Since 1997, Dark Garden has been tucked down colorful Linden Street, selling stockings, underthings, custom gowns and a wide array of corsets. And this Sunday, it will open its doors (after hours) to those who are looking to take a little snapshot home with them—in the form of a customized boudoir photo shoot.
This Sunday April 25th from 5pm-10pm, Dark Garden will play host to private boudoir photography sessions. Each photo session includes a complete styling with a rented Dark Garden corset (which can be purchased for 10 percent off if you want one of your own).
The professional photographer on hand for the evening will be Chris Gaede, whose portfolio includes a wide array of weddings and portraits, and who Dark Garden has hired in the past for boudoir shoots. Boudoir sessions start at $75 for a Classic shoot that includes outfit styling, and can go up to $195 for a Deluxe Experience, which includes professional hair and makeup. Each boudoir shoot gets the model one 8x10" print, though more can be purchased if desired. (More info can be found on Dark Garden's website.)
Boudoir photo shoots are just a tiny part of what Dark Garden offers. From custom-designed wedding dresses to corsets of all styles and sizes, Dark Garden has for many been a destination for the intricately detailed underthings most commonly associated with the turn of last century.
(Photo: Nuala Sawyer / Hoodline)
Owner Autumn Adamme has watched the neighborhood change around her since she opened Dark Garden on what was then a dark alley. "We would walk each other to the cars at the end of the night," Autumn tells us. Dark Garden watched Hayes Valley go through an epic amount of construction, including a time when Linden Street was temporarily turned into a two-way street.
But it wasn't until the mid-2000s that Dark Garden began getting walk-ins. "We were really a destination place until Blue Bottle moved in next door," Autumn says. "It's been a pleasure to see it become a neighborhood."
(Photo: Nuala Sawyer / Hoodline)
When walking in the door, customers are greeted with a stylish array of vintage stockings, hand-made hats and ruffled corsets hanging from the walls. Autumn prefers to carry local vendors whenever possible, with latex accessories by Lust Designs, lingerie by Evgenia, and hats by milliner Kalico Delafay (who also happens to constructs her wares in the store's back sewing room).
Its wide array of accessories aside, Dark Garden's speciality is custom corsets. Behind a curtain in the back of the store is the workshop, featuring a number of sewing stations, rolls of leather and clippings of lace: the ingredients for corsets, constructed in any style or size.
Each custom corset takes dozens of measurements, at least two fittings, and at the moment, three months to complete. The timeline is due both to the detailed handiwork that each piece requires, as well as a slight backlog in orders. And for any animal rights activists reading this: no, whalebones are no longer used in corsets. Instead, Dark Garden uses rods of steel. (The rumors of corsets breaking women's ribs are an old wives tale. In fact, if any bones were breaking it was most likely the whalebones, which would get brittle with age.)
In addition to ready-to-wear and custom corsets, Autumn and her team also design and sew gowns and wedding dresses. She's been making wedding dresses since 1991, and is quick to assure us that it's not for everyone. But she also says that many of the brides that come to her say this is the most fun part of preparing for a wedding, and she enjoys being part of that process. "The ability to create reality out of an idea is an honor," she says.
Between corset waiting lists, local events and a customer base that has included Dita Von Teese and Christina Aguilera, Dark Garden is still going strong after 18 years in the neighborhood. To learn more about what they do swing by 321 Linden St., or call (415) 431-7684 to book a boudoir photo session this Sunday.
