Have you seen the Netflix series The Sandman yet? It’s a beautiful adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic series (not to be confused with the series Lucifer). I fell in love with Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and just HAD to recreate one of their looks. Read on to see how I created the corset, which will be how the wings are supported!
Creating (Modifying) the Corset
Before I jump in, if you haven’t seen how I created the jacket yet, check it out here! I would also like to pay homage to the gorgeous design by Giles Deacon, who collaborated closely with Gwendoline to create stunning, beautiful silhouettes for this character. Check out this article to read about the process and see the sketches!
Thanks to the wonderful advice I received from a couple of friends (Paisley and Glue and Deela Designs), I had a solid plan for using a corset to support the wings so they could be flush to my body and easily removable.
I began with an Amazon corset purchase (GASP, but it worked so it’s okay!). After shortening the straps about an inch to accommodate my torso length, I added some coutil (a corset making fabric) to a few of the panels where I knew it would stretch and be uncomfortable: in the front and over the shoulders. You might think this would be the opposite because stretchy things are usually more comfortable, right? Not for supporting heavier things like large wings! The trick is to add support that won’t move or shift as I move my body that also distributed weight well.
I went to Corsetmaking.com and ordered a bunch of 1/4” spiral and flat steel boning in various lengths to match the existing boning on the corset, several yards of bone casing and a yard of coutil. I also ordered a few “extra thick” pieces of 1/4” flat boning because it looked interesting (and it wound up being PERFECT), but we’ll get to how that happened later.
Next I measured the length of the longest boning section on the back of the corset. I used that measurement to cut two lengths bone casing and sewed them snugly side by side to the inside of the corset. I wanted the boning to be firmly placed inside the casing without any room to shift, so I marked the casing to guide my stitching.
With the inner support channels finished I wanted to add outer support pockets for the wings. The wings will sit inside these pockets, so they needed to be reinforced and securely fastened to the corset.
I put the corset on and held one wing in place on my back. I marked the top edge of where the wing sat on my back with chalk (see the image below on the left with the chalk marks). I then removed the corset so I could trace the outline of the wing frame right onto the fabric. This allowed me to take measurement to created the pockets.
Unfortunately I didn’t take photos of the pockets as I was making them, but they are pretty basic as far as pockets go:
I used a double layer of coutil and folded it into long rectangles.
Next I added boning casing and a ribbon to the outer edge so I could easily access the pocket opening through the jacket (which I’ll show you a few steps from now).
Finally I sewed the pockets together around the edges.
In the photo below you can see where the additional boning is located on the inside and outside. The extra thick 1/4” boning turned out to be PERFECT for adding extra support to the pockets. I can’t even feel the wings when they are in place! The boning easily slides into the casing inside the support pocket. I have left it open so they can be removed if needed.
Here you can see the outer support boning before and after it is tucked into place.
The wing supports are long are an extension of the frame itself so there’s no chance of shearing. The armature wire is supportive yet repositionable, which makes this easy to install into the corset. I’ve covered the bare metal with a sleeve of Fosshape which helps fill the support pockets even more. This also adds more stability.
Here’s a look at the wings in place. The mannequin has a different shape than my back, so I needed to make a few more adjustments to help the wings stand up a little straighter. To do that, I manually moved the wing bases while I was wearing the wings. This is also possible to do when I have the jacket on.
If you’d like a chuckle, here is the very first time I ever put the wings on with the corset. You may have seen this circulating around instagram. It’s hard not to dance around when you have wings on!
Next up:
Each wing is easily inserted one at a time into the pockets. Pulling gently on the ribbon helps to keep the pocket open.
Here you can see the benefits of having an adjustable wireframe. On the left, the wings are angled together at the base. After an adjustment (which I can do while wearing it), the wings are separated nicely, yet are balanced really well.
You’re probably wondering how I made sure the jacket slits were in the right place before I cut into my jacket! All I did was put the corset on and then the jacket. I asked my husband to mark where he could feel the outline of the support pockets. Then I took off the jacket, took a deep breath and cut two slits using a rotary cutter. Thankfully they were perfectly placed. Whew!
The ribbon helps guide the wing into the correct pocket and assists with keeping the jacket material out of the way during this process. The ribbons can then be tucked away if desired.
