I couldn’t be happier that red carpet season and the current love for costume dramas have returned corsetry to the forefront of fashion. Since I last wrote about my Vivienne Westwood–inspired corset, many customers have taken the plunge and constructed their own pieces, either as standalone tops or as part of co-ord sets. Corset-based couture is appearing both on the high street and in couture, but for me it isn’t a “return” so much as a reminder. Corsetry has always had a place in fashion — it simply evolves. Techniques, materials and styling shift with the moment, but the purpose remains; structure, shape and craftsmanship. What changes is how designers interpret it, transforming historical references into something unmistakably modern and wearable.

Costume‑drama premieres such as Wuthering Heights, and period‑inspired dramas - Bridgerton - have encouraged stylists to lean into historical silhouettes. This is method dressing in practice: the promotional looks inform and become part of an artist’s public persona. Recent red carpet styling has emphasised corseted structure and theatrical detail, demonstrating how historical references can be adapted for a contemporary stage.

A recent red carpet moment that really underlined this shift towards corsetry as storytelling was Margot Robbie’s London premiere look; a custom Dilara Fındıkoğlu gown (styled by Andrew Mukamal) built around a sheer, boned corset base, overlaid with braided, hair‑like detailing that formed an outer, corseted framework across the body. The reference wasn’t subtle, and that was precisely the point. At the London premiere of Wuthering Heights, Robbie wore a replica of Charlotte Brontë’s Victorian mourning bracelet made with the braided hair of her deceased sister. The “hairwork” idea was carried directly into the dress itself, echoing the intimate, slightly unsettling craft of plaited remembrance. This is method dressing at its best. Not just wearing something that “fits the vibe” for a photo op, but committing to a cohesive visual narrative where silhouette, fabrication and detail work together to extend the world of the story into the real one.

And it wasn’t only Robbie leaning into corsetry. Charli XCX, involved with the film’s soundtrack, also stepped into the conversation in a custom Vivienne Westwood gown with the house’s signature corseted bodice, a reminder of how Westwood’s language of structure and sensuality continues to shape the way corsetry shows up in performance dressing.

Corsetry as the backbone of couture

To me, a corset‑style top is the cornerstone of couture, whether it is worn visibly as outerwear or used as the hidden armature of tailoring. Learning corsetry techniques teaches a construction language that elevates every garment:

• Patterning for three‑dimensional shaping; understanding how panels form curves and achieve balance.
• Layering and foundation fabrics; creating strength with appropriate underlayers (coutil or similar).
• Boning and channels; selecting and placing boning to control silhouette and movement.
• Closures and reinforcements; installing busks, eyelets and modesty panels for both function and finish.
• Fine finishing; topstitching, bindings and couture seamwork that transform a piece from costume into couture.

What excites me most about this current wave isn’t the spectacle of corsetry on a red carpet — it’s the renewed attention on the making. A corset is one of the few garments where engineering and beauty are inseparable: every seam is a decision, every layer has a job, every line of boning shapes both silhouette and movement. When you understand that internal architecture, you start to see corsetry everywhere — not as a trend, but as a toolkit designers return to whenever they want authority, sensuality and precision in the same breath. And right now, with technique back in the spotlight, it feels like the perfect moment to go deeper into how that structure is built. Watch this space!!