Over the past year, we’ve been seeing a lot of lingerie styled as everyday items with corset tops and silk dresses being worn day to day. Corsets can be traced back as early as 1600 BC and in the Western world, they were worn from the 16th to the early 20th century. But no one does corsets quite like Italian designer Dario Princiotta, who poses with them in everything from 18th-century-dresses to wear at home looks.
Then Italian born and based designer draws his inspiration from the world of historical court dressing and he’s been influenced by it since he was a child, “I remember creating extravagant carnival costumes with the help of my mother and aunt, and I was also constantly sewing dresses for my dolls,” he told Vogue. “I actually learned how to sew and embroider around the age of eight. I made my first corset at 11.”
His curiosity only grew after watching scenes in movies portraying balls and court attire and he was fascinated with what the characters wore underneath their garments. “I had to have a piece of that fictional world, so I began my exhausting research to achieve that effect, the effect and proportions I was contemplating watching certain movies, looking at portraits and fashion magazines,” he says.
In regards to designers that inspire Princiotta, he credits English designer Charles Worth’s “peacock” silhouette pieces and award-winning Italian costume designer Piero Tosi’s period pieces.
Princiotta draws inspiration from all eras of corsets, with particular interest in pieces from the early 20th century. He can complete his pieces in two days if he “is in the right mood”. When he completes the looks, he wears and models them on his Instagram page and to costume events.
Some of the clients he’s designed for include drag queens Gigi Goode and Violet Chachki. But corsets aren’t the only thing he creates, he also designs dresses and trumpet skirts.
What do you think of Dario Princiotta? Are you willing to try corsets?