Welcoming LeighAnn to the Pop Antique Team

Pop Antique has a new team member! Meet LeighAnn, my new assistant. I am overjoyed to have her on staff, enabling me to focus on my craft.

LeighAnn will be the main contact for new and existing clients - you'll first encounter her when you send your initial inquiry email. She'll walk you through the ordering and payment process and provide status updates on your order as-needed. If your consultation gives rise to any advanced questions, LeighAnn will run them by me before conveying the answers to you. Since my sewing machine and my computer are entirely separate entities, having email in LeighAnn's court will make for a much faster response time for you - and more efficient production for me. The Pop Antique queue for made to order corsetry is currently full, but LeighAnn will still be handling consultations as they come in, and has started a wait list for new orders.

While taking email off my plate is a Big Deal on its own, LeighAnn's presence in Pop Antique will have an even wider impact. LeighAnn will also be livening up the Pop Antique Facebook page and Twitter feed, and helping me with administrative production tasks like ordering fabrics and scheduling.

Bringing on an assistant is a crucial next step for the business and I have a very good feeling about this collaboration. Please welcome LeighAnn to the team!

~Marianne Faulkner
The Corsetrix, Pop Antique

P.S. LeighAnn's talents don't stop here, of course - check out her band, Good As Gone, based in Austin, TX.

A Brief Hiatus

Hello friends and fans,

Busy days here at Studio M, the Pop Antique headquarters! If you follow Pop Antique on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen that I am engaged! My partner and I are planning an October wedding, and as a pair of designers, we're DIYing much of it. We may also be moving soon, into a home of our very own. I try not to move very often, as I'm a very settled person. Between looking at houses online, finding a realtor, and actually going to open houses and eventually filling out much in the way of paperwork and making offers, I don't want to risk underestimating the impact this move will have on my available time.

My beautiful engagement ring! A recreation of a 1920s design, presented in, yes, a box that is shaped like a macaron and surrounded by actual macarons.

I'm hoping this hiatus will only last a few weeks - as you can imagine, I don't really want to cut back on work now that I have a wedding to pay for! Starting in a month, I am pleased to announce that I am giving up one of my "day" jobs, and will focus on all things corset related. I am increasing my hours at Dark Garden, my mentor in corsetmaking, where I most notably work as a patternmaker. I'll be contributing regularly to the blog for the Oxford Conference of Corsetry, which will give me an outlet for a more technical side of my musings than that which I post on The Lingerie Addict. Hopefully I'll be updating this blog more as well with general pontifications about corsetry and waist training as well as studio news. I'm also working on a couple of exciting projects for waist trainers that I'd like to get off the ground over the summer.

Pop Antique Integrated Corsetry Bombshell in grey herringbone coutil and silver-shot mesh. Model: Victoria Dagger. Photo © Alyxander Ryan.

Of course I will be completing all current orders if we've already been in touch. If you've sent an inquiry about an order and not received a response, I do apologize. Until I am caught up on current work and my schedule is stabilized, I won't be taking on new commissions. If you happen to know of anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area who is interested in learning the art of corsetmaking, I am seeking an intern/assistant. Having an assistant would make a big difference in my studio and definitely have an impact on how quickly the hiatus ends.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Marianne Faulkner
Corsetrix, Pop Antique
 

Intern / Assistant Needed

Pop Antique is looking to take on an assistant! The necessary commitment is roughly one day per week, probably Wednesdays beginning in late May. Must be in or willing to travel to San Francisco. Compensation TBD based on experience and duties.

Pop Antique is at this phase a one-woman (+two-cat) entity. All design, drafting, sewing, site maintenance, illustration, and so forth, are currently done by me, Marianne Faulkner.

Ideally, my assistant would:

• help prioritize the workload for the day, ensuring a production schedule is maintained and improving the level of customer service offered to Pop Antique clients.
• aid with client correspondence, e.g. invoicing, updates on order status
• cut out client orders, samples, and mockups. For this, it is essential that they be highly accurate with a rotary cutter and possess a keen eye for grainline.
• maintain tidiness and organization of the studio area, including occasional large-scale reorganization or inventory projects.
• serve as a second pair of eyes to bounce ideas off of, and
• eventually, perhaps actually stitch some client orders (again, accuracy is key).

I would probably only need someone one day a week for this purpose. In exchange for this assistance, as well as the agreed upon compensation, I am happy to mentor in corsetmaking, teaching various construction techniques from keystones like setting a busk to the type of drafting and fitting specific to corsetry and the many seam types that can be used to different advantage based on the scope of a project. As my assistant's skills and duties grow, naturally we would also continually revisit the pay rate.

In terms of temperament, of course, personality is key. Like many corsetieres, I am a natural introvert, and so I don't do well with personalities that are too high-energy. I appreciate a nature that is forthright, takes direction well but can also self-manage, has a sense of humor, and is detail oriented. I often play music (from Ella Fitzgerald to The Kinks to Caravan Palace to The Fratellis) or audiobooks while I work, so a compatibility in preferred background noise is also important.

If you are interested in working with me at Pop Antique, please provide me with a description of your relevant experience/background and why you would like to work for Pop Antique.

Pre-Holiday Sale!

SALE! Pre-Holiday sale this weekend only, ends Monday night. Let's make waisted dreams come true! Corsets old and new are on sale, as are made-to-order accessories. Treat yourself or buy a gift for a super-special and super-lucky friend. Help a corsetmaker pay for her silly cat's surgery in the process!

Sample Sale!
I am selling a few early Pop Antique samples at starkly discounted prices. This is the first time I have done a sample sale! Note that samples are sold as-is and may not be an accurate reflection of current fit and construction.

New Orders Sale!
If you're ready to take the plunge on a Pop Antique corset, put down a deposit for a made-to-order or bespoke piece! You can also place a deposit on the behalf of a friend or loved one, then pass over the consultation to them. Consultations already in progress are also eligible, but it's first come, first serve regarding the sale pricing! Please note that turnaround times are currently extended; talk to me if you have a special due date and I'll see if it can be accommodated. To help speed along the consultation process, decide on a style and review the size chart and fabric offerings.

• First order gets 20% off plus a free blocked hat, designed to match their corset!
• Next two receive 20% off!
• The next two orders will receive 15% off!
• The next five orders will receive a free fascinator (any size, any color combination).

Accessories Sale!
Made to Order accessories are all 25% off! Use discount code nonothankyou2014. Featherlight fascinators make perfect toppers for holiday party ensembles, and great stocking stuffers! Keep cozy this winter with snuggly knit fingerless gloves. Why not pair a Bow Clip Fascinator with a Mesh Pillbox for a fun, modular power-duo of cranial style?

I hope I'll hear from you soon!  Happy holidays.
~Marianne

Emails & Corset Turnaround Update

Hello lovelies! This is a seasonal update regarding my turnaround time for making corsets and responding to emails.  At the present juncture, I am not working on Pop Antique full time, and circumstances find me lagging in both correspondence and production.  I apologize for any delays and I sincerely and wholeheartedly thank you for your patience.

Exclusive custom skull floral print by Pop Antique on organic cotton sateen.

I am accepting new commissions - especially if you are able to put down a deposit quickly - but due dates have an extended turnaround, up from 4 weeks to 6 or 8. Should you require your corset for a special occasion before that, I can likely accommodate it if you clearly communicate it from the get-go.

Minx mini ribbon cincher in tone-on-tone grey petersham.

You can help by having a clear idea of what you want: style, size, and fabric, and putting down a deposit quickly.  Please read through the Size Chart, The Pop Antique Distinction, FAQ, and Shipping info - you will find many of your questions are answered through these pages. (If you are local to the Bay Area or California's Central Coast, I would be happy to arrange an in-person consultation and pick up.) Please be understanding if I don't respond to your email right away - consultations are so important that I try not to rush through the communication if I don't have enough time to reply properly.  If you are waiting to hear back from me, it's okay to give me a little nudge as that will pull our correspondence back to the top of my inbox.

Minx mini ribbon cincher in tone-on-tone grey petersham.

I expect turnarounds to return to the standard at the turn of the year.

Thank you for supporting small business and handmade corsetry!

xxo,
Marianne

Darling! You're (Double) Exposed

As I mentioned in my last post, I bought a Diana Mini - a vintage reproduction film camera - for my photoshoot in London with Olivia Campbell.  Pretty soon I expect I'll end up like one of those hipsters or don't-call-me-a-hipster types, with a shelf of cameras and lenses (I blame Jenni).  Anyway, I had the film developed, and by far my favorite shots are the double exposures.  There's even a triple exposure or two in there.

The Bombshell | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

The Vixen | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

I didn't grab batteries for the flash, which was a mistake... so a lot of the shots are absurdly grainy.  Actually they're all really grainy, it creates a sort of an impressionistic feeling - very pointillist.  But it doesn't really matter for the double exposed shots, which is part of why I like them.

The Vixen | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

Olivia was a doll to work with, very sweet and really nailing it on the poses.  She's got a great face with no bad angles... I'd love to shoot her again, hopefully once I've got a better handle on my equipment, and maybe only as a second shooter with a "proper" photographer on-site as well.

The Vixen | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

I can't wait to share more photos, particularly the wealth of Polaroids we snapped.  I just have to finish scanning those and editing my grainy single exposures in Lightroom.

The Vixen | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

Well... okay... here's one single exposure to see you off!

The Bombshell | Model: Olivia Campbell | Photo: Marianne Faulkner

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.