What katie Did for Christmas

Ho ho ho - said Santa !
He certainly wasn't expecting to find these lovelies waiting at the bottom of the chimney! If you're a vintage fashion fanatic, you really can't complete any outerwear wardrobe without the luxury of genuine 1940s and 1950s style lingerie, corsets and hosiery.
From the queen of vintage faux lingerie What katie Did.
Their devine range of bras, corsets, shapewear, fully fashioned stockings and hosiery should warm any girls heart [ and her loved one ! ] this winter. And if you are lucky enough to be in the southern hemisphere, then it's summer time ! and what a beautiful range they have of vintage retro style swimwear !
To much to resist ? We think so !

Inspired by the vintage era of the 1940's and 1950's  in particular, What Katie Did is the epitome of feminine glamour for women. harkening back to Edwardian fashion, their waist cinchers and beautiful range of corsets are mouth watering to say the least.

Bewitching Lingerie from What Katie Did

What Katie Did have really gotten into the seasonal Halloween spirit this year with bewitching corsets, Maitresse Bullet bras and Girdlettes, and Glamour Corselettes.
Happy shopping !

Vintage Stockings Re-visited

Just updated an old post on Vintage Stockings - History and Archive Film

Enjoy !

1950's Fashion - The Real Mad Men

1950's Fashion - Real Mad Men photo shoots

Would you like to meet a real Mad Man ?
Meet Eric Steinbicker , now a well known travel novelist, he started out in his youth as the studio manager to the famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon with offices on the famous Madison Avenue.
He is writing a book called Assisting Avalon. In his own words he tells us what it was like to hang out with glamourous models and film stars.

"Entering the door, I was introduced to the staff. What a group they made! Here’s some of them, and that’s me on the floor. This was the set for one of the first jobs after I started, a part of the “I Dreamt I Was A (Whatever) In My Maidenform Bra” advertising campaign."

"At first, of course, I did not earn much, but my meager pay was sometimes supplemented by posing in advertising photos (Revlon ad, above). Besides Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow ad in which a luscious model fed me cherries."

"Another of my enjoyable duties (we won't mention mopping the floor) was to support lovely models as they got "put together" by the fashion stylists. Like the one in the photo on the left. She had a warm back."

"That's me playing matador with a fake bull. This was part of a fashion ad with my head between the horns, ogling Dovima the model. The final result is below. The fashions are very 1953."

"The photo below shows a leg model preparing for a hosiery shot under the skylight at 640 Madison Ave., circa 1953. Avedon is on the right."

1950's Make-up and Beauty Guides.

1940's Fashion - How to wear Fully Fashioned Stockings

 

 The instructions for putting on Fully Fashioned Stockings !!

That expensive kind which come apart after one night out.

Vintage fully Fashioned Stockings [ with seams ] should be rolled right down to the toe before putting on. They should be rolled on gently and eased over the heel. They should then be rolled slowly up the leg and the seam should be checked for straightness as this is done. Stockings should always be put on while the wearer is seated and with the legs lightly bent. The suspender should be fastened while the knee is bent and never too tightly, nor more than half-way down the welt. The side suspender should be at the side, and if the position of the suspender on the garment to which it appears to fall too far behind the line of the hip, it should be moved slightly forward, for the sake of the life of the stocking.
[ and I love this bit ]
Never smoke while putting on nylon stockings, as the minute particles of hot tobacco ash will melt through the nylon yarn and holes and ladders are bound to result. This accounts for many customers’ complaints that their stockings have given way, despite the fact that they had never been snagged or damaged in wear.

See also Vintage Stockings - History and archive Film

The images and text are from a Pretty Polly instruction manual from yonks ago, found on Ho-Hose

You can download beautiful original vintage 1940's make-up and beauty guides now.