Vintage Lingerie Catalogs

Vintage lingerie catalogs are a bit hit with collectors. These rare directories showcase intimate apparel as it was designed to be worn decades ago. And with the popularity of the Internet, you can take a look at several of these vintage catalogs with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Lingerie catalogs from years gone by will give you an idea of what sexy intimate apparel entailed. While it may be not be exactly what you want to wear today, you will get a sense of how times have changed. Getting your hands on a vintage lingerie catalog is not always easy, but they are out there. Some lingerie connoisseurs and collectors have showcased their finds via the Internet. Sit back and take a look at yesterday's intimate apparel on these web pages, some of which show undergarments that look as if they have come full circle and are popular again today.

From what it looks like, the House of Kesman lingerie catalog was popular during the disco era of the 1970s. Plaid Stallions, a website that makes fun of this decade by showcasing clothing catalog images, has a wonderful collection of vintage lingerie catalog pictures. If you take a close look, you will find women's undergarments including:

• Shelf bras
• Bikini panties
• Negligees
• Garter belts
• Satin and lace nightgowns and robes
• Babydolls

Plaid Stallions also has another set of lingerie catalog pages from about the 1960s or 1970s (no date was given). These items are definitely more erotic and include items such as nylon (looking like fake leather) garments, open cup bras, waist cinchers and erotic panties.

While Sears didn't have its own catalog for lingerie, it did have a section in its regular book just for women's intimate apparel. These catalog pages, dated from 1977, are highlighted on a blog titled, http://truebeatgeneration.blogspot.com/2008/01/nsfw-sears-catalogue-1977.html True Beat Generation] and includes:

• Padded bras (with removable pads)
• Combination Bra and Dickie
• Training bras

Various pieces of 1920s lingerie is highlighted through pictures from the Shaughnessy Olovnit Garments Catalog, circa 1924. Showcased on The Nostalgic Nugget's photostream, you will find flapper-era intimate apparel such as bloomers, gowns, slips and robes. They all look so elegant and beautiful.

Frou Frou Fashionista -- Luxury Lingerie Blog has several lingerie catalog pages from the 1960s showcasing garments such as:

• Christian Dior garter belts, girdles and bras
• Maidenform bras (and aprons??)
• Rogers' pegnoirs
• Rosy Lingerie Company's bras, panties, robes and bodyshapers

Frou Frou Fashionista also has catalog pages from the:

• 1930s when stockings (and silk!) were very popular
• 1940s when pegnoirs, stockings and seamless bodyshapers were all the rage
• 1950s when Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe modeled lingerie and bullet bras, high-waisted panties and silk slips that were top sellers

One of the most comprehensive websites dedicated to vintage lingerie and their catalogs is Zuhl City. Here you will find the lingerie pages scanned in from a multitude of catalogs from the 1960s and 1970s, including stores such as (click on each image to see the lingerie ads):

• Aldens
• Bellas Hess
• Eaton's
• J.C. Penney
• Montgomery Ward
• Sears
• Simpsons-Sears
• Speigel

If you are looking to purchase a vintage catalog filled with lingerie advertisements, your best bet would be an antique store or old bookstore. You can also try an online auction website such as eBay which routinely sells several types of vintage intimate apparel catalogs. If you want, try searching garage sales, estate sales and swap meets or flea markets for some of these books. Take a look in your grandmother's attic, too. You never know what you may find..

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