Dark Garden Corsetry

by Christine Watson

Emily Marilyn in a pointed Victorian with straps.
Photo: Llednor Nadirehs

Dark Garden owner Autumn
Carey-Adamme in a pointed
Victorian with straps.

The corset. For a woman of any size, it provides an instant hour glass figure, giving that smaller corseted waist an attractive curve and, best of all, pushing the cleavage up and out on display. A woman with a typically A-cup breast knows full well that a corset can give the appearance of a B-cup, and a B-cup girl corseted correctly can seemingly develop Victoria Secret model proportions. Men have even worndi smaller corsets to pull the tummy in and train the waist.

It is an undisputed fact that the corset gives anyone of any size immediate sex appeal, and it has been doing so for literally centuries. In fact, tracing the corset back to its origins is a bit difficult because it has lived through countless incarnations. So far, the earliest was found in drawings at a Neolithic archaeological site at Brandon in Norfolk, England depicting women in animal hides that laced down the front.

I found my love of corsets at the Renaissance Faire. Honestly, all of you Renaissance Faire goers, was it the BBQ turkey legs and pottery that really brought you to pay a $20 entrance fee, or was it all the flirty tightly corseted wenches with bouncing cleavage flitting about? Speaking as a flirty wench, there are not many other opportunities in this day and age to put a rose between your corseted cleavage and receive multiple offers from strangers wanting to smell it. Once the Faire was over, it meant one more year until the chance to wear this fabulous piece of clothing. This is no longer the case thanks to Dark Garden Corsetry.

Miranda Holmes in a bridal corset.
Photo: Todd Rafalovich

Dark Garden, located in the Hayes Valley District of San Francisco, has helped bring the corset back into fashion full force. A pinstripe business suit looks twice as nice when the pinstripe top is a corset. Brides who don't want to buy the same "corset style" wedding dress on every wedding rack are coming to Dark Garden to get the real thing, a dress based on a real corset foundation.

In the fetish world, Dark Garden is at the top of its game. You'll see Dark Garden fashions on the cover of Playboy and Marilyn Manson's girlfriend, the incomparable Dita. You may have also seen a Dark Garden original on the likes of Tilda Swinton in the film Conceiving Ada, on Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie of the Creatures, or even on Pamela Anderson Lee, who wore a Dark Garden corset to the 1999 and 2001 MTV awards.

Dark Garden will design a custom corset of any kind for you; all you have to do is tell them your ideas. Whether it's for an elaborate 17th Century French costume or a patent-leather night out on the town lace-up, you can be guaranteed that your idea will come to life under the hands of experts. Every client is given a selection of fabrics and styles to choose from, from the finest silks and brocade to lace and patent leather. The final product is cut and sewn to the client's exact measurements, and that personal pattern is kept on file for future reference. The product is not sent out of house for any reason; your corset is designed and produced entirely by Dark Garden.

Waist cincher (left)
and a pointed Victorian (right).
Photo: Peter DaSilva

Autumn Carey-Adamme is the amazing woman who founded Dark Garden. People often ask her when her fascination with corsetry began. And the answer is, while she can't say for sure, she supposes that it might have been in childhood as she poured through the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. In her books, Laura often described dressing up with layers of flouncing petticoats, curling her hair and lacing up her boots, which sparked Autumn's young imagination.

At ten years old, Autumn received her first Elizabethan corset in the form of a hand-me-down Renaissance costume. Immediately in love, young Autumn wore it to school under the guise that it helped her posture in band class.

Autumn's mother was the impetus for what would eventually be Dark Garden. Two years later, she took twelve-year old Autumn to the fabric store and, together, they bought all of the plastic boning they could find to make a corset. History was made. From there, Autumn continued to experiment with different materials until someone suggested she use spring steel boning.

Juliet Cariaga in full-length patent
leather corset dress with flame
appliqué and Dita Von Teese in
patent leather waist cincher with
blood appliqué.
Photo: Doug Mar

A whole other world of corsetry opened up to her at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair with Victorian corsets. Buying every pattern available, she experimented with every method she could think of. She studied many old photos and even purchased an antique corset, which ultimately taught her more than she could have ever learned from any of her design books.

But it was an issue of fetish mag Skin Two that caught Autumn's attention. A particular photo of a leather corset fascinated her with its beauty. She studied it for hours until she understood how it was possible to create a waist so small.

One year later in 1989, Dark Garden was born. With partner Monique Motil, a fellow creator of corsets, they worked together developing their first unique patterns. They ultimately crafted a corset with a 16 inch waist and talked a friend into wearing it. Photographer Peter DaSilva took photos and, before they knew it, they had their first catalog of corsets.

If you have any question about the history of corset materials or design, Autumn is your gal. She'll tell you of crinoline, cardboard boning and stiffened linen. Autumn can break down the myths of and the facts about corset wearing, including the fact that Nicole Kidman did not break her rib due to her corset in Moulin Rouge, nor did women in ages past faint because their corset was too tight. She can tell you based on your body type which corset would look most flattering, and then she'll tell you how to keep your corset looking its best for years to come.

Underbust Victorian in black leather.
Photo: John Carey

Dark Garden's work is found all over the world, most recently in London at the Rubber Ball. You may have even seen them featured on the Travel Channel. If you're in the Bay Area, you've likely seen Dark Garden at the Dickens Fair or being modeled at local events like Folsom Street Fair or Slick. Dark Garden was recently voted "Best Place to Buy Wedding Wear" for the second year in a row.

So what's the process for getting your own Dark Garden custom-made corset? They'll start by getting your exact measurements. (If you cannot come to the store, you can have someone else take the measurements for you.) From there, they'll draft an original pattern and then test it by stitching a mock-up of cotton poplin. You can try this on in the store or they can mail it to you. Once tried on, the designer need to see the result (whether in person or in photos), and the pattern is corrected to make a perfect fit. Finally, the corset is cut from three layers: the fashion fabric, the interlining and the lining. The finishing touch is the stitching, the boning, the grommeting and the lacing up of your new corset.

This material and creation quality does not come cheap - be prepared to pay between $375 and $650. This is well worth the money when you consider that some of Autumn's earliest works, over 14 years ago, have been brought back to her for nostalgia in great condition. Once you've tried a Dark Garden corset, you know you're wearing art.