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Is it a great idea? Corset is Fiona

Marie Burchill
6/ 3/2008

WHEN Fiona Stott approached Prince's Trust judges with her dream business plan she admits her heart was in her mouth.

But the 25-year-old needn’t have worried. For fear quickly turned into glee when judges from the trust’s business start-up scheme bit her hand off following her idea to open up a boutique selling bespoke corsets in the heart of Didsbury.

Now Mrs Stott, who lives on Burnage Lane with her husband and two young children, is living out her dream after throwing the doors open to her very own boutique – supplying custom-made corsets – called In All Her Finery.

And with her deep love for all things exquisite – coupled with monthly progress meetings with her Prince's Trust mentors – Mrs Stott says things at her boutique couldn’t be better.

The former St Bede’s College pupil said: "I was so nervous when it came to submitting my business plan to the Prince's Trust and had been dreading it as I was expecting some kind of Dragon’s Den scenario.

"But it went really well and they were all really positive about everything I was trying to achieve.

"The boutique is open now and I have regular meetings with my business mentor. It’s been brilliant to have his support as he has really pushed me to enable me to get the best out of the boutique."

For those in search of a corset-clad waspish waist or hourglass figure – made famous by stars such as singer Madonna, fashion designer Christian Dior and burlesque performer Dita Von Teese – there’s no better place than the School Lane boutique.

Mrs Stott reveals that she has had everyone from office workers to opera singers keen to get their hands on her traditional steel-boned corsets – supplied by London designer, Saucey Rocks.

The mum-of-two said: "The corsets are really popular and there has been such a wide range of people coming in to buy them. We have a broad range of styles on offer, so we have people from office workers to opera singers buying them

"The majority of the opera singers who have bought my corsets are training at the Royal Northern College of Music. They are all really enthusiastic about the shop as they say corsets really help them to maintain the right posture while they are singing. They're delighted there's now a shop locally stocking corsets."

For more information call In All Her Finery on 0161 445 5225.