is going to be more expensive than one to fit a 20” waist
  • Lower hip length – again, these use different sizes and quantities of materials so are priced accordingly

Fitting –

  • Although I am more than happy to make your bespoke corset purely by mail order, I do recommend personal fittings (I ask for very detailed measurements and will send you a toile at no extra charge, although clients are responsible for all return postage costs). Two fittings are best, one is sufficient. Each should take no more than an hour. It is usual for clients to visit my atelier (for which I don't charge); however, I am willing to travel a reasonable distance to fit you in your own home if necessary. For this service, an additional fee of £20 per hour (plus expenses such as travelling, food and accommodation if needed) is levied.

Please note :  If the client does *not* require fittings, I can only guarantee that the garments will fit perfectly to the measurements I have been given. If the client has made mistakes with the measurements, I cannot be held responsible, although naturally I do my best to ensure that all measurements I am given are correct...I am experienced enough to be able to spot potential problem areas! This is why I always advise that client measures three times and comes to me for at least one fitting.

 Rush fees –

  • My usual lead time is around six weeks. This is because my order book is usually very full. However, I do always keep a certain number of slots free every month, in case of emergencies. Obviously, if a client wishes an order to be prioritised, this comes with an additional fee. Below is the scale of priority charges:
  1. Within three weeks of placing the order - +50% of the final cost
  2. Within two weeks of placing the order - + 75% of the final cost
  3. Within one week of placing the order - +100% of the final cost

My work is backed up by over 30 years’ experience and training. It is also worth bearing in mind that I am one of only a small number of professional bespoke corsetières in the UK.

A 10% discount is always given for two or more corsets (irrespective of style and fabric) made at the same time from the same measurements.

Please note that I do not work with leather or other animal skins.

 

Corset image from La Mode Illustrée, September 17, 1882