Date: c. 2014
Origin: United Kingdom
Fabric: Silk and cotton
Brand: Sparklewren
A midbust corset in printed silk and cotton coutil, patterned in the signature Sparklewren Bird’s Wing style, inspired by the antique ‘Bird’s Wing‘ corset from 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 snake patterned printed silk outer of this corset originally formed a dress by the British brand ‘Biba’, and was deconstructed for the corset. There was not enough of this silk available to cover the full corset body, so the rear panels are formed of black silk duchesse. The silk print is further embellished with hand stitched black lace appliqué, metal spikes and multi-toned glued Swarovski crystals.
Jenni Hampshire began creating corsets under the moniker ‘Sparklewren’ in 2009. The designer’s background in Fine Art has resulted in a body of work akin to wearable sculpture. Historically inspired silhouettes and construction techniques are paired with lush, opulent embellishment and couture construction techniques. The brand specialises in one-of-a-kind heirloom garments, with each garment taking weeks of carefully considered embellishment and craftsmanship.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
