Lori Kolstad has a passion for underwear – she runs a shop called Vintage Slips selling classic ladies underwear from a past bygone era. In those days the lingerie was a little more refined, elegant and discreet when compared to todays skimpy numbers, and the only G-String’s you could buy were in the music shop.
Women loved the garments for their sensual touch, and for men they were an erotic hidden mystery, just waiting to be discovered. We asked Lori to reveal some more….
Where did your passion for Vintage underwear begin?
My grandmother was Betty Grable’s costume designer/wardrobe lady and Miss Grable never traveled without her! My love for sexy appeal came straight through my families’ gene pool! I was raised by my grandmother, and as a little girl, I would play for hours and hours with the collections my grandmother had treasured.
Each and every piece had a story, and I suppose that is part of the appeal of finding couture vintage lingerie today~ they all tell a story of that golden era..when a flash of garter or lace under a skirt was considered racy!
What is your favourite underwear?
I have an definite affinity for anything Van Raalte. Some of the slips I own are appropriate to wear just as clubdress or an outer layer…and they are my favorite because I never have to worry if someone else will be wearing the same outfit, and I am ALWAYS making a fashion statement!
Do you wear it ALL the time?
All of my friends know that somewhere, all the time, there is pure vintage lace, silk or nylon next to my skin!
I am a poker player and even under an old sweatshirt at the tables there’s a sexy vintage undergarment. I can honestly say that the only time I am not wearing it, is those rare moments when I am wearing nothing at all.
Do you treat it is role playing, up to a certain extent?
Every morning, when I dress..my foundation piece that I have chosen does in a way define my “role” for the day. For instance, if I chose a sweet lil’ Van Raalte half slip under my skirt..I spend the day feeling that soft, smooth silky fabric against my skin as I move..not to mention the knowledge that that flash of lace when moving turns heads and makes the heart beat a little faster.
What can I say.. I am a quintessential flirt!
Another favorite is just hanging out at home in a sexy full slip which almost always makes me feel like Liz Taylor in “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” (above, top). I believe that the sexier a woman feels.. the sexier she is!
My fashion statement is demure, ultra feminine sex appeal without being atrocious.. just that touch of shy, girl next door, pin- up look screams HOT!
What is so special about Vintage underwear?
As far the styles.. well I adore the styles from that golden era of lingerie WAY more than the cookie cutter styles of the present.
I have to admit that I am very environmentally conscious so anything vintage, to me, helps our environment. I am not certain how many people are aware of the fact that nylons are made from petroleum products ..therefore wearing vintage sexy lingerie (which, by the way, was made in much higher quality than nylons now) saves yet another new piece of nylon being bought or made with yet more petroleum.
After WWII Christian Dior pioneered the wonderful “New Look” era. The skirts were full circle or slim wiggle skirts and appropriate lingerie was worn, crinolines under full skirts and half slips under wiggle skirts. Dresses were worn more than pants so the full slip was an important part of the lingerie wardrobe.
Skinny knit dresses and suits were also popular and absolutely required the wearing of a girdle for a smooth body line and garters to hold up your stockings. If you didn’t wear a girdle you wore a garter belt, some of the girdles and garter belts were utilitarian but most were absolutely beautiful.
Full body corsets were worn by women that needed a little more hold. Girdles were worn by virtually every woman, your shape or weight were not a determining factor, it was just not done to go around jiggling your parts.
Another essential item was the Merry Widow Corset (pictured, this was perfect to wear under a sun dress or cocktail dress. The straps and garters were removable making it two garments in one. We are lucky the ladies of long ago had an idea left over from the depression.
In times past when you received or bought lingerie it was generally classed as too good to wear everyday and saved “for good”. These beautiful garments were carefully stored in tissue paper, many times in the original box with original tags still attached and placed in a dresser drawer.
(Usually a time deemed good enough to wear the saved lingerie never came).
Do you like any modern underwear?
Well..to me authentic vintage lingerie IS modern. I don’t much prefer the repetitive styles, inferior fabrics and poor workmanship of modern lingerie to the high quality, styles and colors in vintage’s attention to detail. And a myriad of vintage lingerie can still be found worldwide today thanks to the internet (just as easily as popping into a Victoria’s Secret).
I think if you saw my personal dressing room you would be hard pressed to find any lingerie that is created any later than the late 1960’s.
[nggallery id=17]You can see lots more of Lori’s beautiful Vintage Underwear at www.VintageSlips.com
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