Nothing but Seamed Stockings

[Lauren]

ITG Lauren those are great prices on seamed hose. Fantastic find!

Thanks! I thought they were pretty good too! I guess I should surrender to a more expensive pair, but who can beat $4! Dick Jane and Spike sells the same ones for $7 a pair, and they're always out! I tried to contact the company about carrying them on my website, so we'll see... I feel so naked withough my seamed stockings when I'm wearing vintage, and I just put a hole in my last pair a few weeks ago :cry:

 

[ITG]

Hi ITG

Not a silly question, at all! Mum reckons she use to be able to buy a "liquid stocking" product which was basically just a paint on tan colour, then the gals would use an eyebrow pencil to draw the line - either in black or brown...then off they'd go to jitterbug the night away.

I was at Walmart last night (for the release of the Star Wars toys at midnight). Well, on my way out, I was walking by the cosmetic section and lo and behold I saw spray-on pantyhose in a can. I wonder if it'll make a big comeback. Doubt it, but just wanted to give you gals a heads up.

 

[CanaryBird]

Hey ladies! i'm a newcomer and have just been scoping out the forums - i'm a graphic designer, so as well as adoring vintage clothes i also LOVE vintage advertising!! thanks for posting those gorgeous pics - it's always a treat to see lovely old design!

 

[MissQueenie]

Hi gals.

Do any of you wear Fully-Fashioned stockings? Regularly? What colors?

I've been longing to get a few pairs, but hosiery quality is such an unpredictable thing. There are a few brands out there that cosistently turn up on hosiery websites, GIO among them. Any suggestions? Reviews? Stocking sizing?

What about garter belts and/or girdles?

I'm curious to hear whether anyone finds these impractical or uncomfortable (moreso than modern hose, which I despise) for daily wear, or if contrary to appearances, they're swell.

Here is a small handful of stocking/garter related links...probably not work-safe

http://www.stockingshq.com/sheertemptation/index.htm

http://www.vickisnylons.com/Full_Fash/fullfash.htm (watch out for the image at the top!) These folks make a lot of interesting things, like the bullet bras! Their girdles look good too.

http://www.whatkatiedid.com/ more stockings, more girdles.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

My favorite retailer is Magnolia Hoisery (and if you do a search of the archives, a couple of stocking threads will surface with more information on stockings in general.)

Hands down, stockings are 100 times more comfortable then thigh highs and (total ick) pantyhose. Fully fashioneds last me 5-20 wears per pair, they do not dig into your legs (100 percent nylon versus lycra blends), and they have no 'glue' to irritate your skin (I can't wear thigh highs, as they leave welts on my skin.)

I recommend purchasing a new girdle (for the perfect 1930s-50s foundation line) from a vendor like www.girdlebound.com--they make great reproduction girdles. I have one of their corsolets and find it to be quite comfortable.

Vintage girdles and garter belts do turn up on eBay and in stores--I have several knit girdles that date to the 1930s-40s that I purchased online. These knit girdles are somewhat deceiving in appearance--they look like they would be soft and stretchy, but they are very firm control! (Not always a pretty sight to get in or out of, although they are not uncomfortable to wear and they do give you a killer figure.)

I do have a garter belt from Vicki's Nylons, and I like it pretty well. Garter belts are very comfortable and work well for longer stockings. As a side note, 'nice' girls did not wear them in the 1930s-50s. Proper ladies wore proper foundation garments--it was very important to have a good, controlled figure line Do not waste your money on one of the frothy garter belts from Victoria?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Secret or Fredericks?¢‚Ǩ‚Äùthose are meant for show and not much else.

All in all, I love to wear stockings, and I find that both men and women appreciate the look! They are not a hassle to wear, and they really provide the perfect finishing touch to an elegant vintage look!

P.S. I am 5'6" with a slender, yet curvy figure. For wear with a garter belt, I usually pick up size medium stockings. For longer girdles, size small is the way to go. If you have very thin legs, err on the smaller side. However, if you purchase vintage stockings, remember that they wore them shorter (due to shorter wearers and longer hemlines), so if you are very tall or if you have fuller legs, they may run too short (also, the shape of the leg is knit smaller/tighter then with modern repros.) Also, vintage stockings are not sized to your shoe size--the number given (say, 10/34) refers to the length of the foot/length of the leg.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

You also asked about colors--I usually choose nude, as I am very pale, for general, daily wear. But, I also like Coffee and Black stockings as well. And for fun, Blackfoot stockings (nude with a black seam/foot) add a bit of interest!

 

[Annalai]

I do not wear a girdle insted I wear a corset. I am a 23/7 tightlacer it is another story but it also has to do with my interest for vintage clothes but I also prefers stockings. I buy mine in Sweden but here is some links to other places selling stockings.
http://www.secretsinlace.com/

http://www.alexis4u.com/index.htm

Remember the old trick to buy TWO pairs and they equals three pairs.

Annalai

 

[decodoll]

I'll second what Jitterbug said. I wear fully-fashioned stockings almost daily. They are so much better than anything with lycra in them. My favourite shop however is Christel . I also usually wear nude and as Jitterbug mentioned, I buy one size smaller than the height chart would indicate (I am 5' 6" also) due to having fairly slender legs. Girdlebound is also my favourite place to buy girdles...just ordered a new one yestereday.

 

[MissQueenie]

Wow, ladies! Thank you so much! JBD, I feel like a total goose...I forgot the archives even existed! There's tons of good stuff over there!

I just went on a spree at Jo-Ann's since they are having a killer sale on patterns today. I decided, though, that it might be a good idea to find out what my waist/hip measurments were in a girdle before buying my patterns (it's the difference between a 10 and a 12 -- I'm smack in the middle as it is, having a 25.5-26 in waist rather than EITHER 25in or 26.5in). I went to two department stores just to try on a piece of "shapewear" (no where near the same thing, I know, but thought the reduction might be similar)...I realized that no one seems to think people who wear anything smaller than a medium/large need foundation garments! I was disappointed -- I found ONE "small" girdle at Macy's but it actually added to my waist size because of the excess fabric! It did smooth my hips down an inch, which was impressive, however. I had originally figured this was just a store stock problem and that online retailers would have smalls or extra smalls available. The smallest I've seen online has been a 26" waist, which doesn't seem like it'd work...

Am I supposed to order my natural waist size, or down a size? How much, if any, reduction can be expected when wearing a girdle? Do you get a thigh-buldge or does wearing a longer girdle fix this? I'm a whiz at period corseting up until about 1900...this girdle stuff baffles. Where do your underpants go? And what about slips? And how do you use the ladies' room? I think a dressing sequence for the thoroughly ignorant might be very illuminating (like this! http://www.staylace.com/features/sequence/sequence.htm).

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this place? Everyone is so charming and helpful!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

For a girdle, I always order something the same size as my waist or slightly smaller. The girdle is slightly less restrictive than a corset or a waist cincher, so it can be closer to you natural waist. I've got a very small waist as well (24.5 inches), and it does seem like a lot of the vintage girdles I find online are too big. However, my knit girdles are very small and stretch to fit--so they fit very well. I like them the best!

With a properly fitted firm control girdle, I can shave a good inch off my hips and waist (and my hips/rear can use a bit of reducing )
I do have a 1950s Merry Widow that can take almost two inches of my waist. It's very bombshell but you can't eat to much while wearing it (not that that's a bad thing, mind you!)

 

[Annalai]

Some text and pictures of girdles during the 1940
http://rescot.home.att.net/
Another site http://www.my-girdle.com/

Annalai

 

[CherryRed]

Great informaton ladies! I haven't bought a foundation piece since my wedding. I am attending my cousins wedding in Oct. and selected a retro dress from DaddyO's. I also selected a all in one from girdlebound. I am going to order it before my dress. Hopefully I can go down a size. I need to start a thread soon for some accessory help. Great socking info! Thanks again!!

 

[birdiepie]

Hello,

This is my first post to this forum. I originally stumbled upon this site in search of vintage hair setting tips- it's been quite informative!

I love magnolia hosiery, they provide a very economical option for those that like to wear non-stretch RHT or fully fashioned stockings on a regular basis, you really can't beat their quality at that price. My only qualm is that I feel that their "beige" stocking is too bronze-y; while I understand that the color may be authentic to what would have been worn during the heyday or nylons- it's just too red/dark for my tastes.

I really like stockingshq, they have an excellent customer service dept, ship very cheaply and quickly to the US and have had the lowest prices that I've seen on the internet for most of the stockings that I like. I buy Gio FF stockings (for special occasions, they're pricey), Cervin capris 20 denier RHT's and the occasional less traditional item from them.

For lingerie, secretsinlace.com has some gorgeous garterbelts that are substantial enough for daily wear with stockings - though many of their items can be found elsewear for less. I also like www.frish.com, the website for my favorite lingerie shop, their Grenier girdles are just stunning!

 

[MissQueenie]

Wow, Birdie!

Thanks for the reviews, and welcome!

 

[Dahlia]

A question about girdles...

I have not worn a girdle before... I've been looking through the sites that you ladies have recommended and they've been quite helpful, but I find the idea of purchasing a girdle online to be a little risky for someone such as myself, who doesn't know what to shop for. Do you buy a girdle that is in your size? And what size do you use to pick a girdle, your waist size? Also, I had been under the impression that a girdle makes you thinner, is this true? And by how much, typically?

Obviously this is a very new field to me, and so any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Dahlia]

Whoopsie... I just noticed the post from jitterbugdoll. So does this confirm my guess that you should get a girdle that is your waist size? I believe my waist is 27" (going to have to double check that one, lol), but the sizes on girdlebound.com are in even numbers (26, 28), so should I go slightly smaller with the 26" or slightly bigger with the 28"?

 

[decodoll]

As long as you have a fairly average waist to hip ratio ( I think it usually says not more than 10" difference), you can buy a girdle based on your waist size. The size 26 is usually for a waist size 25"-26" and the 28 would be for a 27"-28" and so on. It really depends on what type of girdle you get as to how much of a reduction you'll have. A non-boned, pull-on style usually cuts about an inch off my waist and flattens my tummy. A more rigid, boned style will reduce a bit more but also has the added bulk of the boning to take into account.

 

[birdiepie]

Underwear

<<Where do your underpants go? And what about slips? And how do you use the ladies' room?>>

To be explicit :

It just depends on your preference! With girdles I usually wear my underpants underneath the whole affair, since everything is pulled/rolled down when using the ladies room- although from my understanding, some folks don't wear underwear at all with girdles. With garterbelts, I wear my underwear over the belt, and just pull the panties down for the ladies room, leaving the garterbelt/stockings in place. I try to wear underwear that seem to be reasonable reproductions of what was worn way back when. ie. tap pants or high waisted "granny panties", since they provide for a sleeker line under clothes than a skimpy pair of modern panties struggling to cover a garterbelt. A slip would just go over everything- since the primary purpose of that would be to prevent your skirt from "sticking" or clinging to your under garments or hosiery.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Technically, undies are optional. And when girdles were a daily affair, tap pants or briefs were worn over shorter open bottom girdles and garter belts, for ease of wear. With a panty girdle, you really don't need to wear a separate pair of panties; with longer girdles, panties are worn underneath the girdle. It's personal preference though, if you do or don’t wear them, and what you put on first.


Here's a brief answer (by the way, this is an interesting website covering the history and wearing of girdles--it's worth taking a look at the other topics):

http://www.girdlezone.org/encyc05.htm#panties

 

[MissTayva]

I exclusively wear foundations from What Katie Did and Girdlebound.
Both pretty much stock Rago products (which I think are THE best girdles/foundations, hands down). Girdlebound carries girdles by Crown, which are a bit more modern, but I still like those. I pretty much own every item both companies stock, and not one complaint here!

Stocking-wise, I exclusively wear Magnolia stockings.
They are by far the best reproductions-- very close to the real thing.
Truthfully, I'd rather wear a vintage pair!
Girdlebound actually stocks vintage RHT stockings... and I ADORE them! The nylon just feels tighter and smoother with the old ones.

Just remember... if you've got skinny legs like me, go small. I am 5'9", but have sticks for legs. I wear Magnolia's small size. The stockings don't stretch at all, but it somehow works out for me!

Speaking of stockings... I recently received these vintage lovelies as part of my prize package from the last REtro Radar contest. Photos don't do these babies any justice! I already wore one pair down to the "bone" this past weekend, but luckily I have another. These are probably the best stockings I've ever owned. Aside from the seam and embellishments, it looked like I was wearing nothing at all. Such a lovely color!