/Objets d'art

Mr. Pearl is world renowned for his precise and exquisite work as a corsetier. He is based in Paris, where he works out of an atelier behind the Notre Dame. His corsets grace the couture runways of the likes of John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Muegler. Dita von Teese frequently dons his creations.

Like any accomplished master, he has explored the depths of his art. He has corseted himself, reducing his own waist to a mere 18 inches.  His appreciation for the art of bodily transformation runs deep.  In his own words:

I'm fascinated by the possibility of the manipulation of nature in the quest for beauty. It's a kind of obsession. I've always been fascinated by gardening in the sense that trees can be trained into different shapes and I think that the body is a similar tool. It doesn't happen overnight, although a corset can be donned on a very superficial level. But it also has another side to it which is a much deeper thing, understood I believe only by people who practice it.

When asked about how people love to alter their physical appearances permanently: 

People are fascinated with the body and there has been a great movement towards plastic surgery and intervention. Corsetry doesn't require one to go to a hospital, it just requires a little discipline and the results can be spectacular.

Corsetry will always come around because it's a very ancient practice, linked to ritual. The great mystery of the marital corset and the untying of the laces, it has a wonderful mythology. That a woman was not eligible for marriage unless she had an 18-inch waist, I find this exquisite. The waistline is very malleable and people should not be scared of the possibilities of tying it in. Only the ones who do so will know and appreciate exactly the merits of it and the possibilities of altering your body without having to go to a doctor.