Sign Ups for OCOC16 Close This Month!

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The Oxford Conference of Corsetry is a can't-miss event for corsetmakers. Though for many it is a yearly pilgrimage, it's an event that every person in the craft should try to attend at least once. The networking and sense of community is not found anywhere else, whether you're a beginner or an expert. Each year's program is stronger than the last. The workshop leaders, keynote speaker, and models are all top-notch. This year, sign ups are closing early, and I encourage you to take the plunge if you've been tempted by the program!

“Due to restrictions that we have with the new venue, we have to announce that although ticket sales are healthy, we need a further 20-25 definite sign-ups before the end of the month in order to meet the requirements of the venue and the conditions they have imposed upon us. If we do not meet that target, we will have to defer the conference to 2017 when we have our regular venue back.”

— Oxford Conference of Corsetry

I've been involved with the conference since its inaugural year, when I was on the committee of Corset Fellows. In its second year, I taught a workshop on pattern grading corsets, and my mentor Autumn Adamme of Dark Garden came as our keynote speaker. Last year, I attended as a regular delegate to experience the workshops first hand. Autumn in turn brought Mister Pearl himself and led a curated Q&A panel with him.

Sketchbook excerpts as I designed my wedding gown (seen on the right).

For the 2016 programme, I am slated to teach a workshop on illustration. Fashion illustration was my passion before I discovered corsetry. My sketching skills have come in incredibly handy for designing my ready-to-wear line and custom pieces both. I use my sketchbook to map the construction of integrated corset concepts, which simplifies the patterning and sketchbook phases. On Sunday, there will be an additional mini workshop in which I discuss technical flats. And for the conference gift bags, I'm working on special croquis which delegates can use as a template for their own designs. The latter is inspired by a vintage croquis pad which I've been using of late.

Technical drawing of wedding dress design.

Eveningwear corsetry design sketched on vintage croquis pad.

Build your design skills and your brand with us at OCOC16! We will have more workshops and more models than ever - just take a look at our 2016 programme! Sign up now for an unforgettable weekend in a classically English location.

I say hello! Hello, hello!

Welcome to Pop Antique's brand new blog! Many of you may know me as a weekly columnist at The Lingerie Addict, where I've been a writer since 2011. I will continue to dispense weekly corseting advice and lingerie reviews from a general perspective there, and this space will focus on Pop Antique events, new styles, sketchbook concepts (available for commission!), and so forth.

Corsetrix Marianne Faulkner in custom Sherbert Doll corset, next to gilded mannequin in Corset Paradise. Photo © Sparklewren.

To the right, there are feeds of my latest posts for The Lingerie Addict, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.  Have a look through and follow me on your platforms of choice.

The Oxford Conference of Corsetry has just passed, where I once again was featured as a speaker.  My boss and mentor, Autumn Adamme of Dark Garden, was also there this year, as our keynote speaker (and she really blew me away!) I miss my lovely friends and colleagues in the UK and across the world already, particularly the other "Corset Fellows:" Julia Bremble, Jenni Hampshire, Alison Campbell, and Gerry Quinton.

Victoria Dagger in Valentine corset in single layer coutil with contrast channels, waist tape, and peplum. Photo © Sparklewren.

Being with other corsetieres is always such an inspiring occasion, so it's no wonder that I ended up spending some of my dedicated "jetlag recovery day" on updating the site here. (The rest of the day was spent sleeping at odd hours and hugging cats.) Check out the Integrated Corsets, Custom Corsets, and Corset Options pages for some new info and pretty pictures. New corset style pages will be up soon, as I shot five corsets during my two weeks in the UK. Sparklewren's Jenni Hampshire has become quite the shutterbug (both of the above photos are her work); I quite recommend subscribing to her Life Behind the Scenes blog to see more of her gorgeous photography as well as other insights and treasures. Jenni and I shot three of my corsets.  Then I had the marvelous Olivia Campbell, who is as sweet as she is lovely, model another two for me in London. Those photos will be up as soon as I develop the film (!!) from my new Diana Mini and scan the Polaroids we took.

The UK trip was also good fun, especially as my girlfriend (now fiancée) was able to come with me this year. First, we spent a day in London (though it mostly feels like a blur of trying to get our luggage through Tube stations with no lift), stayed with Jenni for a couple days (much hand sewing and photography happened - my poor corset widow!), and of course, then there was OCOC itself.  Next, we fell in love with... pretty much everything about Edinburgh. Morgan particularly enjoyed "scotch tasting in Scotland, where they just call it whisky!" Alison was our next gracious host, and she drove us up to Loch Lomond - the banks really are quite "bonnie." It was beautifully and serene. A long train ride saw us in Essex where we met with my sister, who drove us down to Brighton the next day, where we overnighted after a day of (window) shopping, carnival rides on the pier, and a sleepy tour of the local nightlife. My sister and I jammed out to the lounge singer at Betty La La's, who was singing standards and oldies.

Still, I hadn't realized how much I missed California until our plane started its descent to SFO, the familiar coastline in view. The weather was perfect when we returned to San Francisco, and we're glad to be home.