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The Corset King
By Tanya Jensen
Photos by FWD
Jan 10, 2003/FWD/ -- Peter Soronen began his corset career with whatever patterns he could lay his hands on, and through trial and error came up with a modern style women could incorporate into a contemporary wardrobe. And don't think only waifish types need apply.
"I have clients in their 50s who look incredible in my corsets. They are not wearing them with denims and miniskirts but with a ball skirt, tuxedo pants and perhaps a shawl. A corset will enhance any figure and smooth out any silhouette," said Soronen at New York's luxury showroom/store Seedhouse.
Soronen founded his label in Chicago in 1994 creating corsets, eveningwear and wedding dresses.
"I did lots of wedding dresses," he laughs. "When you are green and cold-calling, it's something that you have to be do. I once did a pink and silver baroque style five-piece dress complete with pleated sleeves and wired hoops -- it was crazy."
Another decadent moment for Soronen was seeing a Barneys window with his name on it. "It was fantastic my name was there in big gold lettering, spelled right (apparently many confuse him as Soronon) and a couple of my pieces. I almost cried."
Now based in New York Peter sells to Barneys and Jeffrey, where again the structured pieces are flying off racks.
Ikram Goldman, owner of Chicago's' super fabulous boutique, hangs Soronen alongside Alexander McQueen and Azzedine Alaia. "When I saw his corsets I realized they were like nothing else in the market," says Goldman. "The fabrics, the fit, the way there are constructed is amazing. We cannot keep his pieces in the store; his popularity with customers is growing and growing."
Many of his dresses are simply perfect, sexy (without tack or glitz) red carpet dreams. The real work is on the inside, with details such as stretch and binding at the hips, giving the wearer complete assurance of no flashing bosoms, and a smooth, structured exterior. Another plus is that Peter designs some of his corsets with front fastenings -- so for those girls who don't enjoy the ceremony of lacing it up the back, or for those lucky lasses looking to get the piece off pronto, a few pops at the front, and it's off.
And the corsets aren't just for special occasions. Like many designers for spring/summer 2003, Peter went for some color, making a pink corset with floral embroidery, a pale silver one, and a pink satin-faced organza dress with a built in corset.
"You don't even know the corset is there in the dress," Soronen says of the latter piece. "But the result is an incredible shape." And he's right: waist whittled in, breasts up and hips accentuated -- who doesn't want that once in a while?
For more information call Seedhouse at 646.336.SEED
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