Peignoirs and petticoats and girdles and gussets!

This is my first post on vintage lawn-jer-ray. Except, of course, for these vintage-inspired fabulous Gentry Lane cashmere panties.

Cashmere.


Panties.


Cashmere panties.


Panties that are made of cashmere.



....Mmmmmmm....


...Whu? Oh, sorry...Back to the goods.

Well, it turns out that vintage lingerie shopping is a mixed 1956 Hermes Kelly bag.

On the one hand, there are petticoats. I adore petticoats and crinolines, and since early childhood have been a tad obsessed with them. It is was a little-known secret that I own several, which I sometimes sport around the house just for fun. One of them I will probably wear next spring with a wraparound 70s denim skirt I recently acquired in NYC. The petticoat is bright yellow. It looks so cute peeking out from the back slit of the skirt. A little too hot for summer, of course, but perfect for those spring days when you can just feel summer coming...

On the other hand, although I love antique panties and girdles and those amazing little tap-pants they wore in the 20s and 30s, the thought of wearing my grandmother's best friend's used gitch? Un peut gag. Owning a few nice ones as collectibles or even art is cool, though. If you can't wear it, frame it.

On yet another hand (we're getting into Shiva territory, here), there are plenty of utterly gorgeous lingerie items out there, from any decade you like, whose ick factor is minimal. These include such deliciously retro items as peignoirs, petticoats, girdles, teddies, slips, nighties, silk pyjamas, garter belts, and more...Enjoy this fine sampling from Posh Girl and others. There are many, many fine samples available from the fine purveyors in my links bar to the right:








This is a to-die-for teddy from the 1920s. Very rare, so beautiful. I'm not normally a pink-and-black girl, but the lace and the silk straps/rosette work so perfectly together. Hawt.















A 70s babydoll. This I would love to own, but not wear, because 70s = man-made fibres + lots of raunchy sex = blechh. But isn't it just so perfectly 70s? I'm sure some good times were had/began with this teddy.










The kind of sexiness a nun would approve of, courtesy of the 50s. The Jackie O of gitch. Again, with panties involved, I might hesitate to actually wear it...but you can always replace them with some of your own.












This is my absolute favourite era of lingerie: the 1920s. The lace-work is usually in a class all its own, and I love how they were experimenting with primitivist designs (see my previous post on Art Deco design). The 'juxtaposition' (Lord forgive me) of the designs and the fact that they're made using lace, which we expect to be flowery and feminine, makes them really interesting. Also, this is pre-polyester, people. And you know what that means: silk, silk, silk.

I would sport this silky specimen with skinny jeans and a funky little cropped cardigan or jacket.






While we're on the subject of lingerie as clothing, rather than as underwear, the 50s full slip is an ideal candidate for dresshood. This hot pink one would make a great little evening number with the right underthings and accessories.














Wouldn't this slip from the 1920s make a gorgeous little summer dress? Drooling my way to bankruptcy...

















This is a perfect little 50s half-slip. That frothy fringe on the bottom should be seen and never hidden, though. I just adore the idea of a little flippy thing flowing out from under a pencil skirt.












You've been a bad. Bad. Boy.

I bet with stockings and the right little pink silk 20s bra, and of course some heels, this 20s corset is Superhawt.










And now we arrive at the 30s nighties. Good God, but these are fine. Silk, satin--always cut on the bias because of satin's weft and weave--so flattering. I believe that many 30s underthings were still hand-made. Isn't this white satin nightie beautiful? It's floor-length.











And the piece de resistance: this baby blue silk floor-length nightie with Art Deco fawn-coloured lace trim. Oh, what sweet dreams you'd have in this. Stunning.