Metallic Woven Canary and Black Corset

This corset is so graphically complete that it is almost hard to imagine what the rest of the outfit looked like. Was the yellow and metallic thread garment originally unadorned, and the black velvet checkerboard with white bugle beads added later?

Regardless of the evolution of the piece, its current form is captivating. The interior appears to be original, and the road traveled is evident through all of the hasty repairs done by a wardrobe mistress and helpers for subsequent performers. The quick black knot on the lower left interior seems a last minute nip on a dancer who required a tad more cinching. Maybe all of the tangles of cream thread at the bottom are remnants from a long gone attached piece of some kind.

Whatever the journey of this corset was, the version that I was privileged to photograph is noteworthy.