City Paper December 22-28, 2005




Bound to Succeed
Introducing Delicious Corsets' CEOs, and the ties that bind them.
by A.D. Amorosi

Gusty winds couldn't stop Delicious Boutique. Not from opening on December's First Friday, that is. Since they couldn't use circus tents outdoors, they moved the big top indoors. The crowded salon was done up by artisan/filmmaker Marc Brodzik to not just look like a rotted-out carnival thoroughfare, but be one. Hellcat Burlesque and Melissa Bang Bang stripteased atop pedestals meant for elephants. The Sideshow Prophets performed in the back.

For some, this carny vibe might be a bit much.

But for Amy Schmitz and Psydde Delicious—designer/co-owners of the Delicious Corset brand and its first retail boutique—it's standard fare.

Especially for Psydde, whose Rock 'n' Roll Queer Bar and Fast, Cheap 'n' Out of Control amateur strip parties, Naughty Clown crawls and Titty Slap DVD have made him a duke of debauch.

"If I didn't have a child, I'd be back out there with him" says Schmitz, Psydde's oldest friend and business partner, while grocery shopping with Shane, her 2-year-old son. "When Psydde and I were both partying and playing, though we were devoting the same physical energy to our business we weren't devoting as much mental energy as we should."
But beyond the whorish horseplay and kinky gamesmanship, Delicious Corsets and its boutique, the duo's first retail space, is anything but play.

Schmitz, 37, and Delicious, 36, have been buds since Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Philadelphia University), where she studied fashion merchandising and he was a design major. "Only he graduated and I left after one semester," says Schmitz. When she met him, Delicious hadn't dyed his hair or begun boozing. "There he was, fresh from Bloomsburg, Pa., drinking Malt Ducks—this bright guy everybody loved. And still do."

Decadence aside, as business partners and friends, the two have had so few arguments they count them on one hand. They share tastes, literal and figurative. Their biggest difference? While Psydde is extravagant, Schmitz is budget-conscious. "Materials, photo shoots; I'm afraid to spend the money and take the next step," admits Schmitz. "Psydde jumps right in."

"Ten years ago, we were decorating our models in fake bruises and black eyes to suit that weird post-punk aesthetic we were into," says Psydde, laughing about the bruises. "We appreciate it. But we've matured. We're edgy, but we're not beating up our models anymore."

Neither one likes the idea of butting heads in terms of design. And despite the battered-wife look—and a shared love of leather gear—it's a misconception that Delicious Corsets has ever been about fetishwear.

At Boutique's back, Delicious points to a silk dupioni hoop-skirt and corset—fashion-forward and classic, rather than fetishistic. "We do pieces elegant, playful and well made, not fetish or hardcore," says Psydde.

A decade ago, it seemed risky to make that level of custom corsets for an unknown market. Yet November 2005 was Delicious Corsets' best month ever (over $11,000 in sales) in its best year ever—between stock corsets sold wholesale and retail, and custom pieces sold through the Web site, they unloaded 150 pieces at an average price of over $400 each.

So why get saddled with a retail outlet? In the last few years, with Psydde at trade shows and Amy with child, the bulk of the design fell to Schmitz. Each is wearing thin from that. "Every weekend I was out of town," says Psydde. "We never had a home base to see our work displayed how we wanted it to be displayed. We wanted something to reflect what Amy and I were all about—to give us a sense of identity. And we can sell works by artists we respect—have people be a part of what our identity is."

Brodzik outfitted the boutique with purposely worn shelves lined with Mark Kozik circus-punk dolls, Indonesian skeleton boxes and row upon row of silken handmade corsets done up in vibrant colors, Iron Crosses and Union Jacks—topped by a spinning wheel of fortune. Across from that, stainless-steel knives pin pleated velvet gowns and woven skirts to a weathered bull's-eye. If you want to try on a red-stitched leather jacket or a striped, hoop-skirted corset, you'll have to stare into tall, sight-bending funhouse mirrors. You'll also have to pull a series of tartan skirts and asymmetrical tops from the trapeze ropes that function as clothes hangers.

With the decadent design of their boutique intact, the guy known for garish punk parties and his devious designer pal can tie into the nightlife that once drove them to drink. "I always kept these things separate—my parties and my corset-making," says Delicious. "But I love that I can finally incorporate my daytime life into my nighttime, and vice versa. Having your party sponsored by Delicious Boutique with me spinning is a great idea, if I do say so myself."

Delicious Boutique, 1040 N. American St., Liberties Walk, 215-413-0375.