The last three years has become like a time warp where so much happened and we now describe events before Covid 19 as “the before times”! Obviously, like many other corsetiere’s and artisans who work face to face with clients, many of whom are brides, there was no opportunity to see clients and certainly none to find new ones. My brides luckily didn’t cancel, but they did postpone. As we went through the pandemic hopes were raised, and then dashed again, but there were small pockets where it was possible to see the clients who were already in my system, including two brides who wanted to be 100% ready as soon as restrictions lifted for larger events.

Luckily for me, there were apparently A LOT of people in the UK who suddenly had time to try ‘that thing’ that they had never had time to do before - namely making corsets. My business Sew Curvy Retail kept me going when I couldn’t take clients.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last much beyond the pandemic becuase the full effects of Brexit took place in July 2020, and crushed all cross border trade for small businesses.

After 18 months I tried to sell that part of the business, but Liz Truss crashed the economy so that was that! There was one interested party who would have been perfect as they were already in the corset trade, but in the end nobody could borrow money thanks to the aforementioned economic crash.

In the first break to Lockdown I was contacted by a local business woman who runs a ladies boutique - I’d known her for a while. Now bear in mind that we are both ladies of a ‘certain age’ in the centre of England in landlocked Oxfordshire, I had an inkling we had met before so I asked her where she went to school … I kind of knew what she was going to say but !!! It turns out we were at the same school in the middle of Scotland, at the SAME TIME! I knew it! Anyway … she invited me to do a shoot with her, and so I did. My corset ended up being on the cover of and inside, Oxfordshire Living magazine but unfortunately, I received no credit, so everybody reading the thing, thought she designed and made it. Annoying. Please don’t ever do that people! It’s literally the most disrespectful thing you can do to an artist and fellow business woman - ESPECIALLY when you are promoting the idea of ‘women supporting eachother’ …

Another amazing thing happened right at the start of the pando … a former client contacted me to say that her daughter was to be married, and would I like to make the dress? The design was loosely ‘steampunk’ and the dress had no budget. There is a corset with it but no pics of that as they are on the bride herself. The dress unfortunately isn’t finished yet - it’s a super long story - but it has evolved since this first design, it is made in the best materials money can buy with French couture lace and it’s looking simply divine!

And then there was bride #3 who’s story was a happy ending in itself. That’s one of the great things about working with brides in particular. They all have such wonderful stories.. some sad, some happy, but all joyful in the end. Here we are having a final fitting at the dress alteration shop before the corset is finished.

So over the term of the pandemic, I more or less shut the couture side of the business to new clients, but the few who were already with me, and I, battled through, and got there in the end! And now i’m doing this full time, i’m already filling up with bridal work for 2024, so do let me know if you’re planning your big day!

Whirlwind Catch-up! 2020-2022