Steel Corset!
About eight years ago I got an idea stuck in my head for a corset I wanted to make, but didn’t have the skills necessary to make it. Three years ago I met orkamedies and, after a few mad collaborations, one evening while we were watching films and partaking of some particularly fine ales I mentioned said corset and thus a cunning plan was hatched!
The under garment is made of black dupion silk, interlined with canvas and lined in duchess satin with a combination of flat steels (front and back) and spiral steels (to the sides). The cover is 16 gauge sheet steel, the body is made of four separate segments with smaller plates mounted on leather for the shoulder straps. It is an amazing feeling to wear it as there is absolutely no give in it, unlike the corsets I normally wear which tend to have at least some degree of flex.
I can now confidently say I know orkamedies workshop inside out, know how to use many interesting and unusual power tools and never want to see a file again!
The inspiration for this came mostly from the following two pieces.
The first of these is from the collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan and is dated by them as 1580-1600. I’m afraid I don’t have any details on the second (if anyone else does I would be very interested!).
Mad as we may be, considering how long this one took and how much effort, plans for the Mark II and III steel corset have already been discussed!
A more detailed description of the construction of the steel cover, along with photos at different stages in the process can be found on orkamedies journal.
Cross posted to rather a lot of places, sorry if you see this lots of times!
The under garment is made of black dupion silk, interlined with canvas and lined in duchess satin with a combination of flat steels (front and back) and spiral steels (to the sides). The cover is 16 gauge sheet steel, the body is made of four separate segments with smaller plates mounted on leather for the shoulder straps. It is an amazing feeling to wear it as there is absolutely no give in it, unlike the corsets I normally wear which tend to have at least some degree of flex.
I can now confidently say I know orkamedies workshop inside out, know how to use many interesting and unusual power tools and never want to see a file again!
The inspiration for this came mostly from the following two pieces.
The first of these is from the collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan and is dated by them as 1580-1600. I’m afraid I don’t have any details on the second (if anyone else does I would be very interested!).
Mad as we may be, considering how long this one took and how much effort, plans for the Mark II and III steel corset have already been discussed!
A more detailed description of the construction of the steel cover, along with photos at different stages in the process can be found on orkamedies journal.
Cross posted to rather a lot of places, sorry if you see this lots of times!