Chapter Three: The Bird's Wing
The Bird’s Wing technique became a signature of the Sparklewren brand: a multi-panelled pattern style, with strong flat felled seams each encasing a spiral steel bone. It’s highly structured but extremely flexible, moulding to each individual figure differently and achieving an iconic rounded hip line.
The original ‘Bird’s Wing’ corset is a surviving 1900s piece, found in the Symington Collection held by Leicestershire County Council’s Museums Service. The garment was supposedly named for the fact that it looks like a bird’s wing when laid flat. The original 1900s antique used an unusually high number of 21 panels per side, with a lapped seam construction enclosing a bone in each seam.
The style requires phenomenal cutting and stitching accuracy. Even a single millimetre of difference on each seam is enough to throw off the garment by a full dress size.
Jenni Hampshire worked tirelessly to refine the style, from using it in bespoke creations and show pieces to developing ready to wear ranges. Specialist sewing equipment was custom created to make these styles possible, to form the strong and narrow lapped seams that structure these complex corsets.
The original ‘Bird’s Wing’ Corset, displayed at the now closed Snibston Discovery Museum in 2012. The corset is now held in the Leicestershire County Council’s Museum Service. Photo by K. Laskowska.
Draped Silk 'Bird's Wing' Corset By Sparklewren
Date: c. 2012
Origin: United Kingdom
Fabric: Silk
This corset was the first attempt at Sparklewren’s signature ‘Bird’s Wing’ patterning style. As a first attempt at this complex form of patterning, it features some differences to the later refined construction methods used by the brand (although these patterning and construction details are now completely obscured by the corset’s embellishment). The seams are folded, rather than the flat felled style that was later adopted. The stitching process revealed to the designer the importance of vertical stitching accuracy in high panel corsets. Due to some stitch inaccuracy this corset had a flawed fit, and the designer originally intended to scrap the corset for parts, before being persuaded to instead use it as an opportunity to experiment with draped embellishment, created entirely from fabric scraps and offcuts.
'Strawberry Leopard' Silk Overbust Corset By Sparklewren
Date: 2013
Origin: United Kingdom
Fabric: Silk duchesse, cotton coutil
The ‘Strawberry Leopard’ corset was an experiment in creating a pared down corset inspired by the antique ‘Bird’s Wing’ corset from the Symington Collection held by Leicestershire County Council’s Museums Service. The pattern for the Strawberry Leopard incorporates only 10 panels per side and offers gentle shaping rather than extreme curves.
The corset uses an outer fabric of pale pink silk duchesse, lined with cotton coutil for strength. Pale pink leavers lace appliqué is layered over leopard-print silk chiffon, with ‘lichen’ effect degradé finish silk organza applied by hand and a scattering of freshwater pearls and large Swarovski crystals.
The Sparklewren boutique hosted numerous parties, acted as a gallery space, photoshoot location and more. Images taken at a party in the Winter of 2012 capture some of the location’s magic, with the carefully curated displays and surroundings the perfect backdrop for Jenni’s work to shine.
The boutique captured the essence of the Sparklewren universe: it provided a living experience that crystallised these corsets and their wearers as living sculptures, with the garments and their surroundings a textural and visual feast.
'Moth' Overbust Corset By Sparklewren
Date: 2013
Origin: United Kingdom
Fabric: Silk and lace
As described by the designer: ‘The Moth corset is heavily embellished in a symmetrical fashion reminiscent of the patterning on moth’s wings. Black and pale pink laces, black silk chiffon, grey leopard-print scarf silk, freshwater pearls, metal spikes in black and silver, and large Swarovskis in “Sapphire”, are layered upon a Bird’s Wing corset of black and grey leopard silk damask.’
Photos from the Sparklewren boutique in 2013 by P. J. Laskowski, taken on a trip to the boutique to collect the bespoke ‘Moth’ corset.
These images show the boutique in its ‘everyday’ form: equipment and scraps of lace scattered through the space, corsets carelessly slung over a clothes rail after being tried on by potential customers.
Lookbook: Birds, Moths & Waifs
This lookbook showcased a range of Bird’s Wing patterned and feather embellished corsetry, captured in mid-2013 by InaGlo photography at Winterbourne House & Garden, and modelled by Cassie Rae Wardle and Emily McLeish.
