Retro Lingerie

From LoveToKnow Lingerie

Think that lingerie is uncomfortable now? Wait until you check out this retro lingerie from the 1950s. Suddenly today's unmentionables are something you will be grateful for!

Retro Lingerie Of The 1950s

Back in the era of poodle skirts and bobby socks, glamour was the word among women. This was what was most desired, due mostly to the fact that during the war they had been seeking solace in the ever growing movie industry--watching beautiful curvaceous women grace the silver screen that they could only hope to emulate.

Girdles and corsets were still common place, only now they were much more modern and able to shape the body in ways that previous versions had not.

The 1950s were all about being gorgeous. Beauty before comfort was their mission statement. And this has left us with photographs and films of an era past where women achieved appearances so beautiful that one wouldn't be surprised if these fashions one day came back onto the lingerie market.

Corselettes

A corselette is a combination of a girdle and braissiere. Extremely popular in the 1950s due to their ability to accentuate more than one part of the body at once, corselettes were a must have for any stylish 1950's woman's wardrobe. When one thinks of retro lingerie, it is often corselettes that come to mind. The upper bra often had a cleavage gap so you could show off your newly enhanced goods in a sexy evening ball gown. Pushing up the breasts and sucking in the stomach were the functions of the corselettes, and while probably not very comfortable, it helped women achieve the desired look of teeny tiny waistlines without sacrificing their bosoms.

Another version of the corselette was a swimming corset, which is something that would be extremely difficult to find today. If you ever watch a beach movie from the 1950s and think that the onscreen heroines were just blessed with unheard of natural curves, then guess again. The use of retro lingerie for water wading was a big deal back then, and any beauty conscious woman of the 1950s would have owned one of these.

New Fabrics For A New Era

Retro lingerie is also fun to look back at because it was the introduction of new materials such as nylon and pure cotton. Having these fabrics used in undergarments was a new phenomenon in the 1950s, and everything from bras to petticoats became more comfortable and breathable for the women who wore them.

Imagine wearing undergarments before cotton and mesh were run of the mill fabrics! Young women today cannot even fathom what it was like pre-1950s to wear such things. Which is why the new nylon and pure cotton garments were that much more popular when they were rolled out onto the fashion scene in the mid 1950s.

Conical Bras

Have you ever watched a vintage sitcom and noticed that the leading ladies' breasts were, for lack of a better description, pointy? This is because conical bras were all the rage in the 1950s. Retro lingerie from this time period is famous for the conical bra, which gave support to girls who wanted to look like a sweater girl seen often on film. Women everywhere wanted to model their bodies after pop culture icons like the glamorous Lana Turner and the hilarious Lucille Ball.

Much like the corselettes, bras were changed for the better with the use of nylon, which made them much lighter and more fashionable. Washing them also became much less of a feat.

Glamour Emulated

Retro lingerie from the 1950s definitely left its mark on the map with innovative designs and fabric choices. Even today women study this retro lingerie and some even scope out vintage shops and specialty websites in order to own some of their own.

While the conical bra and corselette may never be popular again like it once was, it is definitely an era of fashion cherished by historians and truly classy ladies alike.


 


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