This is one of the questions I get asked all the time! The right foundation garments can do wonders to get that iconic ’50s silhouette, which was all about defined waists, perky busts, and curvy hips.

I don’t wear shapewear everyday, but when I do, I am so much happier with the fit and silhouette of my outfit. However, wearing foundation garments isn’t necessary or required for vintage style. While the right foundation garments can change the look and fit of a dress, it’s important to choose the foundation garments that fit your lifestyle and desires. 

This is Part One of the my Ultimate Guide to Foundation Garments. Part Two covers petticoats and shapewear for the lower half of your body.

If you want your outfit to look like what you see in one of the Charm photos or have a traditional vintage silhouette, you’ll need some sort of shapewear underneath. Almost no one has “ideal 1950s proportions” – not even the women of the 1950s! We all need a little bit of help to shape our bodies into the classic ’50s silhouette.

And don’t assume that foundation garments have to be ugly and uncomfortable! Properly fitted shapewear made from quality materials will be comfortable to wear, transform your shape, and last a long time. 

Some of my favorite brands

All of the recommendations below come from brands I’ve tried and loved, as well as from recommendations from Charm patrons and members of our Preen Queens Facebook Group. Not every brand or maker will carry all sizes, so you’ll have to shop around to find the ones that fit your unique shape and preferences.

What Katie Did is a women-owned UK-based brand for high-quality vintage reproduction lingerie and shapewear. They ship worldwide and offer many different types of bras, merry widows, waist cinchers, panties, stockings, and more.

Rago Shapewear is a company that’s been selling classic shapewear for decades. They don’t make vintage reproductions; they’ve been making and selling the same styles since the 1950s.

Secrets in Lace offers many different styles of vintage-inspired bras, shapewear, stockings, and lingerie sets. They also have a curvy range that goes up to 42DDD.

Strapless long-line bras & merry widows

This is my secret weapon! A strapless long-line bra (which ends at the natural waist) or a merry widow (which ends at the upper hip and often has garters for stockings) is the most versatile of bras, and provides comfortable bust and waist shaping for that perfect vintage silhouette. You can wear it under most things, and it’s an absolute must underneath strapless dresses and bodices with a wide-set neckline.

For comfort and maximum flexibility, look for spiral steel boning and a front closure. If you can’t find one in your size with spiral steel boning, it’s worth the effort to replace the plastic boning with spiral steel as it’s more flexible, longer lasting, and never creases or bends out of shape.

I often pair a longline bra with a control garment or high-waisted panties to get a smooth, continuous line with a slight hourglass shape. You don’t want to have a gap between your bra and knickers!

One of my absolute favorites is the What Katie Did Glamour Nouveau L3035 Merry Widow. It comes in sizes 32B-38D, and has an internal waist tape cincher as well as the spiral steel boning you know I love. It’s what I’m wearing in the photo above with Hattie and the blue hair bow.

We love the Goddess Longline Bra for larger cup sizes! This is the one our model Suzie wears, and it comes in sizes 34B up to 50FF.

The Dominique Collete Longline Bra 8949 has been recommended to me for smaller cup sizes. 

Regular long-line bras with straps

This is my go-to everyday bra. Long-line bras end at the natural waist and use boning for bust support and waist shaping.

My absolute favorite is the Carnival 745 Longline Bra, which is a wire-free front-closure dream. You can see it above in the photo with the pink sweater.

What Katie Did offers the Longline Kate Cone Bra L6101, which give a more lifted and pointy look to the bust.

Regular bras

You can always wear your favorite bra combined with a waist cincher for that dramatic silhouette underneath your vintage-style outfits.

Bullet bras, and the slightly less eye-popping cone bras, are fun and dramatic choices. Both What Katie Did and Secrets in Lace have great options.

A lovely basic underwire bra that gives subtle 1950’s shaping is the Bali Flower 180, in cup sizes 32C-50DDD.

For a lacier option, the Chantelle 2101 Underwire Bra (32B-44G) is an unpadded and supportive option. Chantelle also makes the 2101 Soft-Cup Bra (32B-44DDD), for a similar look without the underwires.

I’ve also fallen in love with the Poesie Firm Support Wirefree Bra, only available in Australia. You can also find wire-free and vintage-style bras from companies like Maidenform, Playtex, and other brands that your grandma would recognize!

Waist cinchers

If you can’t find a long-line bra or merry widow in your size or if you don’t find them comfortable, you might want to try a waist cincher with a bra you already own. Waist cinchers start at the underbust line and extend to the upper hip, often with garters for stockings.

Hands-down, my favorite waist cincher is the Charm Patterns Foundations Waist Cincher. It’s comfortable and very cinchy, so I wear it during so many of our photoshoots!

What Katie Did offers the popular Glamour L3018 Waist Cincher, which is great for those with a long torso. For my body, I prefer the Glamour L3034 Waspie Waist Cincher, which is a bit shorter.

Another classic choice would be any of the waist cinchers from Rago Shapewear. Their Waist Trainer with Extra Firm Shaping is especially pretty!

Corsets

When people think of waist shaping, they often assume tight-laced corsets are necessary. While I’ll often wear a corset for photoshoots or very special events, they aren’t an every-day choice.

Look for an underbust corset you can wear with your preferred bra. My absolute favorite has held up for years and is a custom-made waist cincher corset from Dark Garden with a special busk cover in the front so the busk clasps don’t show through my dresses. The corsets from Orchard Corsets are lovely, too.

If you want to try your hand at sewing your own, my (unfortunately out of print) Butterick B6643 sewing pattern is an option if you can find a copy online. It creates a very comfortable waist-shaping corset with firm powernet, spiral steel boning, and back laces.

Another sew-your-own option is the Waspie Belt in purple shown above (which provides some waist shaping but isn’t as structured as a true corset), available to Charm Patreon patrons.

Petticoats, Slips, Girdles, and Panties

Check out Part Two of my Ultimate Guide to Foundation Garments for my recommendations for shapewear and lingerie for the lower half!

The 1950’s was all about defined waists, perky busts, and curvy hips. To get your outfit to look like our Charm photos or have a traditional vintage silhouette, you’ll want to invest in the right bra, shapewear, and a few fluffy petticoats.

(Check out Part One of my Ultimate Guide to Foundation Garments, which covers bras, waist cinchers, and all of the shapewear you need for the upper half of your body).

I’ve experimented and explored many different options, to find comfortable foundation garments that fit my lifestyle, and I suggest you do the same. 

Some of my favorite brands

All of the recommendations below come from brands I’ve tried and loved, as well as from recommendations from Charm patrons and members of our Preen Queens Facebook Group. Not every brand or maker will carry all sizes, so you’ll have to shop around to find the ones that fit your unique shape and preferences.

What Katie Did is a women-owned UK-based brand for high-quality vintage reproduction lingerie and shapewear. They ship worldwide and offer many different types of bras, girdles, panties, stockings, and more.

Rago Shapewear is a company that’s been selling classic shapewear for decades. They don’t make vintage reproductions; they’ve been making and selling the same styles since the 1950s.

Secrets in Lace offers many different styles of vintage-inspired bras, shapewear, stockings, and lingerie sets. They also have a curvy range that goes up to 42DDD.  

Malco Modes sells a wonderful array of high-quality petticoats. I have dozens!

Petticoats and Crinolines

Petticoats are an absolute must if you want that beautiful fit-and-flare effect. If you enjoy wearing full skirts, you’ll want a collection of petticoats to cover different lengths, fullness options, and colors. Choose a petticoat size based on the length you want. The waist is usually very adjustable. 

For everyday wear, you’ll want a soft chiffon petticoat with a moderate amount of fullness. For photos and special events, choose a stiffer tulle petticoat for more drama. For photos, go as big as you dare! 

While you can make your own, it’s very time-consuming to gather all of those ruffles! I recommend the Foundations Petticoat by Charm Patterns – be sure to use a ruffler foot on your sewing machine to make it easier.

For everyday wear and our Charm photoshoots, I buy my petticoats from Malco Modes and Hell Bunny.

The Zooey Petticoat from Malco Modes in soft chiffon is my every-day petticoat. I love the tea-length tulle net Malco Modes Melanie Petticoat for dramatic fullness (and often layer two when I want to really go big).

I’ve also put together a YouTube video all about foundation garments that goes into detail in how I choose a length and size for my petticoats. You might find it helpful!

High-waisted Panties, French Knickers, and Tap Pants

When you’re wearing a long-line bra or waist cincher, you want to make sure your panties sit at your natural waist so you don’t have a gap of flesh showing in between.

For full skirts, you can wear French knickers, tap pants, or pettipants like the very comfortable Velrose Snip-it Pettipants that allow you to cut them to different lengths. There are also lovely vintage and vintage-inspired sewing patterns for French knickers available, which are a dream when sewn in silk charmeuse.  

For pencil skirts or fitted pants, you’ll want to wear high-waisted “granny panties” or shapewear. Spanx makes some modern options, although I prefer the variety of no-control and light-control panties from What Katie Did and Rago Shapewear. For high-control panties with waist cinching, I think the What Katie Did L2077 Kate Panty Girdle is a very pretty choice.

Sewing your own underwear is very easy! Charm’s Vargas Panties sewing pattern comes in a high-waisted and bikini option, for a very vintage look.

Girdles

A girdle is an old-fashioned garment that shapes your hips. A traditional girdle looks like bike shorts, starting at your natural waist and ending below the thigh. An open-bottom girdle is more like a mini-skirt. You can get old-school styles from Rago Shapewear and What Katie Did.

My favorite girdle is the Rago 6226 High Waist Leg Shaper. It’s not pretty, but it is comfortable and does it’s job well!

The Glamour L3019 Open Bottom Girdle from What Katie Did comes with garter clips and is designed to be worn with stockings.

For a more modern interpretation, Spanx makes the Thinstincts 2.0 Open-Bust Mid-Thigh Bodysuit – a terrible name for a wonderfully comfortable girdle-like product.

Garters and Stockings

Garters and stockings are a fun addition to your lingerie collection! Many shapewear garments will include clips for garters, but when shopping for a garter belt, be sure to look for ones that have at least six sturdy clips. Although they’re often beautiful, the garter belts meant for the bedroom won’t last through a full day of wear. 

What Katie Did’s Maitresse Girdlette L63023 is an open-bottom girdle with garter clips. It looks more like a garter belt than shapewear, with the bonus of giving you a sleek look. What Katie Did also offers a wide variety of stockings (including back-seamed ones) in many colors, sizes, and skintones.

Secrets in Lace sells garter belts and has a wide selection of stockings, including many versions with fully-fashioned heels and back seams.

Snag Tights offers multiple styles of thigh-high stockings in a wide size range.

Half-Slip

Vintage clothing was very rarely lined, and it was expected you’d always wear a slip underneath your skirts and dresses. A half-slip starts at your natural waist and usually ends at least an inch above your preferred garment hemline.

My dream slips are made from bias-cut silk with Chantilly lace at the hem. The Sweetheart Slip sewing pattern (shown above in yellow) is available to Charm Patreon patrons. 

Full Slip

Slips are perfect for wearing under dresses to keep your skirt from catching on stockings and prevent static cling. A full slip will hang from your shoulders and end at least an inch above your preferred hemline. They are often made of light-weight wovens like cotton, nylon, and silk.

If you’d like to sew your own, I have a full slip sewing pattern with Simplicity S9285 (formerly Butterick B6031), meant for lightweight knits. 

Bras, Waist Cinchers, Corsets and More!

Check out Part One of my Ultimate Guide to Foundation Garments for my recommendations for foundation garments for the upper half of your body.

This pattern was originally published on Patreon on Nov. 1, 2020.

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