18.10.04

Vollers Corset

About one year ago I bought a 2nd hand long line corset from Vollers on eBay Germany. This is an over-the-bust classic corset with back lacing and front metal busk. The corset construction is based on two symmetrical pieces attached via back lacing and kept in place by the front busk. Each of these parts is based on 6 panels stitched together and encasing a hard boning. The manufacturing of such a garment is a complex process involving cutting and sewing 12 panels and encasing the hard boning and the front metal busk. Not to refer that a corset as such is built into two layers: the inner layer, made from a thick cotton fabric which will shape and add the garment’s desired stability, and an outside coating which consists of a silky fabric for a delicate finishing. This way the corset is strong enough to support great tension when tight lacing is applied and at the same time visually rich and delicate to create a highly erotic appearance.
I have been informed the corset would need some repair work but I did not have any means of evaluating it prior to buying it. A first look revealed a good condition corset with no damages in structure while the silk coating would need some work. I have identified one area where re-stitching would be required to repair one of the panels which has been shred probably due to tension. Upon a careful inspection the garment showed several other areas where the outer silky fabric has been torn next to the original stitching. Pulling the fabric it was possible to identify shredding in all 12 panels with the exception of the both front panels which hold the front metal busk. After this careful inspection I have identified all areas needing repair. Taking into account that the essence of a corset relies up to a great extent on its appearance and visual aspect, such a repair must consider it and place special care in order to attain a successful result. In fact, the corset plays two roles: the ability to shape the body and the beauty of the garment itself. Both play its role and contribute to make the corset one of the most important symbols in fashion throughout the years. In conclusion, working on a repair of a corset requires special care to prevent imperfection and spoiling the beauty of the garment.
Working on a repair of a corset is, indeed, a very complex job since the garment itself is of a complex nature. In my point of view to accomplish perfection in such a job the garment would need to undergo a process of deconstruction, identify and fix the problem, and finally put it together and respecting the manufacturing techniques. Still, in repairing this Vollers corset there is a major drawback due to the inherent garment’s complexity ‑ deconstruction is seen as technically possible but not worth economically. The ultimate result would be a higher than the garment’s original price. Deconstruction may be employed as a repair technique for special cases like unique garments, for instance original Victorian corsets.
Generally speaking the approach relies on a cost-benefit utility where the priority is balancing both: (1) shop window price of corset and (2) cost of repair plus garment’s original price. In this specific case as I have bought the corset 2nd hand the repair is justified. Thus, I have decided on a “cosmetic” repair focused on the outer fabric and considering that the garment would need to support tight lacing strengths. The corset has been repaired by an old lady who was my neighbor before I moved some 4 years ago. A wonderful person that has been cutting and sewing fabrics ever since and fully mastering the technique. Despite her technique I did feel that she had a hard time to work on this garment. Stitching on a corset with hard boning has proven to be a very difficult task. The hassle derived from the fact that there was not enough room to stitch right next to the boning since it was there where the silky fabric has torn. The difference of height due to the boning made very difficult using a traditional sewing machine. The repair has been done by manually sewing all the panels which have been torn to avoid further tearing on the silky fabric. Then a black ribbon similar in color and texture to the corset’s silky fabric has been vertically sewed from top to down right next to boning in all 12 panels, over the tearing. It turned to be a wise intervention which changed the visual aspect of the corset but resulted in a very effective repair.
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