Motorcycle Corset

Kali Lambson Bloom  in a Black Leather Dollymop Motorcycle Corset
Photos by Kristin Argue

A Conversation About Corsets, FAMSF Blog Post with Autumn Adamme

Here is a link to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco blog post interviewing Dark Garden owner Autumn Adamme.

Autumn Adamme, Photo by Daniel Silveira

A Conversation About Corsets

Posted by Gregory on March 7, 2012

If there is one article of clothing associated with the Victorian Era, it is the corset. This Sunday, March 11, we continue our exclusive series of public programs for The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 with Visions of Beauty—Inside the Victorian Artists Salon, presented in partnership with Dark Garden Corsetry and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Artist Salon. We recently sat down with Autumn Adamme, the owner of Dark Garden and your guide to all things corseted, to discuss this controversial fashion icon.
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Autumn Adamme, Photo by Daniel Silveira

The Kyoto Costume Institute Website

The Kyoto Costume Institute Website is one of the most delightful costume research resources.

There website and publications are full of high quality eye candy for historical fashion geeks like us!
Check out their Digital Archive; the zoom detailing tool is excellent.

Although the Kyoto Costume Institute approved our link they did not approve use of their photos, so of course we removed the one for this post. Apologies.

One Week Reminder: Tableau Vivant at the Palace of the Legion of Honor

In just one week, March 11th from 12:00 to 3:00 at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, Dark Garden will be presenting live models recreating tableau's from the art work featured in the current exhibition "The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900".

The event 'Visions of Beauty—Inside the Victorian Artists Salon & Studio' is a collaboration with the museum and the Pre-Raphealite Brotherhood who will recreate Artist Salon's of the period. Tickets to the exhibit can be purchased here and the Dark Garden event is included in the entrance to the museum.

The Toilette of Salome by Aubrey Beardsley

Hat by Kalico Delafay (Dollymop Designs)
Photos: Audrey Penven Make Up: Joey McQuire
Hair: Shannon Solano Model: Anita Bakke

Elle Yoffee on Offbeat Bride

Dark Garden has another dress featured on Offbeat Bride!
It looks like that makes 11 posts in which we have been featured on Offbeat Bride.
Elle Yoffee was a delight to work with and personified the traditional Dark Garden bride: untraditional.
Find the post about their Gothic Punk Seaside Wedding here:
Elle Yoffee on Offbeat Bride
And enjoy these beautiful photos by Jessamyn Harris

 

Shannon Solano Hair

Model: Kali Lambson Bloom, Photographer: Audrey Penven, 

Hair: Shannon Solano, Hair Adornment: Holly Bobisuthi, Make Up: Joey McQuire

Model: Dwoira Galilea, Photographer: Audrey Penven, 
Hair: Shannon Solano, Hair Adornment: Holly Bobisuthi, Make Up: Joey McQuire

 Hair!

Dark Garden's show at the Edwardian Ball 2012 had the most amazing hair styles. Elaborate styles were needed to best uphold and display hair jewelry and hats.  As we wrote in the article <"Edwardian Ball 2012 - Photographer Audrey Penven"> resident designers, Kalico Delafay and Holly Bobisuthi, had a specific vision for the show and needed the collection of 13 ensembles photographed in advance.

Kalico brought on heavy hitter, Shannon Solano, who has designed hair for film, music, and special events as well as being available at the Elixir Salon & Spa in Berkeley two days a week.

Shannon enthusiastically created a dozen gorgeous hairstyles using models with hair from short and curly to long down their back or to their knees to dreads and extensions! Each style complemented the clothes and the model's face. At the photoshoot, Shannon carefully documented as she created because day of the Edwardian Ball she did it all again! This time she used her assistant Andrea Costanzo, mistress of the flat iron, and between the two of 
them managed to reduce the time to style a dozen women from 7 hours down to 5---and with pinning and pinning, made sure that the styles held up for a full night of show and 
 resplendent celebration afterwards. 

To top it off, as someone who was in the stylist chair for 45 minutes for an elaborate UpDo, the energy and conversation was just the right mixture of upbeat, supportive and respectful of my need to focus on telling a good story of the GHOSTS OF THE UNFORTUNATE HEIRESSES.

Thank you Shannon, I/we could not have done it without you. 

Model: Dusty Paik, Photographer: Audrey Penven, 
Hair: Shannon Solano, Hair Adornment: Holly Bobisuthi, Make Up: Joey McQuire

Visions of Beauty—Inside the Victorian Artists Salon & Studio at The Palace of the Legion of Honor

Save the date! March 11th join Dark Garden and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

(as seen at the Dickens Christmas Fair) for  'Visions of Beauty—Inside the Victorian Artists Salon & Studio' in celebration of the exhibit, The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 now open at the Palace of the Legion of Honor . We will be recreating artwork from the exhibit with live models, as well as the artist salons which nurtured the artists, muses and models of the British Aesthetic Movement.

 Frederic Leighton, 'Pavonia' 1858