A vintage inspired petticoat or girdle will make a fantastic difference in the silhouette of your finished outfits. These are so flattering & comfortable that you may find yourself inventing reasons to wear them! Here is our list of recommended vintage foundation garments:
1. 1950s Petticoats – A petticoat will add luxurious body to the skirt of your dress for a polished look, and give you a fabulous “swish” as you walk. This petticoat is the correct length for the dresses made from our patterns. (Champagne or black are ideal colors to start with.) The top portion is a smooth knit material, and stiff organza tiers add volume below. We highly recommend this petticoat for our 1950s Sisters Dress Pattern and our Liesl’s Party Dress Pattern. (If you want added volume for your Liesl’s Dancing Dress skirt, this petticoat is perfect as well.)
2. Vintage Girdle – If you’ve ever wondered how Old Hollywood film stars’ kept such perfect figures, here is their secret. Elasticized girdles were a shapewear garment crafted to enhance the waistline much better than the more tubular styles of modern shapewear. Rago girdles have been made in America since 1945, and is my personal favorite brand of waist cinchers. Rago makes several styles, but this one does the most outstanding job and is authentic to the 1940s and 50s. Usually works best if you buy at least one size larger than normal as this “cinches” you in like nothing else. The “before” and “after” will amaze you.
3. Thigh high Nylon Stockings – Call them, nylons, stockings, hosiery, or tights – these often neglected items used to be a staple in women’s wardrobes. They gave a smooth appearance to the legs, much in the way that face powder perfects your complexion. This particular style is only thigh high (as stockings used to be in the 1950s and before), for such a glamorous feel! They stay up comfortably with a silicon layer around the top which eliminate the garter belts used in the past. If you want to feel like a lady, always keep a pair or two of silky nylons in your dresser drawer, just waiting for a dressy occasion…
~ As an added elegant touch to your closet, padded satin hangers help protect your garments from strain by cushioning the shoulder seams as they hang. You know how people ask what you want for your birthday or Mother’s Day and you say, “Oh, I don’t need anything…” If you request a package of these a couple times a year, you will soon feel like you have an elegant boutique right inside your closet, every time you open the door.
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