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Period Corsets® again had the pleasure of working with gifted costume designer Joseph Porro for
Salem, Season 2. This year brought us an awe inspiring collection of embroidered and embellished Corsets and Bodices with exquisite stomachers. The luxurious and unique materials graced a new character played by the fabulous Lucy Lawless.
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| Lucy Lawless as "Marburg" wearing a boned bodice by Period Corsets® |
Entering the second season of
Salem, we meet the commanding Countess Palatine Ingrid Von Marburg, the last true sorceress in an ancient line of powerful German witches. The Countess is determined to dethrone Mary Sibley through a power battle, bring the devil to Earth, and leave a trail of death and destruction behind her. Her past, rife with scandal and rich in misbegotten evil schemes, is perpetuated through her power of resurrection.
The storied past of Countess Marburg's complex character is reflected in the textured layers of her intricately constructed costumes.
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| Lawless in bronze lame boned bodice with captive Tituba in leather corset, both by Period Corsets® |
"I have had so many names: Hecate, Medea, and Bathory are just a few. I'm the Swallower of Souls, She who flowers from her wounds. I'm the last of the first, I am the last of the true witches." -Countess Marburg
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| Marburg preps her potions while wearing a Period Corsets® Kristina corset in purple silk. |
A third of the custom boned bodices Period Corsets® made for
Salem this season were for the Countess Marburg. Her wardrobe consisted of rich jewel tones in lush fabrics- silk, velvet, lame, fur and leather. As a Countess, her wardrobe had to be dripping with emblems of her wealth and power, which were evoked by heavily beaded and embroidered stomachers.
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| A few of the fabulous embellished stomachers for "Countess Marburg" |
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| Gold beaded and embroidered Period Corsets® custom boned bodice with sleeves |
It was a true collaboration between Period Corsets® and the
Salem costume designer, Joseph Porro, and his talented costuming team.
Period Corsets® tailored every bodice to showcase the hand embroidery of the center front panel. The
stomacher, as it is called in historic garments, is usually a removable piece, but for this series we decided to build the stomachers into the garments.
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| Fitting in the custom embroidered stomacher to a velvet boned bodice. |
The raw and uncut lengths of yardage of each type of fabric arrived from India, where artisans had masterfully embroidered the custom design motifs specified by Mr. Porro and the
Salem design team. These fabrics exceeded our wildest imagination. They were exquisitely hand embroidered with thick coiled bullion and beaded in fantastic ornamental designs sometimes incorporating the character's monogrammed single initial.
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| Embroidered real silver lame yardage from India |
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| Detail of silver embroidered bullion stomacher in a Period Corsets® bodice |
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| Lucy Lawless wears a custom boned bodice with embroidered stomacher by Period Corsets® |
Period Corsets® then had the challenge of fitting these extraordinary pieces of artwork into the pattern of each particular bodice and stomacher shape. Every garment was pinned or tucked and altered to perfection, depending on the length and width of these fabulous embroidered one-of-a-kind works of art.
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| Marburg's golden bodices with heavy embroidery and beaded monograms. |
Marburg's ensembles are heavily laden with detail, overtly displaying her weighty role in society. Her color palette consisted of romantic jewel tones and golden hues in contrast to that of her nemesis Mary Sibley's less ostentatious darker tones. Her fabrics capture the bold and the passionate, with deep Gothic touches; a kaleidoscope of shimmering facets, from added embellishments or fibers in the fabric itself. Seeing her stroll into a scene gives you the immediate sense of the power and importance she embodies.
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| Burgundy velvet bonded bodice with tie-on sleeves and embroidered stomacher |
Period Corsets® bodices and corsets provided the base palette for the Salem costumers to build on. After the bodices arrived in their studio, their design team added more detail. Period Corsets® applauds Mr. Porro's talent in combining unique base fabrics with overlays of sheers, nets and textures to create dynamic ensembles that encapsulate the feeling of the character. He creates depth to his costumes that intrigue the mind of the viewer.
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Unique Materials- left, green satin with webbed sequin lace overlay
right top, navy and silver bodice with navy velvet bullion embroidery
right bottom, tie-dye velvet in greens, blues and black |
For Marburg's finale, we see her in a black on black leather and fur ensemble made from no less than four types of material. The front stomacher piece was crafted of embossed leather, to give the appearance of crocodile skin. The rest of the bodice used various textured furs that had been trimmed to match the pattern of the leather. Sewing with leather requires its own unique set of skills and tools.
By choosing such exotic materials, Mr. Porro's designs literally mold Countess Marburg into the tough-minded and fierce character we see on screen, transforming her into the wild animal she truly is.
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| Marburg's Finale- boned bodices made of embossed crocodile leather with textured fur sides. |
For more photos of our work with Joseph Porro and Salem, see our Pinterest Board
"Salem, From Design to Finish"
and our related blog posts:
Period Corsets and Salem; Witch War, the battle of the stomachers!
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