Feature Friday: Atelier Slyphe
While a historical time period had a general fashionable silhouette, corsets of that period came in a wide variety of interesting styles and shapes—both as a way to fit a wide variety of bodies but also to cater to new trends and fads. And if you are looking for something a little unusual like this for your next corset make, this month’s featured business is the place to find it!
(In fact, Redthreaded even uses one of these patterns for our Greta Corset in our Atelier line!)
Since 2008, Atelier Slyphe has been selling unique patterns based off original corsets, and you can find a range of PDF patterns from the 1790s through the early 1900s in their shop!
Each pattern is taken from an extant piece and is sized as the original piece was sized, meaning it will require some adjustment to fit your own personal measurements. While these patterns are definitely made for more experienced sewists, they can still provide a great source of inspiration and information for even a novice corset maker. Just browsing through the variety of her patterns is an education in of itself!
Corset REF C.A.B, late 18th century stays
Corset REF D, transitional mid-19th century corset
Corset REF MAMER, 19th century maternity corset
Corset REF PO, Edwardian corset
First inspired by a love of her grandmother’s clothing, the woman behind the atelier, Joëlle Verne, has been creating corsets for over 20 years.
When asked how she came to love corsetry, she responded, “My first approach was my curiosity for the corsets and girdles that my maternal grandmother (born in 1898) wore all her l’ife. As a child, I was interested in the technical side. I dismantled several of them, intrigued by the metal frames, the lacing, the construction...As a teenager, I broadened my interest in clothing more generally. I took an industrial type sewing course. I later came back to waist cinchers, out of a taste for the Gothic environment and my many trips to England where the corseted aesthetic was more present, it seemed to me. I fell in love with these once most intimate pieces of lingerie..."
In addition to creating patterns from pieces in her extant collection, Joëlle also creates one of a kind corsetry and ready to wear corsetry accessories. With these pieces, she loves to experiment with different fabrics and techniques.
She elaborated, “I think I'm known for being an explorer of materials. The technical challenge in relation to a material seems interesting to me. I like to work with coatings, plastics, singular or diverted materials like once real metal mesh instead of a mesh fabric. This can be different and interesting depending on the achievements. It's an experiment, but I also like to go back to the fundamentals, such as ticking fabric, which is the traditional material in corsetry.”
You can find all of Atelier Slyphe’s corset patterns in their Etsy shop, and learn more about their work on their website, www.ateliersylphecorseterie.com.
You can also keep up with their latest creations by following them on Instagram @ateliersylphe and on Facebook.