Period Corsets® in Two Tony Nominated Shows

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 This year Period Corsets® collaborated with two Tony Award nominated shows  "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" and "Oliver!". One of the many thrills for Period Corsets® is getting the chance to work with theater productions. We've been honored to work with lots of shows and companies throughout the years, be they big or small.  What is always rewarding is when we help outfit the cast of a runaway hit.

c. 1905  Mae Corsets  in brocades coutils

Period Corsets® went undercover again in creating the graceful silhouette of the 19th century for "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder". We created multiple corsets to be worn underneath the costumes, giving the actors the proper shape of the day. We made our c. 1905 Mae Corset in every color of brocade.

"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"

Not only were our corsets used for their design and shaping, they also provided help in organizing the cast. We helped wardrobe out by making each member of the cast a different color of brocade so they could tell who was who at a glance.

brocades in many shades

Our c. 1905 Mae creates S-curve shape of the 19th century.

"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" recently won 4 Tony Awards including one for "Best Musical" and "Best Costume Design of a Musical".

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For "Oliver!", designer Sarah Nash Gates was in need of an 1830s style corset. This request gave us the opportunity to go ahead with our plans to fill the gap between our c 1805 Patricia Corset and our c. 1860 Julia Corset.

Oliver! at the 5th Ave. Theatre

With all of our corsets, each new design represents an important chapter in the evolution of  he corset shaping  particular to each historic period silhouette. Our 1830's pattern is an integral part of the dramatic transition between two very different period silhouettes. It's a bridge between the columnar straight lines of the early 19th century and the hourglass curving lines of the mid 19th century.

Our c. 1835 Ada  mock-up and finished corset in brocade

We took our design sketch and brought it into reality through multiple fittings and pattern alterations.. Our newest addition to the Period Corsets® line debuted as the c. 1835 Ada Corset, named for a maternal great-grandmother and, as always, a nod to a historic figure of the period; a pioneering mathematician of the era, Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace.


from design sketch by Doris Black to brocade

constructing in dusty rose brocade

Because "Oliver!" is a musical, that meant a certain amount of movement was required. The dancers would be wearing corsets, providing the correct silhouette of the era but, with the aid of clever stretch panels, they would still be allowed the freedom and comfort to move.

ready to go

This version of the Tony nominated "Oliver!" debuted at the 5th Ave. Theatre here in Seattle, Washington. The classic story of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is re-told and set to Lionel Bart’s unforgettable score. The classic story of poor orphaned Oliver Twist and his experience with the seedy underside of London, England.

c. 1835 Ada Corset in Paisley

3 views of another c. 1835 Ada Corset

Period Corsets® Undercover in Turn on AMC

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Period Corsets® went undercover again, this time for the Revolutionary War drama "Turn" on AMC.

The series is based on the Culper Ring, a group of spies who eventually helped turn the tide during the American Revolutionary War.

Part of what Period Corsets® offers is a period silhouette for every era. We provide the proper undergarments to be used underneath a costume. You can choose your era within a time span that covers 500 years. The undergarments give the costume an accurate portrayal of the silhouette of that era. They also affect and can direct an actors movement, posture and poise. What you don't see underneath the costume is as important as what you do.

Actress Heather Lind wears Period Corsets undergarments

For actress Heather Lind, who plays Anna Strong, we created two custom 18th century corsets, one in a roughly woven, corded silk, the other in a pale pink sheer net. Worn beneath her costumes, these corsets aided to create the restrictive silhouette of the era.

18th c. in corded silk

18th c. in sheer quilted
 net

Constructing the corsets