321 Linden Street in Hayes valley is home to a spectacular corsetiere and her custom and ready wear corsets can give an hourglass figure worthy of Marilyn Monroe. The large showroom in front of the workshop is filled with tightly laced bodices and appropriate accessories such as embroidered purses, sparkling necklaces and ruffled panties. It is visited by brides to be in search of the perfect silhouette, historical re-enactors, waist trainers and random walks in.

Trying to decide which corset to try on, we grew wistful contemplating styles as varied as the curvaceous Sweetheart Victorian (its spring steel boning structure would do wonders for our posture) and the racy Arch Rival (it starts just below the breasts and ends with three sets of garters) all available in satin, brocade or leather. But our hearts went to the waist cincher, as it really zeroes in on our biggest problem area. And it is a big hit for men as well.

Tightly bound in a black poplin waist cincher ($235) the results were impressive. We looked less like recent corset superstars Gong Li and Dita von Teese and more like our idol Jessica Rabbit.

So now that we've reduced our waist by 4 inches we can concentrate on our other new year resolutions: promote world peace, purchase eco friendly light bulbs and eat as much fresh Dungeness crab as possible while they're still in season.

Dark Garden
321 Linden Street, San
Francisco, CA

By SFist Natacha