Month of Vintage Underwear: Day 7, Corsets are a Cinch

We all knew this day would come. I wore a corset to the grocery store.

A word about this corset: It’s not really terribly mid-century. By then, women were way past the level of cinching that had been popular in the late 19th century, and were using garments that were smaller than mine. These cinchers or “waspies” were somewhat like my corset, just shorter. But I don’t have one of those. Neither have I a “Merry Widow”, which was popular at the time. But I do have an underbust corset, which works about the same way.

Squiiiiiish.
Squiiiiiish.

Observations:

  1. This feels so good on my back. I mean it. With steel bones and even pressure, I have never been so well supported.
  2. I could have gone quite a bit tighter, I think, but as this corset isn’t broken in, yet, that would have been uncomfortable. If I were serious about using it a lot, I’d wear it for a couple hours a day, until it conformed to my shape more. Then we can talk tightlacing.

    I am not responsible for how off kilter this is, as I neither laced myself up nor took the photo. ;)
    I am not responsible for how off kilter this is, as I neither laced myself up nor took the photo. 😉
  3. I walked to the grocery store, the bank, and around the neighborhood for about an hour and was perfectly comfortable. At least, until it was time to run across the street, and then I had to adjust and breathe from the top of my chest.
  4. It took a couple of layers to cover up the lines in my clothes.
    The autumn afternoon was beautiful.
    The autumn afternoon was beautiful.

    Have I gone too far? Or…not far enough?

Month of Vintage Underwear: Days 5-6 DIY

I’d like people to believe that I DIY a lot of stuff because I’m inventive and scrappy.

It’s really because I’m cheap.

For example, I have wanted a flannel full slip for a long time. I had one as a little girl, but finding one at all for an adult has been hard. More than that, the ones I can find seem a little pricey.

Enter a thrift store night gown. I was wandering the aisles of my favorite neighborhood thrift store, when I saw the most comfy looking nightgown. It was quite a bit too big for me, but the flannel was heavy and soft, and pretty. It was $3. “I could make a slip out of that,” I thought to myself.

And I did.

Continue reading “Month of Vintage Underwear: Days 5-6 DIY”

Month of Vintage Underwear: Day 4

I used to think bullet bras were just silly, but I’ve kind of changed my tune. You know who hasn’t? My boyfriend.

“Lookit! Look how pointy my breasts are! Ahahahahaha! YES!” I squealed.

He did not reply.  He simply looked weary.

“Think how sad you’d be if you were with someone who didn’t get excited about dumb things,” I reminded him.

I exist to bring joy to the people.

Continue reading “Month of Vintage Underwear: Day 4”

Month of Vintage Underwear: Day 3

I used to have a whole wardrobe of leotards…

I had a red one, and a pink one, and a blue one, and a small collection of black ones. This is because I used to be an early childhood dance teacher–as in, that was how I made most of my living, and what I did with most of my days. I taught kids, mostly ages 3-6, how to plie and tendu and shuffle-hop-step.

(Side note: Don’t think for an instant that this makes me any kind of good dancer. I took a ton of dance classes in college, but I’m strictly amateur, with tight muscles and general lack of flexibility. What I am is great with little kids. This is the primary skill of teaching baby dance classes, not any kind of dance technique.)

Every class I've ever taught has looked like this.
Every class I’ve ever taught has looked like this. Never has it looked like a group of baby monkeys. Never. I don’t know what you’ve heard.

Continue reading “Month of Vintage Underwear: Day 3”

Month of Vintage Underwear Day 2

Today was the first real test…

There was no way I was wearing a girdle today. I had an audition, followed by a rehearsal, followed by an acting class, and didn’t want to answer questions like:

  • Why can you only move up and down, and not side to side?
  • Did someone tell you that you should stand up that straight?
  • Why are your sides reinforced like a robot?

So I popped on a bullet bra and a garter belt and some stockings and called it a day.  Continue reading “Month of Vintage Underwear Day 2”