With burlesque successfully crossing from fetish to mainstream and corsets becoming de rigueur, the world has gravitated to Melanie Talkington’s business, Lace Embrace Atelier. With a delightful shop right off Main and 16^th, Lace Embrace has everything from beautiful custom made corsets to tantalizing garter belts. Her corsets are constructed in the finest silks, cottons and leather, embellished with lace, ribbons and embroidery.

Talkington’s reputation as a corsetière developed through focusing her education on the art of corset making and reviving the lost art of foundation garments. Ten years later a myriad people covet Talkington’s designs - often direct inspirations drawn from her antique corset collection, one of the largest in North America.

Fans include the much revered pin-up model and fashionista, Dita von Teese, who chooses Talkington’s custom design corsets for her stage performances and M.A.C. makeup campaigns. Talkington also designs exclusively for Cathie Jung, who holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest waist (with a waist of an astounding 15 inches)!

Talkington’s creations are flirty and fun which is ultimately her goal. “I create reproductions of corsets that can withstand wear and allow people to have fun and feel beautiful,” she explains. “I intend to preserve my antique corset collection to one day open my own museum.”

Visit the store on 219 East 16^th Avenue.

Amy Chan, partlySunny Contributor