I've been posting pictures here and there from one of my favorite shoots from last year, but I have yet to collect them in one place. This I consider to be a ridiculous oversight! I'd like to make these photo features a regular occurrence here, showcasing the talents of my photo team and breaking down how I styled the looks.
I kicked off 2014 with this shoot and I think it was particularly fine for coinciding with my goals for Pop Antique's photography. It bursts with vibrant tone-on-tone and has a fun modern-gone-retro vibe. I'm also pretty pleased with how the experimental jersey corset dress came out (eight months later, I wore it to the fancy Saturday night dinner at the Oxford Conference of Corsetry).
Corset dress & fascinators: Pop Antique
Latex bow ring: Lust Designs
Harness: Karolina Laskowska
Earrings: Kalico Delafay
Model: Victoria Dagger
Photos © Max Johnson
Special thanks to Isotope Comics, our location for the interior shots!
This dress is a prime example of my signature "Integrated Corsetry." A single layer bespoke fit corset is built into a simple long-sleeve sheath dress with a plunge neckline. (This style could also be executed with a standard fit corset.) The lacing is hidden behind a closed back and the busk is replaced with a long, extra sturdy zipper. What I love about this silhouette is that it is so pure: the construction and details are so sleek that silhouette is all you see. With bones and binding hidden, the shaping of the waist reduction and hip spring takes center stage.
Max and I were also shooting the array of fascinators I make. From the pillbox bow to the double decker, all of these fascinators feature carefully proportioned nylon horsehair, hand sewn into shape. The styles are travel friendly, lightweight, easy to wear, and versatile. Between the fascinators and oversized latex bow ring, the look takes on a modern cocktail style. The earrings shown were handmade for me as a birthday gift by my friend and talented colleague, Kalico Delafay. I love how the strappy harness (Lidia, by Karolina Laskowska) continues the line of the strong black zipper. With the neck strap loosened and the waist strap snug, the Lidia harness tailors even a simple t-shirt to a corseted shape, though this dress is, of course, already corset fit. Lastly, I wore my go-to Betsey Johnson heels with corset-back detailing.
~Marianne Faulkner
The Corsetrix, Pop Antique