How To Get & Give Vintage For The Holidays

Addressing the issue of giving and getting vintage lingerie and fashions as gifts is part of my holiday survival guide series (Part One, Part Two, Part Three). 

Giving vintage garments certainly isn't as easy as shopping for contemporary styles; but for those of us who love vintage, it can be even more rewarding!

To leave no stone unturned, I asked for a little help from the experts. You'll recognize the ladies from posts at this blog, and from this how to buy vintage garments guide, but let's make proper introductions too. Helping me out are Theda Bara of Theda Bara's Vintage Lingerie (where she specializes in lingerie from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's) and Wink of Tiddleywink Vintage (a store containing mostly clothing from the late '40s through early '60s, including lingerie).

All three of us -- surprise, surprise! -- give vintage as gifts, and love to receive it too. The question is, How? Well, actually, the "how" is a series of questions *wink* So let's get to them...

Ladies, any tips for those who wish to receive vintage fashions as gifts?

Theda Bara: Put vintage lingerie and/or fashions on your wish lists!

Wink: Kaboodle.com makes it easy to add items from Etsy (and other vintage vendors) to your online wish list. As a matter of fact, one of my Christmas pressies last year was a 1940s-era suit from Rockin' Ruby's Vintage, picked from my Kaboodle list by my best friend.

Slip Tips: One, let everyone know you want vintage! Too often people know you adore vintage lingerie, but they don't know you want it as a gift.

Two, Kaboodle even has a shopping list contest!

Three, check out these tips on purchasing at eBay this holiday.

Since the sizes on those vintage labels can be especially confusing for today's shoppers, what advice do you, as both sellers and collectors, have for them?

Wink: Measure twice, buy once.*wink*

But seriously, I think every woman understands how frustrating sizes can be.

It helps to understand how the clothing of the era that you're buying from was worn. Women's bust sizes weren't as full, waistbands were worn higher and, if you're buying a slip, keep in mind that it was probably worn OVER potentially restrictive undergarments so you may need a girdle or bodyshaper to nip things in apropos to the period.

Know your measurements, re-measure yourself periodically, and be honest. Don't try to fit 42" hips into 38" tap pants just because they're sooooo pretty and, well, the fabric is bias cut so... Not only will that bias-cut flutter not drape properly, but you'll be putting undue stress on delicate fabric!

Theda Bara: Make sure you have your measurements correct. The best way to do this is to pull out your favorite fitting negligee or gown and measure the garment.

Slip Tips: The Measurements You Need

How To Take Them On Yourself & On The Garments

To measure yourself, and the garments themselves, you'll need a reliable cloth tape measure.

Measure yourself while naked or in your bra and panties.

To measure garments, lay each flat and unstretched on a firm surface such as a tabletop.


Your Bustline: Measure around your bust, at the most ample spot. (Bigger busted ladies, we are best off to do this while wearing our best fitting bras.)

The Garment's Bust: Measure across the back of the garment, from the seam under the arm (or armpit) to the same on the other side; then double that number. Measuring is done on the back as there will be extra fabric built into the front on most of garments, which may be misleading and result in improper (too tight) garment fit.

Your Waist: Measure your natural waist. For garments with an empire waist, measure just under the bust line.

The Garment's Waist: Measure on the waistline, from side to side, then multiply by two; if the wasitband is wide, measure at the most narrow part.

If the garment has no defined waist, then many sellers will state that the item is "free," "open," etc. which means the item is going to fit so long as all the other measurements are correct.

Your Hips: Measured across the widest point of the hip area (including that behind!).

The Garment's Hips: Found approximately 8-10 inches below the waist; measure the garment from side seam to side seam and double it.

Those are the basics required for lingerie; for other vintage fashions, please see this measurement guide. Also, vintage lovers should check out Jaynie's tips on finding the right shoe size when shopping for vintage shoes -- as well as these other vintage buying guides.

Before I move on too far, I also want to point out something about size...

If you are a collector of vintage lingerie and fashions who care so much about being able to wear the items, let your friends and family know that size isn't an issue!

Similarly, if you also covet vintage fashion magazines and catalogs, collect vintage lingerie advertisements, etc., let those giving you gifts know that! (I made this cool binder specifically for saving your vintage lingerie ephemera collection!)


What advice do you have for people who know they have vintage lingerie lovers on their gift-giving lists, but are unsure of sizes, styles, etc.?

Theda Bara: Get them a gift certificate! They'll be able to pick out their style and sizes -- they'll be in heaven!

Wink: If you're nervous about getting it just right, and your intended hasn't left you with a clear set of instructions (online wish list, notes taped to the fridge, etc.), ask his/her favorite vendor about a gift certificate. They're always the right size! It can be twice as much fun to pick out something together.

Slip Tip: Let folks know that gift certificates from vintage sellers, vintage clothing shoppes or antique malls are acceptable; that those gift certificates aren't seen as "unthinking" gifts.

Photos/shopping info:

Vintage peach nylon and ecru lace Van Raalte full-slip with underwire bra from Theda Bara Vintage Lingerie. (Get gift certificates here.)

Retro hot pink peignoir and bralette set from Tiddleywink Vintage. (Get gift certificates here.)

And the pretty "Moments You Can't Let Slip By..." binder I made -- which is a cool girlie scrapbook too!

Black Stockings With Red Roses On The Welts

I know as soon as I post this photo of the Tori Rose Top Embroidered Sheer Stockings, Miss Fussypants is not only going to "snag" these stockings but she's going to put the pic on her NWS Tumblr because she loves the short sweaters, so I've already made a little sweater shopping list for her. And you, of course!

Vintage Peacock Chenille Bathrobe

It would be hard not to strut and preen in this vintage robe of periwinkle chenille with a 30 inch tall peacock in jewel tones on the back!

Sheer Little Delights

Ferrero Bras, Paris, circa 1930s.

Classic Slinky Glam Vintage Peignoir

The sexy glamorous classic black nylon tricot with Marabou feather trim captured in this vintage Jenelle of California peignoir.

The Kiss Me Deadly Lingerie Giveaway!

Here's your chance for your holiday dreams to come true: the chance to win
lingerie from Kiss Me Deadly!

But not just any lingerie...

I'm giving away one Sirena set (1/4 cup bra, brief, and garter belt) in Platinum (includes sizes up to DD cup bra, XL panty, XL and suspender belt).

 

and the Kiss Me Deadly Cherie Teddy in Peach -- yes, the very same teddy inspired by this blog!

Two prizes; one winner per prize!

How do you win?

It's easy, just confess which lingerie prize you'd prefer, the Sirena set or Cherie Teddy -- and who it would be for. (Yes, it can be for you!)

There are 5 ways to enter:
(And you can enter each way daily!)

Email your answer to slipofagirl@gmail.com along with the name/id you'd like used should I mention your entry here at A Slip of a Girl.

and/or

Post your entry as a comment -- if you do this, please make sure I've got your email address, because if you're the winner I'll need your email address to contact you regarding your shipping information.

and/or

Post your entry at your blog -- if you do this you must include in your post both a link to this post and to Kiss Me Deadly Lingerie (either the main URL, individual lingerie pieces, etc.) and email your link as an entry to me so that I do not miss your post.

and/or

Tweet your entry -- to do this, you must include a link to this post and a link to the item you want -- here's a cut and paste tweet you can use:

I entered @SlipOfAGirl's contest http://bit.ly/gMlUC0 to win free #lingerie from @kissmedeadlier because I want this: (Link to item you want)

And remember to follow me on Twitter, so that I can contact you should you win! (You'll probably want to follow @kissmedeadlier too, so that you can keep up with news!)

and/or

First, "like" Kiss Me Deadly at Facebook and, second, post your lingerie prize choice there. In order for your entry to count, you must include in your wall post a link to this post and a link to the Kiss Me Deadly giveaway item you want. (Please remember to email me a link to your Facebook post so that I see it and have a means to contact you should you win!)

You are allowed to enter one of each way daily -- that's up to 5 entries a day!
What a way to increase your odds!

This contest is open to readers of A Slip of a Girl who reside anywhere -- on planet earth. *wink*

Entries must be received before December 7 (that would be midnight, central time, on December 6, 2010). Only entries as described above, with means to contact, will be included in the random draw on December 7, 2010.

Vintage Peek-A-Boo Black Lace Panties

These vintage panties by Glydons pull out all the sexy stops: black lace front, full black nylon back (and nylon lined gusset), with peek-a-boo sides "joined" by red satin ribbons -- with tiny black satin bows to further accent them. Absolutely yummy!

Thoughts On Vintage Erotica, Tease & Lingerie With The Editor Of Delta Of Venus

Have you ever been to Delta Of Venus? It's an online archive of vintage erotica, curiosa and other naughtiness from antiquity to 1975 -- including nearly 4000 images, about 300 films, plus extras like classic erotic novels in pdf form, old sex-related audio files, etc.

Naturally a lot of the risque fun includes vintage lingerie, so I'm not ashamed to say I'm a fan. *wink* Here's a little chat I had with the site editor and owner, Robert...


Hi, Robert, when and why did you start the site?

It launched back in 2002. I'd always been fascinated by vintage erotica both as sub rosa historical documents and on a more, um, 'elemental' level, and had started collecting a few years earlier. The collection was mostly a personal interest at first, but there was a surprising amount of enthusiasm from friends and acquaintances and I realized that early erotica just might appeal to a wider audience.

I wanted to create something for entertainment and eye-candy, but presented along with some sense of context and history too; respecting the intelligence of surfers' and/or readers' was key here. And so Deltaofvenus.com was born.

At my blog, we believe in the power of tease... Peek-a-boo, rather than explicit nudes, etc. Any thoughts about that personally?

I'm completely with you on this. The eroticism of innuendo and anticipation, the tease, the contrast between what's revealed and what's unseen, all engage the imagination - you know what they say about the most important sex organ being the brain, oft-repeated but very true IMO. There's a definite sense of playfulness in tease as well, and I think the concept of sex/eroticism as 'play' is kind of overlooked in our increasingly performance-based culture.

Any thoughts or observations on tease from the point of view of the webmaster? Any comments or anything from your members?

Well, as you might imagine a lot of DoV's collection is based around the idea of tease. There are burlesque reels that feature much dancing and skimpy costumes, but just a tantalizing glimpse of actual nudity, or, sometimes, none at all.  In some of the later more up-close-and-personal nudie reels, a woman will be completely naked yet turn, twist, and cover so that her naughty bits are always barely, just ever so barely, out of sight. It's quite an impressive feat!

I love the senses of 'possibility' and 'seduction' in material like this, and how it changes the dynamic between the watcher and the watched.

As for my subscribers, some find DoV through their interest in striptease and burlesque but demographically and taste-wise they're pretty much all over the map (as is the collection itself). I do get a lot of requests from members wanting to use burlesque and tease clips for their own music and film projects, so they're definitely still resonating with people.

Do you have a favorite piece, style, or time period in terms of lingerie -- something that's like your personal Kryptonite?

I'm a sucker for black stockings, garter, and full cut panties a la Bettie Page and the other Irving Klaw ladies.

If a lady might ask what she might herself find offensive... What is your age?

Well, if you must *wink* I'm 33.

Do you have any comments on the appreciation of tease from the view point of your age or any thoughts about tease and age?

Not so much for me specifically. Conventional wisdom would say that folks who came of age in earlier generations would have more appreciation for it, as the art of tease was more prevalent then (in large part due to legal and cultural restrictions, of course).

I think its appeal is fairly universal though -- even in our modern in-your-face society where subtlety isn't exactly a common resource (especially in erotica), you have a lot of renewed interest in pin-up style, burlesque, and such. There's a timeless appeal there for some of us.

I think it's fair to say the appeal of tease, like The Force, is strong with all readers of this blog. *wink*

Many thanks to Robert for making the time to talk about tease and sharing some of his vintage erotic, teasing, lingerie photos from DeltaOfVenus.com!

Half-Slip With Two-Times The Nylon

Vintage Virginia Wallace half-slip -- sumptuous layers of red nylon with sexy contrasting black lace accents.

Dreamy & Sophisticated In Pink Satin, Lace & Sheer Charmeuse

Romantic, but not in an overly sentimental, syrupy, sort of a way, this vintage classic couture nightgown from Jonquil is the sort of thing that inspires that special feminine stride that lies somewhere between a sexy slink and a strut.

Nearly Extinct!

A very rare vintage Vanity Fair bodysuit in leopard print. (Sure to motivate someone in the animal kingdom to increase the specie's numbers!)

A Fabulous "Swoop" (There It Is!)

A vintage ad for Marja Brassieres; 1959 Vogue, via My Vintage Vogue on Tumblr.

Lingerie News Briefs

I know you're busy with holiday shopping and preparations, but I think you still have some time for some lingerie news, right?

1. We've all heard about Christina Aguilera and Cher's new film, Burlesque -- and even if the review at the Times isn't fabulous, we're all planning on seeing it, right?

2. More Is Now More is an interesting article on the joys of full-cut vintage panties, which predicts "over-the-navel styles" will be popular this summer. They've always been popular here, and I look forward to the look backwards -- in more ways than one *wink*

3. In the never-ending quest for the almighty bottom dollar, Warner Brothers seeks to protect the Harry Potter magic from meddling muggles by protecting all sorts of possible products, including Quidditch lingerie.

Speaking of sports...

4. Of real sports, that is. (Even if you're American and debate whether or not the UK Football is "real football," you do know it, unlike Quiddich, is a real sport.) Well the Premier Leagues's Wolves are the first to create team lingerie.

5. Proof that bras are well-constructed: Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi is sponsoring a six week recycling program in which used bras will be turned into insulated and soundproof construction panels.

6. I've got more giveaways coming this week -- so please do check back!

Belinda Lee Holds Her Breath

While the tape measure checks to see if the corset is doing what it's supposed too *wink*

24 Hour Sale On Secrets In Lace

I was away for the holiday, but still wanted to let you know that after 9 A.M. EST today, November 29, 2010, Secrets In Lace will be posting an Exclusive FaceBook promo code that will get you 25% off the entire website for 24 hours. All you have to do is "like" them at FaceBook!

Details are here.

Shown here: Ostrich Trimmed Chiffon Robe and Tease Babydoll.

A Gift Covered In Bows

This two-piece vintage Miss Elaine red lingerie set has sweet little bows all over the bodice of the nightgown and covering the puffy sleeves and front of the chiffon peignoir. How on earth can anyone wait 'til Christmas to open it?

Gamble On Vintage Panties

These vintage sheer nylon full-cut panties are by Double Dating and they are embroidered with poker chips, cards and a general gambling theme -- including the travel locations of "Vegas" and "Florida."

My Blue Bra Heaven

Pretty vintage blue chiffon bra by Marja Brassiere Co.

Stockings Make It Merry

Image via Christmas Yule Blog.

Between The Sheets Lingerie Giveaway Reminder!

And an excuse to post more lovely lingerie from Between The Sheets *wink* You can enter to win here.

Black Friday: Sexy Vintage Corselette Alert

You don't have to (and really can't) stand in line for the day after Thanksgiving sales on vintage lingerie, but for this vintage all in one, open-bottom corselette, Contessa girdle made by Nemo Foundations I would!

Sheer Lycra-spandex netting, illusion lace, sheer nylon chiffon, shimmering satin, three-part "T" seams and under bust gussets for extra uplift, adjustable satin shoulder straps on metal sliders, back hook and eye closures, six rubber metal garters -- two with stain ribbons! *swoon*

Black Friday: Slinky 1970's Nightgown

There aren't enough photos of this retro black nylon beauty with 2 inch wide lace around the neckline, circling the sheer nylon bodice keyhole inset, down the deep V back, all along the high slit up the front, and encircling the hem. Blanche vintage lingerie by Erika McGowan.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stunning Vintage Travel Lingerie That The TSA Can't Delay

This vintage nightgown would be lovely enough with its double layers of red nylon and black velvet tie...

But it also features the fantasy elements of travels with embroidered black "travel stamps" from Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Palm Springs.

(When you're wearing this dreamy vintage lingerie, you'll probably suffer from some "pat-downs" and need to tell your admires to keep their hands off your "junk" too lol)

Don't forget to check out my contests!

You can still enter to win $50 in lingerie from Between The Sheets!

(And more contest news is on the way!)

Panache Bras 46% Off

Panache's Harmony Balconette Bra is now 46% off at Bare Necesssities, which means you can grab several for just $29.99 each! I love the blue (I've just realized I have a serious thing for blue bras -- no jokes, please!) but the photo of the white is just so sexy! (Sale found via my Sale Mail Alert from Shop It To Me.)

About You & Me & Collecting Vintage Lingerie!

I'm getting ready to travel back home for the holiday (Don't worry, I scheduled plenty of posts!), but I wanted to let you vintage lingerie lovers know that this guide to collecting vintage lingerie and other fashions has been posted over at antiques and collectibles site Inherited Values.

I hosted this discussion with vintage lingerie collector Layla L'obatti, who is the designer behind Between The Sheets Lingerie, Theda Bara, of Theda Bara's Vintage Lingerie, and Wink of Tiddleywink Vintage.

It's full of tips on how to know if it's authentic vintage, what to look for, what flaws can be fixed, etc.

I'm quite proud of it -- and the company I'm in! So please check it out.

For those of you in the US, I wish you safe travels and happy visits with your family and friends.

Have a slippity-do-da holiday!

PS Don't forget to enter my contest -- I'm giving away a $50 gift certificate to Between The Sheets!

More Vintage Lingerie With Roses & Rhinestones

Sparkling roses on the bodice and the hem of this vintage Luxite nightgown made of dual layers of nylon -- rich brown over pink!  Made in a Grecian style, with braided straps too.

Vintage Holiday Half-Slip

Vintage white half-slip with hand embroidered with holly and berries by Odette Barsa.

Cross Your Back & Hope To Fly

In today's Shop It To Me Sale Mail Alert, news that Juicy Couture's black Ruffle-Edge Cross-Back Nighty is just $58!

It's not nylon, but it is silky smooth cotton-modal-spandex jersey. And it has sheer floral lace, a scooped neckline with ruffles, a bias cut skirt with a big floofy flower applique, and the shoulder straps cross in the back.