The “New Look”: now in hypoxia blue
March 2, 2010
If you think your foundation garments are a problem, check out this fearsome British Pathé short from 1948 about the architecture underlying the New Look. Hold on an’ suck in!
I think I’ll stick with my step-in, thanks.
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Ouch! I’ve never liked the look of waist-cinchers, I don’t like it when things are too tight around my middle =) But this looks a whole lot worse than the cincher’s from What Katie Did!
No, I’ll take the early 40s look över New look any day.
Really? I have a Rago cincher from WKD and I find it pretty comfortable. But then I don’t mind a bit of compression around my midsection — I have a pretty boyish figure, so it’s the only way to achieve curves. However, the corset in the video is the limit!
Ywouch is the only comment to that and I can’t imagine a time when I have (or will ever) need to add padding to my hips!!
Yikes! Aw man… ouch…
Oh man, and I thought my desperate attempts to disrobe without revealing my control-top granny panties were hazardous. Can you imagine going home with a new fella in *that* get-up? Although if you’re dedicated enough to a silhouette to wear hip pads over a corset, maybe getting laid at the weekend went out the window a long time ago…
This is the constant dilemma of foundation garments — the more effective they are in making people want to disrobe you, the more awkward they are to reveal, a la Bridget Jones. I think most men in their right minds would run screaming from the corset and pad “superstructure”.
That was actually terrifying. My fashion/sewing interest has been slowly shifting backwards from 50s to 40s for years now…I think the process just accelerated dramatically! ouch!
That model in the corset looked scary! I’m going to have nighmares about her disfigured waist…
my only complaint is that the model they cinched in was way more cinched in than the model in the dress. but really interesting to look at the undergarments. I geek out on undergarments which is sometimes slightly embarrassing. Here is the real question: Can I wear a wool vest over my stays and shoulder pads and still be fashionable? or does being warm always take you down a notch?
I’m guessing there wasn’t much overlap between the vest-wearing classes and the high-fashion New Look-wearing classes, just as those who wear Manolos mostly don’t have to worry about walking much. If you were one of the few women to go all the way with this look, you probably had fur coats and chauffeured cars to keep you warm.