As a corset maker While attending the 1989 Love Ball in
New York City as a human
bustle to Bowery's costume, Pearl was introduced to the designer
Thierry Mugler. In 1997, Blow included a Mr. Pearl corset as part of the group of garments she chose to represent fashions of 1997 in the
Fashion Museum, Bath's
Dress of the Year collection. One of Pearl's most widely publicised creations was the Galliano-designed corset worn by
Kylie Minogue in her 2006 tour,
Showgirl. The jewelled corset was widely reported in the UK tabloid media at the time as having a waist, although these claims were exaggerated and Minogue herself disclaimed them. A full-length corset dress made for
Jean-Paul Gaultier in 2001 is now in the collection of the Metropolitan. By the 2000s, Mr. Pearl was regularly described as a
corsetière. He had earlier stated in a 1993 interview that he did not yet consider himself a corsetière, but a designer who used corsetry and lacing in his work, and aspired to become good enough to rank alongside the handful of true corsetières remaining in the world. Pearl eventually settled in Paris full-time, where he works on a made-to-order basis for private clients such as
Dita Von Teese.
As a corset wearer In addition to designing and making corsets, Mr. Pearl is notable for wearing corsets himself. At the age of 30, he was inspired to start doing so after seeing an image of
Fakir Musafar with a tightly corseted waist. The designer subsequently became a dedicated wearer of waist-training corsets, removing them only for bathing. Over 22 years he gradually reduced his waist measurement to . In 2013, Pearl noted that he enjoyed the physical experience of wearing corsets, particularly the effects on his breathing, circulation and the pressure on his organs, and that these had an effect on both his physical and mental awareness. Other commentators have noted that Pearl, as a highly private, publicity-shy individual, uses corsets and tight-lacing to embody his true self and personal identity, rather than imposing his theories and appearance on others for publicity and self-promotion purposes. ==References==