Retro shapewear - the fifties fashion revival

Jan 14
12:09

2009

Debbie Mendoza

Debbie Mendoza

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Retro shapewear, girdles, basques and corsets are back in vogue. Many of the current shapewear designs are modeled on fifties designs, for it was in this decade that Dior launched his 'wasp waist' look. A sleek silhouette was needed to show off his couture dress designs. Now these retro designs are back, this article explains how to choose & wear both vintage and retro shapewear. Maybe now is the time to reveal your new sexy silhouette!

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Corsetry - the very name is quaint and dated. Yet in fashion,Retro shapewear - the fifties fashion revival Articles what goes around comes around. Suddenly over the past few years retro girdles and basques are the height of fashion.

The growth in popularity of shapewear can be attributed to several factors - and the resurgence of burlesque as an entertainment plays a big role. The designer Jean Paul Gaultier also had a major influence when he resurrected the bullet bra, and satin shapewear generally, featuring them both on his perfume bottles and in his costume designs for Madonna.

Suddenly shapewear is no longer an embarrassing secret but clothing to flaunt - underwear has become outerwear on catwalks and in nightclubs.

Dior revolutionised fashion in the fifties with his 'wasp waist' style and the corsetry of that era is loving recreated with today's retro shapewear. His couture fashion demanded a well-defined silhouette - at a stroke it was essential for any well-dressed lady to wear a girdle or corset simply to be able to wear what was currently fashionable.

Retro shapewear, whilst paying homage to those fifties designs, brings them up to date with more modern materials. The rubber content of the material originally provided the elasticity of shapewear, but today lycra has supplanted rubber, offering controlled stretch. Lycra also eliminates the not uncommon problem of latex allergy and, importantly, can be made to offer increased support selectively in different places on a garment.

Nevertheless, the typical fifties features of girdles, corsets, all-in-ones and other shapewear, have been kept - the lace detailing, shiny satin panels, & sexy sheer panels.

Girdle garter clips - how many?

Look round the internet and you'll find suspender belts (or garter belts if you are American!) with four six eight or more garters. Of course the minimum four will work fine, although six is probably ideal, and more than six will add a sexy frisson to the garment, but will take far longer to clip to the stocking top! To recreate the fifties look, do check out designs featuring six to eight garters as you'll also be wearing seamed stockings (fully-fashioned if you are a purist!) -wearing a garter belt with six or eight garters will give your stockings stability. Seamless stockings can rotate a little in wear and still look good, but a stocking seam that snakes unevenly up the back, or side, of the leg will look awful!

Garter clip materials

Much modern lingerie uses garter clips, with plastic both for the 'frame' and for the middle garter 'button'. Take care if you order online because the cheaper designs have poorly designed buttons and the frame is flimsy - making it almost impossible to hook the stocking to the garter, or the garter pops open during wear which can lead to embarrassment! The original garter design featured a metal frame and rubber garter button. Better retro designs still utilise this arrangement which ensures that the garter clip can firmly hold the stocking securely, even should the top (welt) of the stocking be relatively thick.

Attaching the stocking

Yes there is a correct way to attach the garter to the stockings! It is sensible to wear thin cotton or nylon gloves when putting on stockings as particularly the genuine fifties vintage stockings can easily be snagged by the slightest roughness of the hands. Place the stocking on the foot, then gather & gently pull up the material, checking carefully to ensure the seam runs straight up the back of the leg. Now the rear garter should be clipped to the stocking - the garter and the clip should be positioned above the keyhole in the welt if the stocking is a fully fashioned variety, otherwise in line with the stocking seam. The remaining garters should then be attached, ensuring each strap drops straight down and not at an angle.

Retro or real vintage lingerie?

Some people will only wear the genuine vintage whilst others are happy to wear the retro shapewear copies. There is a certain pleasure to be derived from knowing you are dressed in underpinnings with direct historic links - and it certainly can make an entertaining discussion topic at dinner parties - oddly enough men seem just as interested as women (or maybe that isn't so odd!). However if you are thinking of going down the fifties lingerie route, be aware that lingerie of that era is not easily found in all sizes, it may have slight discolorations or other storage marks like rust spots. The flip side is that such vintage lingerie is likely to hold its value and if well looked after can be looked on as an investment you are able to wear!

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