Intimate Wear Of the 19th Century Woman

The phrase intimate wear includes underwear and lingerie for women that’s personal to her physical body and unlike outerwear, inner wear consists of items that are worn specifically for specific parts of the female body – the upper and lower parts. 

There wasn’t much of a variety of intimate lingerie for both parts of the body for the nineteenth century woman. The most important item to the fashionable woman was the all-important constricting corsets made with whale or steel bones.   

This singular item was basically meant to give a woman an hour-glass shape, popularly referred to as a figure 8. This was the mark of beauty!

Wearing a corset all day long was torturous, and it could never have been worn without a helping hand, or two! But it was an important piece of intimate wear to have. 

Luckily towards the late 1880s, a women’s movement campaigning against the damage the corset of the time did to ribs and a woman’s internal organs caused by tight lacing, invented what was called the "health corset" that was specifically made to help her muscles.

By the early 1900s, the corset finally gave way to the liberty bodice, “a simple shape sleeveless bodice, often made of warm, fleecy fabric that came with attached garters”. 

The bodices had no boning, unlike corsets, although some had firm cloth strapping which was meant to encourage good posture. It liberated the women folk from those rib-crushing intimate wears.

And for the lower body, as the skirts became shorter, women wore what we call pantaloons (underwear that covers each leg separately from the waist to the ankle), that were strictly meant to conceal a woman’s legs.

Other intimate wear of the 19^th century include the union suit, stiff crinolines, hoop skirts, bustle, and drawers which everyone wore not only for modesty, but also for warmth.

Vintage Fashion – Hip Huggers

Hip huggers first made their debut in 1957 when Irene Kasmer designed the first pair out of denim. They had a unique cut for a fifties fashion item - a snug fit around the hips and thighs with the waistline placed at the hips, rather than the waistline, and a flare out to wide bottoms.

Hip Huggers - 60s

With many similarities to today’s low rise boot cut style jeans, hip-huggers became quite fashionable and thus popular from the mid-60s, becoming a wardrobe item popularised by the mods. They remained in style for about a decade with a downward trend around the early 70s.

By the end of the decade, hip-huggers re-appeared in the nightclub scene and were mainly worn by club-goers that fell within the psychedelic group.

Their legs were quite long and will sometimes sweep the floor as you walk, sometimes resulting in frayed and dirty hems.

Also associated with the hippie lifestyle, the trend was in some way inspired by urban living, rock bands, and icons of music; people like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Sonny and Cher, Mick Jagger . . . all wore hip huggers, and it soon became basic wear, not only for the psychedelic group but for pop musicians and the disco fanatics.

Hip huggers have re-appeared as low-rise pants with moderate flares. But they are no more exclusively pants or trousers. They come made in a variety of designs ranging from lingerie to bum shorts, loose pants to smart pants, bell-bottoms, and straight cut legs.

The wonderful thing about hip huggers trousers is that today, they can be worn casual, or semi-formal while maintaining a relaxed but stylish look.

Vintage Inspired Fashion - Empire Dress

The Empire style dress is an old classic. It’s a style that evolved around the late 1700’s, one that was influenced by the loose, white tunics type clothing, belted under the bosom and worn by Greek and Roman women. 

The Empire dress design is vintage inspired at its best! The dress has a fitted bodice with it being either short sleeved, one sleeved, or sleeveless, which ends just below the bust.

This is what gives the style its characteristic high waist. From below the bodice, the dress falls to the floor in a soft body-skimming (not body-hugging!) but loosely fitting way.  Fabric must be soft, light, and almost airy.

Revived in the sixties and now back in fashion, this beautiful style is good to conceal your waist line and de-emphasize your wide hips if you have one. On the other hand, it will emphasise your bust-line and give your body a slimming, longer silhouette. 

Wear with a short or cropped classic wig or hairstyle, and if you want a softer look, go with short curls.

If you have long hair, there is no need to chop off your locks.

All you have to do is wear it up high, off your face and piled up your head; ensure you leave loose wisps of hair around the head. 

For a really classic vintage look as a bridesmaid, or at an evening event, if you are bold enough, accessorize with elbow length gloves and ballet style shoes or dainty strap sandals.

The empire style dress is also great as a mother-of-the-bride-or-groom dress.

Vintage Style Clutch Handbags Are Back

The clutch is one of the chicest and exclusive of all women’s handbags.

They are the most appropriate handbags for formal occasions, evening wear, or dinners, and it exudes sophistication whenever a lady holds one.

Traditionally, clutch bags were only used by women of style and panache, meaning that they were not meant for everybody or just any wear.

They were initially small and used as money purses, and as time progressed, they became fashion accessories, worn to the theatre, special occasions, and the like.

Its use is not much different today, however, there is a wider range of clutch bags that are incorporated into casual day wear, but they are still mostly used as evening bags.

There is an art in holding a clutch bag the right way. Fashionistas will tell you that you hold it in your left hand, close to your midriff, or held with your hand hanging down your side. Some may prefer to use it with its thin over-the-shoulder strap, but it is much more ladylike when worn without the sling or strap.

Clutch bag shapes range from small, square ‘pillbox’ shapes, to triangles, circles, tubular and heart-shaped pieces and larger sized modern styles. Materials used range from leather and skin to satin, velvet, ornately embroidered silk and heavily embellished pieces.  

What is the good thing about clutch handbags? Their timelessness makes them a classic fashion accessory – and good thing, they are now back full-circle. No woman’s wardrobe must be without a couple of clutch handbags

Vintage-Inspired Bustiers and Corsets: Latest Trends in Fashion and Style

Bustiers and corsets are historical women undergarments that were popularly worn during the Victorian and Edwardian Period. They were worn as essential items of their underwear.

They primarily shape a  woman's bosom by uplifting and tightening the upper abdomen which then pushes (lifts) up the bust while cinching and shaping the waist, literally carving out the perfect silhouette of every woman dreams.

To produce the hour-glass figure, women had to wear bustiers and corsets to squeeze their bodies almost painfully into shape

Almost like a basque which is really a longer corset that's a body-hugging item of lingerie, a bustier is shorter and extends no further than the waist.

Bustiers were regarded as fine lingerie and majorly worn by wealthy elitist women who desired lingerie meant to 'mould' and form an ideal body shape but though the earlier women undergarments of the 16th century don't look as edgy and fashion-forward as the bustier-corsets of today, they definitely served the essential purpose of body-shaping.

The trendy fashion-forward vintage inspired underbust corset worn as an outerwear garment over a vintage style bustle skirt.

This is because they were formed with boning made from whalebone or giant reeds with the aim to squeeze tight a woman's torso until it reaches the desired shape. They usually fasten at the front with hook-and-eyes or with a busque (a rigid element placed at the centre front of the fifteenth and eighteenth-century lingerie which keep the front rigid and upright).

Some bustiers and corsets are still made with boning to retain their shape and clasp the body very firmly, however, instead of the use of animal bone, boning is now made from hard plastic, mesh panels, and steel.

Today, vintage-inspired corsets and bustiers mainly serve as fashionable outerwear and can be worn both formally and informally. They can be worn informally just as you will a camisole top with a pair of jeans, shorts, or mini skirts, or as a formal top for evening wear like floor-sweeping velvet skirts, formal tailored pants, or full-circle evening skirts.

A burlesque vintage-inspired corset/bustier made from lace and satin. It has steel bones and a demi-cup for a full lift and support.

And for the modest who don't like to expose the midriff or a bra under a sheer transparent top, a bustier will serve as a great innerwear.

They come embellished, embroidered, lacy, fashionable underbust, sassy, and lace trimmed, and made from materials like embroidered satin, brocade, Jacquard, velvet, mesh, taffeta, and cotton.

Further Reading:

Suspenders and Garters - Vintage Inspired Lingerie 

Vintage Inspired Lingerie for Plus Size Brides 

Interesting History of Women's Underwear

Become a Fashion Designer by Studying On-line

If you are creative and love anything fashion, you can aspire to become a fashion designer in an easy and convenient way. Many women all over the world want to feel good, look gorgeous, and be the cynosure of admiring eyes.

Fashion, as we all know, is all about being gorgeously dressed whether in formal or casual clothing and accessories. The enormous demand for fashionable apparel by both young and old has made fashion design a highly lucrative and attractive career, with jobs in the industry increasing year after year.

College and online admissions for fashion design courses are on a rise as people now want to approach their creative passion professionally.

Key Topics Covered in a Fashion Design Course

With the guidance of expert tutors, you will steadily advance through your fashion design course and easily master the fundamentals of clothing design. Learning this course will give you the ability to develop original stylish ideas of your own, which in turn helps you create a wide range of accomplished clothing styles.

Lessons include developing, making your ideas practical, and refining your design skills. Expert guidance and feedback by tutors keep all students on the right track throughout the duration of the course. Key topics include, but are not limited to:

• An Introduction to Sewing 
• Dressmaking Processes 
• Design for Craft 
• Using Decorative Features 
• Textiles and Fibres 
• Embroidery and Decoration 
• Pattern Alteration and Fitting 
• Miscellaneous Garments 

Gain worthwhile qualifications, and get a foothold in the fashion and style industry as a qualified fashion designer. Or brush up your rudimentary creative skills to enable you to move higher up the ladder of the fashion design industry.

Take advantage of today's fashion demands and study fashion design Education Online, at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.

Vintage Inspired Costume Jewellery

Vintage style costume jewellery is always a charmer any time, and that's a fact. These beautiful and fashionable accessories are always sophisticated, very stylish, and in many cases, quite affordable.

Many designer costume jewellery collections, when worn with a simple outfit, produces a mix factor of “wow” and “amazing”, and you’ll find that wearing them is a totally chic demonstration of personal style.

Vintage Jewelry Gives You a Classic Look

Vintage fashion accessories are always sophisticated, very stylish, and in many cases, quite affordable. Many designer costume jewellery collections, when worn with a simple outfit, produces a mix factor of “wow” and “amazing”, and you’ll find that wearing them is a totally chic demonstration of personal style.

 

Common styles and materials used are rhinestone beadworks, pearls, acrylic beads, glass, etc..., many with bold graphics imprinted on them, and others quite simple but classy looking, and chic.

Some are also produced with retro metals to produce colourful bracelets, bangles, necklaces, earrings, and rings.

So look out for pieces made from one, or a mix of any of the above, and if you wish, go for any look - from ethnic, to elegant, or glitzy.

How to find Unusual Pieces

Costume jewellery is sold in abundance, but if you specifically want the antique and vintage look, you can check out:

• Vintage Trifari
• Dior
• Schiaparelli
• Chanel
• Alessandro Castellan
• Miriam Haskel
• Hunt & Roskel

You can also browse through some wonderful images of Parures bracelets, novelty brooches, pins, earrings, and necklaces. The designs you'll discover are awesome!

Don’t be fooled though! Many of them may look very pricey and seemingly unaffordable, but you’ll find most vintage-inspired costume jewellery pieces are quite affordable and in many cases, cheap.

Articles:
12 Show-Stopping Necklaces
Why Accessories are Important to Make Your Style Complete 
5 Women's Classy Boots 'To Die For'

Vintage Inspired Fashion Accessories

What do we like about fashion accessories? There is no longer one style being in or out of fashion and neither is there a particular trend that one must follow. The beauty of accessorising is that you can create your own unique style by blending, for instance, vintage-inspired accessories with today’s modern trends.

From hats popular in the first half of the 20th-century, to flapper style shoes, flamboyant costume jewellery, box handbags, long strings of beads, chandelier earrings, and Lucite clutch bags, if you like to blend the past with the present, create your own fashion signature and combine your attire with vintage style accessories.

You can accessorise tastefully even with the simplest shift or A-line dress. The powerful statement that vintage style accessories give when worn with simple modern clothing, is the common thing that binds vintage fashion diehards and enthusiasts.

Vintage Inspired Rings by Viryabo@polyvore

Stylish women want a deviation from the dominance of designer labels and high street fashion and know that clothes can be simple and understated, but with the right accessories, any ensemble can look chic, and sophisticated. Vintage-inspired accessories are good for creating this look.

If you are not quite sure of how to put it together, search for ways to accessorize the ‘old-fashioned style, chic and elegant. There are so many illustrations, photos, and pictures of fashionable women of the 1900s to the 1960s online. You can draw inspiration from these and old fashion and style magazines, and brochures.

What Accessories Should You Be Looking For?

You’ll first need to know what look you want, classic retro, bohemian or swinging? But then it doesn’t matter what look you want to pull off. You will find that having a few of the pieces in your wardrobe will help you add style to your entire outfit.

To know what fashion accessories to consider buying, check out fashion accessories inspired by designs that were created nearly a century ago. Pull off a classic look with a Cloche hat, cross-strap shoes, or a collaret.

Here is a list of items to consider if you are looking for vintage-inspired fashion accessories:

Handbags

• Canvas satchel bags with floral, polka dots, or animal prints
• Small sequined or beaded bags with shoulder straps
• Tapestry or embroidered handbags
• Handbags with Parisian streets print
• Lucite bags
• Evening purses "encrusted" with mother-of-pearl, sequins, exquisite beads and rhinestones.
• Wooden box purses
• Two-buckle bags
• Bucket handbags
• Clutch bags
• Quilted handbags

Shoes (with mid-height heels)

• Peep-toe court shoes
• Embroidered shoes
• Floral print court shoes
• Mary Jane flapper shoes
• Ankle strap open-toe high heels
• Dorothy shoes
• T-bar shoes
• Shoe-boots
• Oxfords

Hats and Other Headpieces

• Saucer hats
• Retro pleated hat
• Pillbox hat
• Turbans
• Barbour hat
• Sun hat
• Cloche hat
• Feather hat
• Edwardian feather hats
• Ruched hats
• Bowler hats with bows

Costume Jewellery

• Brooches and pins
• Chandelier earrings
• Retro bangles
• Tassel necklaces
• Tie drop necklaces
• Ribbon (tie neck) jewellery
• Large statement rings
• Moonstone rings
• Pebble beads
• 'Rockability’ jewellery
• Ornate hat pins
• Charms bracelets

Belts

• Retro belts
• Chain belts
• Cinch belts
• Pleated belts
• Big buckle belts
• Skinny slim retro belts
• Boho belts
• Tassel belts
• Elasticated metal belts

Why Accessories are Important to Enhance Your Style

Fashion accessories are what makes dressing up complete and powerful. A unique accessory makes your choice of clothing look good, stylish, polished and totally “whole”. They add sophistication to apparel and many fashionable women have created their own bold fashion signatures just by being particular about their choice of fashion accessories.

Vintage-inspired fashion accessories can be bold and daring, opulent or simple, but basically, wearing the style is considered chic and classic.

Just as some fashion accessories inspired by antique and vintage styles come in the most unique hues and colour combinations, others come in calmer earth tones, antique metal colours, and intricately designed works typical of an era that took fashion and style quite different from how we do today.

And because today's trends lean towards the mid-20th-century styles, many fashion-conscious women are quite satisfied to make their choice amidst hundreds of vintage-inspired fashion accessories found in the online market.
 

Dressmaking Patterns of Vintage Clothing

Authentic vintage dressmaking patterns are not so easy to find these days, especially sewing patterns of clothing designs from over three-quarter of a century ago.

These are not the kind of things you’ll find in shopping malls but you may be lucky to find a rare few in flea markets or at local street markets that open only one or two days a week.

Such markets where you will likely find vintage dressmaking patterns include marketplaces and arcades like The Vintage Market and Portobello Market in London; Edith Machinist (Lower East Side) and The Market NYC (Greenwich Village) in New York and Long Beach Antique Market and Arts District Flea in California. But most people looking for genuine vintage clothing patterns, especially the unopened ones, probably don’t live anywhere near these locations.

So, if you, like many of us really want patterns of the stylish 20th-century apparel designs but can’t find them around where you reside, your best option is at online stores that retail sewing craft item – places like Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and Vintage stores. Granted, you may have to devote like a half-hour (or more) to find what you are looking for. Genuine patterns are, of course, rare finds.

Vintage Inspired Sewing Patterns

Obviously, unused vintage authentic patterns (Simplicity, Vogue, Butterick, McCall, etc…) are rare finds so the next best thing is to buy vintage inspired clothing patterns which are reproductions of vintage styles. They are much easier to find online and available designs abound. You can get one for that flapper style you’ve been yearning for.

So, whether you are looking for dressmaking patterns of a 20s tango dress, a Victorian wedding dress, a Mary Quant frock, a retro jumpsuit, or a fifties Chanel jacket, buying reproductions of vintage sewing patterns is always your best choice.

Further Reading:

How to Dress Like a 1950s Woman

How to Dress in Flapper Inspired Style - 1920s Vintage Fashion

Clothing Styles We Will Hate to See Come Back

If you that have a penchant for sewing and dressmaking (either acquired or inherent) you may even be able to create your own patterns after viewing pictures, brochures, or photographs of stylishly dressed women of about a century ago. Pattern making is also easier to do if you are a fashion designer or an aspiring one.

If you search online, you will find an arsenal of pattern making books and tools that will be of tremendous help if you intend to make your own clothing patterns imitating the fashion of a glorious era.

However, if you are like most of us that love the unique but can't stitch two strips of cloth together, you can get a dressmaker or a friend/family that’s good in the art of pattern making or sewing or you can also employ the services of professional couture dressmakers or tailors, albeit for a hefty fee.

Popular paperback pattern making books you’ll find helpful include the following:

• Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit: Using the Rub-off Technique to Re-create and Redesign Your Favourite Fashions
• BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern
• How to Make Sewing Patterns
• Basic Patternmaking in Fashion
• Woman's Dress - A Collection of Vintage Articles on Dressmaking, Millinery and Tailoring