Girdles, Corsets, and Underpinnings

[Heather]

you can see the the boning and closure hooks through form-fitted clothing.

Oh my gosh, yes! It might not be as much of a problem if I wore a slip but I don't have as much opportunity for wearing dresses or skirts as I like.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

The boning just tends to look like part of the dress, but the closure hooks problem should be solved with hooks that are covered with a zip. Fairly certain Rago makes these, usually with hooks and zip on the side.

 

[Heather]

Looking at a marlene padded bustier with a front zipper on ebay. I remember the avatar but not the name of the member who recommended the maker!

 

[Heather]

I'm looking at the Rago 821. Trying to figure out the size chart my waist is 27-28 and my hips are 34, should I get the extra small, small or medium?[huh] I emailed them yesterday but still waiting for a reply. Yes, I'm impatient! Also, would you guys recommend wearing over it if I were to wear it with pants or a dress?

 

[PS]

Kami pointed us in the direction of belle-lingerie.co.uk for discounted prices on great European brands and friendlier prices than here in the US.
I picked up this set from Freya, the Retro Basic peices. I have been wearing the same bra for the past few years, you know the only one that fits just right...well even after buying a new one, it wasn't fitting just right anymore. AND I NEVER would buy a bra without trying it on but I knew what I wanted. A bra with wider bands on the side, something would lift me, no lace, and sturdier straps. Why do American brands have such wimpy straps even in larger sizes?
I have to say I am in love with this bra. LOVE! I have soft breast tissue (thanks kids!) and when i try on bras, find that some bras almost create a fold in my breast because there is no real lift or support but this bra lifts, separates and creates a shape. I LOVE IT! THANKS KAMI and Belle Lingerie!

 

[Laughing Magpie]

Hi ladies, I'm popping out of radio silence to ask a couple questions about elastic garters - not suspenders or a garter belt, but the sort worn around the thigh or upper calf.

I associate rolled elastic garters (the kind that look like hair elastics) with the 1920s and they were around as late as the 1960s though they fell out of common use in the early 1930s. For the fashion history buffs amongst us, does that sound right? When did we start to use garter belts?

The fancy decorative elastic garters that I think of 'flappers' wearing, were they really strong enough to hold up a stocking? Or did they wear a plain rolled elastic one underneath with the fancy one for show?

In the 1920s, was it more common to wear the garters just below or just above the knee?

Were the fancy ones from the 1920s actually fabric sewn around a flat elastic band (like the sort we have in waist bands now)? I don't think of elastic being used in clothing from that era. Maybe other materials were used, like bias strips or pieces of rubber or something? Did they close with buttons or were they stretched over the foot and pulled up the leg?

So many questions - I'm asking because I think it wouldn't be hard to make some of these garters, and I'd like to start with historically accurate ideas about construction.

Many thanks,
Jen

 

[Medvssa]

I cannot help you with most of these questions, but I do know when garter belts were introduced. Well, actually, first an elastic was attached to the front bottom edge of the corsets as early as the 1890's, and sometimes to the sides too. Before that, only garters were used.

I've also seen some garter belt style of contraptions (really just a belt with the elastics attached to it) to be worn over the corset, but those were apparently not common.

Garters attached to the corset would have interfered when the petticoats were worn under the corset, like during the 1870's and 1880's when the desired figure was very slim and fitted to the waist, and the legs on the front and sides. Undesired bulk on the waist area was avoided by wearing all petticoats underneath the relatively (to the 50's) longline corsets.

 

[Mojito]

Hallo Jen -

Garter belts do predate the 20s, and were used in that decade as well. There were also garter straps attached to girdles.

Stockings were most commonly rolled to just below the knee, but could also be rolled to above it.

Here they are rolled to the typical length:

Bare knees enabled one to indulge in that other 1920s fad - rouging the knee! Some decorative garters even came with a rouge puff attached for that purpose.

The fancy ones from the twenties - with flapper faces, ribbon flowers etc - were decorative garters and not strong enough to hold up stockings. They were elasticated, much like modern ones. You'll find that all of them have now lost their elasticity!

 

[Laura Chase]

Mojito, where do you get your 20's underthings? For the rolled-stocking look, aren't you supposed to just wear soft silk step-ins and nothing "supportive"? But I guess the young ladies who didn't have the desired figure still wore something to flatten their chest? Please do tell us about 20's lingerie!

 

[Mojito]

I cheat, Laura! I wear modern or repro foundation garments for the most part (although I will wear some 1920s slips and teddies, but preferably with as little original fabric next to the skin as possible). I have a few compression camis to flatten my bust which can be worn with either a bodysuit type garment or a Rago 1294 which slims out the hips and is a fair approximation of a 20s style girdle/garter combo. Of course, it depends on the style of garment I'm wearing it with...and where I am in my up-down weight cycle (which usually depends on how many miles I'm running at the time).

You could just wear a "dance set" with rolled stockings - brassiere and step-ins - and I imagine that this would have been a popular choice, particularly for the more nubile young women, but you could also wear more substantive undergarments, including a corset or girdle. That was one of the things that made folks look askance at flappers - they were rumoured, among other things, to check their corsets in cloakrooms when they went out dancing.

Btw - for those who haven't checked out Paul's site with its section on stockings, I recommend they do so! He has great images that relate the history of hosiery.

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

Btw - for those who haven't checked out Paul's site with its section on stockings, I recommend they do so! He has great images that relate the history of hosiery.

Thanks for the recommendation. That is a seriously excellent resource there and few well researched.

 

[Heather]

Still haven't heard back from the rago representative. My waist is 27-28 and my hips are 34, should I get the small or medium waist nipper? Thanks!

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Still haven't heard back from the rago representative. My waist is 27-28 and my hips are 34, should I get the small or medium waist nipper? Thanks!

Not sure if this helps, but I'd fit it to your waist since that's what you want to nip!

 

[ClaraB]

I love this thread, what interesting information on the 20's- rouging the knee, I had no idea!

It is time for a new garter belt but I have decided to go with an open bottom girdle instead. Has anyone tried the rago 1361 side zip open bottom girdle, this?
I like the idea of the obg, as I hope it will smooth some unsightly lower abdomen bumps, but I am worried it will ride up or not keep my stockings properly.
With these underpinnings I have such a dilemma because my hips are HUGE (39) in comparison with my waist (25). sigh.

 

[Laughing Magpie]

Excellent - thanks so much, especially for the link to Paul's site, it's very helpful!

I was still curious what the elastic, stretchy bits in the early 20th century were made from. The elastic you'd use today for suspenders in a garter belt, for example, would tend to be blends of polyester with spandex or rubber. Rubber would have been around, but the other two wouldn't.

I started to look for blends with cotton instead of synthetics and that led me to websites about elastic manufacturing like this one:
http://www.hnwelastic.com/products.htm

In addition to finding that cotton/rubber elastics are still made (which is also nice information to have if you ever want to easily dye an elastic) I found that a term used for what looks like the "rolled" elastics is "shock cord" or bungee cord (just like the tent pole cord used to mimic the rolled elastics on Paul's site). And even though most shock cords now also use synthetics that wouldn't have been available, they can be made with a rubber core and cotton covering.

I remember the first time I saw rolled elastic garters in "action" was in the 1933 film "Footlight Parade", Joan Blondell put some on (she wore hers with sheer stockings, mid-thigh, by the way). If I had a figure like hers I wouldn't hide it away in a girdle either!

 

[vampygirl13]

Just wanted to pop in and say how much I love reading this thread! I have learned so much!

Where are you fave online places to get seamed stockings with a bit of stretch? As much as I love real stockings, they just dont' stay up on me without a bit of stretch.

stockingsstore.com has a lot to choose from, has anyone ever ordered from there?

 

[palespider]

Just wondering if anyone had any personal reviews about the 9357 Rago, is it more for looks or does it actually have support? Run true to size, have alot of streach? ect ect. thanks ladies

 

[chanteuseCarey]

vintage style brassierre found...

Some one mentioned yesterday about the Playtex 18 hr bra. I looked up there website last night and found that a couple of my local stores carry it. I normally wear in my french bra (from Nordstrom, the best fitting bra for my shape unfortunately is an expensive bra- sigh...) a 34DDD, but in the Playtex the closest that fit well is a 36DD. I'm aiming for a vintage 40's pinup look bra, so I bought Playtex style#4693.

Whoa nellie, its a whole different shape in this puppy! Interesting... I also got a Flexees all in one piece thing that you wear over a bra. Seems to fit well.

 

[Miss RM]

I swear by Playtex style #4693! The first time I tried one on, I looked like I instantly lost 10 pounds! The fit is so much more flattering than most modern bras. The only problem I have with them is that it's tricky to wear any of my wider neck summer shirts ... the straps or the top of the cups will show. I swear those bras cover half your torso

 

[Inky]

Thank you so much chanteuseCarey and MissRM for mentioning the Playtex style number. A while back Kamikat had suggested the Playtex bras for me to get a better silhouette under my 40's sweaters, but I hadn't ventured out to find one yet and wasn't sure what style would work. I'm going to go check these out today and found a local store that carries them.

thanks!