Student takes corset to heart
May 9, 2007 
Scottish student Kim Chapman has revealed her fondness for both the burlesque and the fairytale when she presented the gown that helped her graduate at a show at the Edinburgh College of Art.
She says she was inspired to create the stunning gown by the character of the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll's tale, Alice in Wonderland.
The burgundy silk-satin dress featured a fitted steel-boned corset in the bodice and a fishtail skirt supported by netting. The corseted top and full skirt were studded with 7,000 red-hued and transparent crystals provided by luxury crystal merchant Swarovski, at a cost of £800.
Twenty-one-year-old Ms Chapman from Livingston, told the Scotsman: "The dress is voluptuous and is intended to celebrate the womanly shape. I wanted to take the idea of Alice in Wonderland and redesign it with a 50s look."
The graduate's other dress was also inspired by fairytale and was based on the story of The Seven Ravens written by the Brothers Grimm.
Ms Chapman now dreams of a career designing for film and television.
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