There's a lot of corset makers in the indie fashion market right now. It seems like the last couple of years there has been a huge surge of new designers who have learned the craft of corsetry and to be honest, it's kind of saturating the market. Now I'm a huge lover of corsets, I think they're just delightful and wonderful and I'm pleased to see them seeing quite a strong revival, I'm just not pleased with the quality I'm seeing in the craftsmanship...
There's two sides to it, there's the really kick ass awesome designs out there and then there's the basic, thrown together with little thought or care corsets where you can tell that the practice and skill just isn't there. Sure, you picked a crazy looking fabric and threw it together in an afternoon, but I'm not willing to drop $300+ bucks on something you boned with that stuff used in prom dresses. When I look for a corset, I look for creativity, effort, design and skill. Maybe I'm a bit of a corset snob but I know what I like and I've never been disappointed so far.
I can say for sure that I really like the designs by Gore Couture. Designers Krissy Gore and Miss Fiendish have a passion and you can really see it in each painstaking detail of their custom built corsets. This isn't just about rolling out a couple dozen cinchers of the same model for them, they go as far as to hand print/paint fabrics and hand apply embellishments and details that make each piece a real work of art. Nothing about their designs appears manufactured and if you're looking for a one of a kind piece of wearable art then these girls can make it for you. They've got a price tag that matches the product so this is more of an investment piece than a 'wear it once to look hot at a party and then stuff it away in the sock drawer' piece but I've seen lesser styles on the market for a similar price so I don't think their prices are at all outrageous.
Check it out: www.gore-couture.com
