Under Vintage Clothing: the Proper Foundation

Have you ever wondered why that gorgeous little fifties dress never looks quite the same on you as it did on, say, Marilyn Monroe? The reason is a simple one: real vintage clothing for women was designed for women who wore proper foundation garments under those darling little dresses. That doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to wearing a constricting girdle if you want to look great in 1950s dresses, but a nod to the proper bra, slip and stockings will make a huge difference in your vintage style fashion.

The Down Under

Author +Gail Carriger is also a vintage clothing buff who maintains the blog Retro Rack: Vintage Style in a Modern World where she posts about her love for retro styles and vintage fashion. Among her earliest posts are a three-part series on proper foundation garments. One of the bet takeaways from her little instructional rant is this one:

Slips. Vintage dresses were designed to be worn over slips, and it’s not hard to find vintage slips, usually at the same shops where you find those adorable 50s dresses and other vintage fashion finds. Slips and petticoats are essential to getting vintage skirts to hang and fall properly on your body. A proper swing petticoat with tulle netting gives your skirt the right amount of pouf, while a delicious slinky chiffon slip will ensure that those slim dresses fall just the way they’re meant to, without showing your bra straps and panty lines. And of course, a swing petticoat also doubles as a very sexy little skirt number if you like showing off your naughties in public.

Check out some stunning #vintage lingerie and foundation garments pinned by +Ginny Huxford and vintage garter belts from IfiDiam for more ideas about what to wear under your vintage clothing finds.

What’s up Top UnderVintage Clothing?

Brittany blogs about plus-size vintage clothing at Va-Voom Vintage: A Modern Girl and Her Retro World. As a curvy girl, she has a superior understanding of the importance of proper foundation garments under your retro and vintage style dresses. In her own words:

A supportive bar helps to lift the breast and show off the waist, which gives an elongated look to the torso.

Brittany recommends structured vintage style bras for wear under rockabilly style vintage dresses because they give that “slightly pointy” silhouette the dresses were designed to suit.

The most important thing of all is to wear clothing that feels comfortable on you, and the proper undergarments can help you feel wonderful in your vintage clothing finds.

Rocking Vintage Clothing – Rockabilly Rules and Breaking Them

#Rockabilly is among the hottest of the hot vintage clothing styles out there. The trend takes its ethos from the rebel rock idols of the 1950s, and expresses itself in a variety of 50s dresses, cat-eye glasses, flashy-trashy hair and body art. Rocking a vintage fashion style like rockabilly is about more than picking up a few 1950s dresses and throwing them on. There’s a whole ethos that goes along with the rockabilly look – call them Rockabilly Rules – and understanding the different ways to wear the style can help you create an authentic vintage fashion look that’s yours and yours alone.

The Clothes

Rockabilly goddess @ReeReeRockette is a well-known fashion blogger posting at Rockalily. As proprietor of Rockalily Cuts, a his & hers salon, ReeRee totally gets what makes the Rockabilly look rock. When she posts about what rockabilly girls wear, you know she’s speaking from a place you can trust. ReeRee’s first rule of Rockabilly Retro fashion is to pick and mix from the Rockabilly rules. After all, that’s the only way you’ll end up with your own style.

50s Dresses – Styles that rock: Sarong dresses, halter-necked dresses, swing skirts and pencil skirts

Pants/Trousers –The look is slim, so go for cigarette pants, crop trousers and pencil slim silhouettes.

Rockabilly Prints – Prints make a statement. Look for 50s dresses and skirts splashed with polka dots or styled with leopard prints. You get bonus points if you can find vintage clothing printed with cherries, cute little anchors, bows or jaunty little skulls.

The Colors - The classic rockabilly colors are red, black, blue and white, but you might see some fab retro fashion finds in bright pink, turquoise or dark green.

The Accessories

The clothes are just the start. If you really want to rock the rockabilly vintage style, you’ve got to accessorize it right. That means:

Glasses: if you wear them, opt for vintage styles, especially cat-eye glasses with little rhinestone chips at the winged brow

Jewelry: Cheap and cheerful Bakelite pieces are the ultimate accessories for 50s dresses and skirts. Look for cherry dangle earrings, bright square pendants and flashy bangles or charm bracelets.

Hair: 50s vintage hair was meant to be accessorized. The classic beehives, rolls and updos just scream to be adorned with a bow or bandanna. Not sure how to tie one? Learn how with this great vintage fashion tutorial from +PinUpPassion.

Whether you decide to follow the rules or not, remember that the most important part of wearing vintage clothing rockabilly style is to have fun doing it, so just rock on with your bad self and have fun.