Shapewear History

A short history of shapewear from the forties to the sixties, and the rebirth of this lingerie as retro shapewear. Find out why ladies’ girdles and corsetry was so essential in the fifties, and what has become of this underwear today.
Retro styling - these days the term is being applied to everything from clothing to furnishing the home. The name retro comes from the Latin meaning ‘backwards’. This article is concerned with retro lingerie, or to be more specific retro shapewear.
Although most of the comments that follow describe the sleek chic girdles from the fifties and sixties, they can equally apply to today’s girdles that are based on the original designs.
The war years were years of austerity and women on both sides of the channel dressed for comfort, to help the war effort. Women, eager to attract partners at the end of the war, so fashions reflected this desire. This culminated in Christian Dior fashion, which required a sleek, chic silhouette that only a corselet, corset or girdle could provide. Suddenly all women wore girdles, and not just women either - all the shapewear manufacturers targeted not just women but teens as well. A variety of girdles for the young adult were produced. Probably the teen girdle that gained the maximum coverage, in more than one sense, was the panty girdle - a tight-fitting cross between a girdle that held the tummy in and one that protected the wearer from advances, whether unwelcome of otherwise!
The girdle had several functions - to give that sleek chic silhouette to the wearer and to hold up the nylon stockings. Girdles generally had a minimum of two pairs of garter clips. There are two at the front and two garter clips, usually slightly offset from the rear. The garters are offset so that when the girdle wearer sits down they do not have to sit directly on the clips! The open bottom girdles usually have the garter clips on elastic straps, which is useful in keeping the nylon stockings taught as the wearer moves about, sitting and standing. The nylon stockings from the fifties did not have spandex or lycra and were non-stretch; without the elastic of the garter strap the stocking would ‘bag’ as the wearer stood up.
The panty girdle, and particularly the long-leg panty girdle often has the garter tab attached directly to the girdle itself. The leg part of the long-leg panty girdle usually completely covers the welt of the stocking, losing the gap of bare thigh above the stocking top. Many men find the garter strap and the flash of bare thigh very exciting and the long leg panty girdle, although practical, has often been described (along with pantyhose) as a “passion killer”.
Girdle materials
Modern and retro girdles usually feature spandex or Lycra for elasticity, but the original girdles dating from around the 1930s usually used rubber to give stretch. The introduction of rubber was a major step in corsetry - the ultra-rigid corset had suddenly become more flexible. In parallel with its introduction the terms associated with such items of clothing also metamorphosed: from the original corset, the term roll-on came into vogue, particularly in the USA, then came the step-in and the corselette, often known as the ‘all in one’.
Indeed for a while Playtex marketed a girdle molded from pure latex - these have become quite the collectors item these days, partly because of rarity value. Pure latex deteriorates over time and the garment then perishes, so few remain in good condition. It is interesting to know whether the common latex allergy affected wearers, but whatever the reason, these girdles are no longer manufactured by Playtex.
Retro shapewear share the same objective as vintage shapewear did, namely to sculpt the shape of the body. Elasticity can help to hold and control figures but for more rigid control a variety of ‘bones’ have been used over the years. The original whalebone corset did actually use whale baleen - which are the cartilage-like “teeth” which whales use to filter plankton. Each baleen is enormous, around ten inches wide and ten to twelve feet long. It proved an ideal material for corset makers because it consisted of parallel fibres that could be relatively easily split into thin strips; these strips could be shaped by heating them over steam and when they cooled they held their shape. As whales decreased supply became critical. Fortunately other alternatives proved suitable - artificial plastics such as celluloid, and at one point even coiled metal springs!

Are you interested in buying Bali bras, olga bras, Wacoal bras, Playtex bras, warners bras or Champion Sports Bras or other bras panties or shapewear come to Isaac Sultan & Sons for all your online bra store and online panties store needs, If you are looking to purchase Bali panties, warners panties, olga panties or barely there panties come to the online pantys store. Bali panties, olga panties, Wacoal panties, Playtex panties, warners panties, champion sports bras, bali panties, warners panties, olga panties, barely there panties can all be located at Isaac Sultan & Sons. Bali bras and olga bras and Playtex bras are great in quality and price.

The Cheap, Painless, Instant Way to Look Smaller

Our 'smaller' sisters have tissues, padding, and push-up bras.
We have the Minimizer Bra. That's our secret weapon!
It's an important part of every big busted woman's wardrobe.
Different syles of bras serve different purposes and the purpose of a minimizing bra is exactly what the name implies. It minimizes. Some can minimize up to 2 inches.

How does a Minimizer Bra Work?A minimizing bra takes the breast tissue and smashes, compresses, and rearranges it to make it look smaller. Kind of like taking a water balloon and flattening it between your palms. A bra minimizer works the same way. It won't actually shrink your bust, the bra simply 'flattens' the breast so it appears less perky. There are other things you can try for a natural breast reduction.
A good minimizing bra will...'turn your mountains into mole-hills' (at least until you take it off)When should you wear a Minimizing bra?It's always a good idea to have at least one minimizing bra in your drawer to pull out if you need it. Some women wear a minimizing bra everyday and love it. Others feel they are too restrictive and save them for 'special occasions'.
Here are some examples of when a minimizing bra will be helpful.
Underneath a button-up shirt that's having 'gaping' issues. If you're wearing the right shirt this shouldn't be a problem. possibly beneath a jacket or blazer that's having a tough time staying in its proper place. (Sometimes large breasted women can struggle with jackets, blazers, and vests falling open to the sides of the breasts instead of laying over the top. It's important to look for the right kind of jackets) Any other time your tops just aren't fitting right, it won't hurt to try a minimizing bra to see if it helps.
Note: A minimizer will fit differently than a regular bra. With a regular bra, the cup will sit flat around the whole breast (at least it will if it's the right size.) Click here to find out how to discover your perfect bra size.
Because the nature of minimizing bra is to compress and flatten the breast you may find that the cups do not touch skin in the middle of your chest.


are you interested in buying Bali bras, olga bras, Wacoal bras, Playtex bras, warners bras or Champion Sports Bras or other bras panties or shapewear come to Isaac Sultan & Sons for all your online bra store and online panties store needs, If you are looking to purchase Bali panties, warners panties, olga panties or barely there panties come to the online pantys store. Bali panties, olga panties, Wacoal panties, Playtex panties, warners panties, champion sports bras, bali panties, warners panties, olga panties, barely there panties can all be located at Isaac Sultan & Sons. Bali bras and olga bras and Playtex bras are great in quality and price.

Longline Bras

A longline bra is a style of bra that covers down the stomach to about one to three inches above your belly button. The longline bra is a style that most women either forgot or have never taken the time to learn about, but the features of a longline bra are vast and these bras can easily become a staple in your lingerie wardrobe.
Because of the extended fit of a longline bra, it's able to distribute the support of your breasts over a greater amount of your body, which significantly reduces the stress on your shoulders and back. For women who stand or sit for long periods of time on a daily basis, you'll find that the extra support is a huge factor in relief and comfort.
The design of a long line bra also reduces and flatters your stomach, giving you a smoother, leaner look that makes you look thinner in clothes. Many women love long-line bras alone for the midriff-slimming effect. It's also a great solution for what bra to wear when you need a smooth silhouette under a blouse or dress.
Longline bras come in a variety of styles. The Goddess Longline Bra 1304 has become popular for its simple style in white, beige and black, and boasts features like control panels for additional shaping and soft cup features. You can also find specialty long line bras, like plus size long line bras, front closure long line bras, and underwire long line bras. Browse these longline bra styles and more in our online bra shopping catalog.
Are you interested in buying Bali bras, olga bras, Wacoal bras, Playtex bras, warners bras or Champion Sports Bras or other bras panties or shapewear come to Isaac Sultan & Sons for all your online bra store and online panties store needs, If you are looking to purchase Bali panties, warners panties, olga panties or barely there panties come to the online pantys store. Bali panties, olga panties, Wacoal panties, Playtex panties, warners panties, champion sports bras, bali panties, warners panties, olga panties, barely there panties can all be located at Isaac Sultan & Sons. Bali bras and olga bras and Playtex bras are great in quality and price.

Healthy Bra Wearing

Why Society Should Let Up on the Bra Standard Today’s society views the bra, or brassiere, as a symbol of American society standard. Go braless here, and you just may catch a few dirty looks, lingering stares or unwanted attention aimed at your breasts.
Unfortunately, this stigma is prevalent, and the bra wearing standard keeps going strong. Bra wearing isn’t so bad when you wear a comfortable, loose fitting bra that allows your breasts to move somewhat freely, rather than closely restraining them against the body at all times.
Too many women insecure with their breast size or fullness opt for the stiff underwire bras (I was one of them, until I enlarged my breasts naturally through means described on this site) with tons of padding which restrict the movement of your breasts for a period of ten to 16 hours, depending on how long you wear your bra during the day.
Although you may feel the added fullness and cleavage looks more appealing and attractive, you are actually doing your breasts a disservice. There is much speculation and conjecture that bra wearing, especially tight bras that really restrict blood flow and circulation may contribute to breast cancer causes due to abnormal cell growth from inadequate lymphatic drainage and circulation, which actually rids the breast area of toxins that can build up.
So, what type of bras should you opt for? Preferably lightweight, cotton bras which are built to stretch and move with your body. When wearing a bra, you can minimize it’s circulation-hindering effects by lightly to moderately massaging them throughout the day to circulate blood flow and promote healthy “cleansing” and blood circulation.
Go braless whenever you can! When you’re at home, at night when sleeping, or whenever you feel personally comfortable enough – go braless! It really is liberating and it’s a step in the right direction toward breast health. Are you interested in buying Bali bras, olga bras, Wacoal bras, Playtex bras, warners bras or Champion Sports Bras or other bras panties or shapewear come to Isaac Sultan & Sons for all your online bra store and online panties store needs, If you are looking to purchase Bali panties, warners panties, olga panties or barely there panties come to the online pantys store. Bali panties, olga panties, Wacoal panties, Playtex panties, warners panties, champion sports bras, bali panties, warners panties, olga panties, barely there panties can all be located at Isaac Sultan & Sons. Bali bras and olga bras and Playtex bras are great in quality and price.