Mich Dulce has given us a good reason to hate on Ciara Sotto—but we won't because Ciara is a sweet young lady—never mind that she can pole dance and has a 23" waistline.
Read about Mich Dulce's corsetry in the Inquirer, but please don't order now. The wait list is a bit long and Mich needs to rest her hands.
![Ciara Sotto wears Mich Dulce's corsets]()
Lose those inches-with a Mich Dulce corset
By Marge C. Enriquez
WITH THE AID OF A CORSET, so snugly laced at the torso, singer-actress Ciara Sotto-Oconer had a 20.5-inch waistline on her wedding day.
The corset, made by her best friend, designer Michelle “Mich” Dulce, gave her fuller hips and raised her breasts upwards, providing ample cleavage.
As the 29-year-old designer’s muse, Sotto was Dulce’s first corseted bride. Her bridal outfit was a corset and a skirt, cleverly draped to look like a single gown. Starting with a 25-inch waistline, Ciara diligently wore a training corset a month before her wedding last January. The waistline got tinier and the tummy got flatter over time.
![Ciara Sotto-Oconer]()
“You feel full most of the time, but you still have to eat. Otherwise, you’ll get dizzy,” says Ciara. Her sister commented that Ciara looked like a soldier, as the corset, made with steel boning, forced her to sit and stand erect. Her nephew thought she wouldn’t make it on her wedding day as she looked so fragile.
Before the big day, the groom, Joselito “Jojo” Oconer, COO of a film production company, declared he didn’t have the patience to unfasten the strings of her corset. Dulce offered him scissors to cut them on their wedding night and promised to replace the broken strings.
However, for sentimental value, Ciara refused. After the wedding reception, the yaya did the tedious job of unlacing it.
![Ciara Sotto]()
Ciara is just one among many who go to Dulce for her corsetry. Topping the list is Gretchen Barretto, who wore it on the pilot telecast of “Magkaribal.”
Aside from celebrities, there are women who order the corsets for help with their scoliosis or other orthopedic reasons.
Dulce’s foray into corsetry was born out of her fondness for vintage fashion. After studying her basics in fashion at Central St. Martin’s in England, she went on to study millinery.
“I collected hats, but nobody knew how to make them here,” she said. Studying the history and rudiments of hats fueled her fetish for period clothing.
Dulce became fascinated with corsets upon meeting celebrity stripper and fashion icon Dita Von Teese, who came to Manila in 2008. Von Teese had a 24-inch waistline. But with a corset, it whittled down to 18 inches.
![Dita von Teese]()
Last year, Dulce enrolled in an intensive course on corsetry at the London College of Fashion.
“Nowadays, anything with boning is referred to as a corset,” she says. “A real corset needs lacing. It must be historically correct. You can use practically any fabric. What’s important are the bust (underwire) and the steel boning which I import from the UK.”
Dulce, who occasionally lapses into a British accent, has also adopted the British work ethic of doing it properly or not doing it at all.
“I can’t teach this to anyone. I do everything myself. It’s very technical and mathematical. The proportions have to be accurate,” she explains.
To achieve the hourglass figure, there is a ratio of the bust to the waist. “If you’re not accurate, you don’t get the silhouette.”
![Ciara Sotto wears Mich Dulce's corsets]()
It takes a day for Dulce to make the pattern, and two weeks to make the corset because the techniques are centuries old.
“It should be at least 90-percent perfect for the first fitting,” she says.
It takes another two weeks to make the adjustments. “If it breaks, you have to start all over again.”
Hence it takes a month for a bespoke corset, which can cost as much as a Blackberry.
In this age of high-tech foundation garments, corsets still reign supreme in reshaping the body. Initially, they take two to three inches off the waistline. Over time, they take four to six inches off. Aside from modifying the waistline, corsets can either push up flat chests or give them a rounder profile. A corset can also tame fuller bosoms.
![Mich Dulce]()
Dulce’s tips for women to avoid suffering for a small waist: Break in the corsets a month before; stay in an air-conditioned room; wear a camisole under the corset to avoid bruising. Avoid double knots as they are difficult to unfasten when you’re in hurry to free yourself from the initial discomfort.
A corset can also be worn as outerwear, such as with Ciara’s bridal outfit. It can peep under a jacket or layered over a shirt.
Dulce has a long waiting list for her corsets, partly because she spends six months in the UK. She participates in London Fashion Week and Spitalfield Market crafts fair, presenting her hats made from sinamay and meeting up with clients for her designs.
From designer to milliner and now corsetiére, Dulce’s got her creativity all tied up.
http://bitchdulce.blogspot.com/
*we're just kidding!
Read about Mich Dulce's corsetry in the Inquirer, but please don't order now. The wait list is a bit long and Mich needs to rest her hands.
Lose those inches-with a Mich Dulce corset
By Marge C. Enriquez
WITH THE AID OF A CORSET, so snugly laced at the torso, singer-actress Ciara Sotto-Oconer had a 20.5-inch waistline on her wedding day.
The corset, made by her best friend, designer Michelle “Mich” Dulce, gave her fuller hips and raised her breasts upwards, providing ample cleavage.
As the 29-year-old designer’s muse, Sotto was Dulce’s first corseted bride. Her bridal outfit was a corset and a skirt, cleverly draped to look like a single gown. Starting with a 25-inch waistline, Ciara diligently wore a training corset a month before her wedding last January. The waistline got tinier and the tummy got flatter over time.
“You feel full most of the time, but you still have to eat. Otherwise, you’ll get dizzy,” says Ciara. Her sister commented that Ciara looked like a soldier, as the corset, made with steel boning, forced her to sit and stand erect. Her nephew thought she wouldn’t make it on her wedding day as she looked so fragile.
Before the big day, the groom, Joselito “Jojo” Oconer, COO of a film production company, declared he didn’t have the patience to unfasten the strings of her corset. Dulce offered him scissors to cut them on their wedding night and promised to replace the broken strings.
However, for sentimental value, Ciara refused. After the wedding reception, the yaya did the tedious job of unlacing it.
Ciara is just one among many who go to Dulce for her corsetry. Topping the list is Gretchen Barretto, who wore it on the pilot telecast of “Magkaribal.”
Aside from celebrities, there are women who order the corsets for help with their scoliosis or other orthopedic reasons.
Dulce’s foray into corsetry was born out of her fondness for vintage fashion. After studying her basics in fashion at Central St. Martin’s in England, she went on to study millinery.
“I collected hats, but nobody knew how to make them here,” she said. Studying the history and rudiments of hats fueled her fetish for period clothing.
Dulce became fascinated with corsets upon meeting celebrity stripper and fashion icon Dita Von Teese, who came to Manila in 2008. Von Teese had a 24-inch waistline. But with a corset, it whittled down to 18 inches.
Last year, Dulce enrolled in an intensive course on corsetry at the London College of Fashion.
“Nowadays, anything with boning is referred to as a corset,” she says. “A real corset needs lacing. It must be historically correct. You can use practically any fabric. What’s important are the bust (underwire) and the steel boning which I import from the UK.”
Dulce, who occasionally lapses into a British accent, has also adopted the British work ethic of doing it properly or not doing it at all.
“I can’t teach this to anyone. I do everything myself. It’s very technical and mathematical. The proportions have to be accurate,” she explains.
To achieve the hourglass figure, there is a ratio of the bust to the waist. “If you’re not accurate, you don’t get the silhouette.”
It takes a day for Dulce to make the pattern, and two weeks to make the corset because the techniques are centuries old.
“It should be at least 90-percent perfect for the first fitting,” she says.
It takes another two weeks to make the adjustments. “If it breaks, you have to start all over again.”
Hence it takes a month for a bespoke corset, which can cost as much as a Blackberry.
In this age of high-tech foundation garments, corsets still reign supreme in reshaping the body. Initially, they take two to three inches off the waistline. Over time, they take four to six inches off. Aside from modifying the waistline, corsets can either push up flat chests or give them a rounder profile. A corset can also tame fuller bosoms.
Dulce’s tips for women to avoid suffering for a small waist: Break in the corsets a month before; stay in an air-conditioned room; wear a camisole under the corset to avoid bruising. Avoid double knots as they are difficult to unfasten when you’re in hurry to free yourself from the initial discomfort.
A corset can also be worn as outerwear, such as with Ciara’s bridal outfit. It can peep under a jacket or layered over a shirt.
Dulce has a long waiting list for her corsets, partly because she spends six months in the UK. She participates in London Fashion Week and Spitalfield Market crafts fair, presenting her hats made from sinamay and meeting up with clients for her designs.
From designer to milliner and now corsetiére, Dulce’s got her creativity all tied up.
http://bitchdulce.blogspot.com/
*we're just kidding!