Dark Gardens
321 Linden Street
415.431.7684
I
have noticed an unusual trend as I flipped through the pages of a fashion
magazine. There is a growing number of models
sashaying down runways in corsets. After looking at the nipped waists
of models and thought about my dead New Year’s resolution to do sit-ups
every day, corsets didn’t look as antiquated as I thought.
Now, corsets aren’t exactly a mainstay in the average woman’s wardrobe, but you wouldn’t know that if you stopped by Dark Gardens, San Francisco’s own corset shop, located in Hayes Valley. In the middle of this growing corset trend, there is a little shop in San Francisco at the vortex of this waist-cinching craze, that cranks out over fifty of these hand-made pieces every month.
Perhaps you noticed the purple sign for Dark Gardens peeking out from Linden Street as you drive down Gough to the Highway 101 entrance. Autumn Carey Adamme, the doe-eyed proprietress of Dark Gardens, has created a dreamy environment to sell her unique wares, complete with exquisite wall paintings and delicate pink flowers on the carpet.
Who, you might ask, would buy a corset? Autumn commented that there really isn’t any one type of person who is interested in buying a corset—they range from teenagers and brides looking for the proper foundation for wedding and prom dresses to people who are fulfilling certain (ahem) leather fetishes. Surprisingly, 1/3 of her clientele is comprised of business men, trying to fit into their Armani suits. (I’m sure they are telling people they are back-braces, HA!—now we know the truth!)
But don’t corsets keep you from breathing, I asked? Well, not these corsets, Autumn assured me. Corsets from the past wouldn’t work for today’s female body. First off, those Victorian lasses were wearing corsets when their bodies were beginning to grow into adulthood and would squeeze the lungs to the point where their ribs would overlap. Autumn has reinvented the corset for today’s woman, so it only squeezes in the waist and not the lungs. She described it as a gentle compression—like a hug, so breathing is not impaired. "No fainting here!" laughed Autumn. Also, when you buy a corset from Dark Gardens, they take over a dozen measurements of your body, so the corset fits perfectly and doesn’t compress the wrong parts.
Dark Gardens offer several types of corsets. When you come in for a consultation you will be showed a book of different corsets, which can be made out of a variety of fabrics or leathers. One of the most popular ones is the Amazon, which has straps and is reminiscent of ones you might have seen in the movie Dangerous Liaisons. It’s a work of art and truly meant to be seen. Another popular one is the Victorian Sweetheart, which is often worn as a foundation and can give you more curves than Lombard Street.
But if you aren’t interested in corsets, the store does offer other items as well—beautiful delicate jewelry, hand-made cloth purses, and a few pieces of vintage clothing. Speaking of vintage clothing, Autumn also runs another clothing line out of Dark Gardens called ReVamp, which features vintage inspired designs from the 1910’s to the 1950’s. ReVamp grew out of Autumn and her partner Anna Marie’s love of swing dancing after they were tired of watching their vintage dresses fall apart from a night of dancing. These frocks stand up to modern life and are made with the same care and consideration as the corsets.
I must say, after visiting this store it’s very tempting to ditch the sit-ups and grab one of these beautiful, ultra-feminine corsets (especially when Autumn recommended that one’s first corset only take FOUR inches off the waist!) Autumn said they weren’t that hard to lace oneself into and after looking through the book of pictures, you can’t help but be intrigued and want to try one. Stay tuned!
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