Chapter I

PEPLUM GREEN

£260.00

Laced at the back like a corset, cut in curved panels that open out from a high waistband. Worn over what you already own.

Made in England

Free UK & EU shipping

14 days to return

Sits 5 cm above the natural waist

One size, but not in the way that phrase usually means. The lacing works like a corset, so the piece closes to 70 cm and opens to around 80. More than that is possible, though the curve softens past 80.

It also sits over your clothes rather than against your skin, which is why it works across a lot of different figures. Trousers, a dress, a skirt, a waistcoat. Measure the narrowest part of your ribcage over whatever you plan to wear it with.

Fabric: 100% cotton drill

Lining: 100% polyester satin

Deep green with a blue undertone. Lined and trimmed in dusty pink.

Antique brass eyelets with a dusty pink cord, matched to the lining.

Dry clean only. Do not wash. Do not wring.

The boning and the interfacing are what hold the shape, and water will destroy both. Store it hanging or laid flat so the panels keep their curve.

Free standard shipping to the UK & EU.

Worldwide shipping available, shipping rates calculated at checkout.

Returnable within 14 days while the protective strip is still attached.

Peplum Green comes out of XVIII-XIX century corsetry, where the waist carried the whole argument. It does not sit on the waist. It sits five centimetres above it, which is why the shape reads as a corset rather than a belt, and why it holds a curve instead of following one.

The silhouette is closer to a peony than a rose. Smooth arched panels open out from a fitted band, and a one-centimetre gathered ruffle of the pink lining runs along the bottom edge. The ruffle is the only soft thing on the piece. Everything else is structure.

Made properly and slowly

Heavier than you expect. Closer to a good belt than to a piece of clothing, because there is real structure inside it. Put it down and it stands up on its own.

The lining is satin and it slides, so it will not drag on a shirt or catch on a dress underneath. You forget it is there, which is the trick with something this structured.

Boned through the panels to hold its shape. Every seam is closed and finished, with no overlocking anywhere in the piece. The fabric is fused and interfaced so the structure stays where it is put. Open the lining and it looks the same as the outside.

Made in England.

Frequently asked questions

Will it fit me?

One size. It closes to 70 cm at the waist and opens to around 80 through the back lacing. Because it goes over your clothes rather than against your skin, measure over whatever you plan to wear underneath.