Marion's Costume Escapades

Those who know me well know my obsession with vintage lingerie. When it was clear I would be going to Costume College in 2012, I knew for the Sunday Undies I wanted to make some super sikly and beautiful flapper underwear.

Finding a brassiere design that would work took a little experimenting. I am a fairly busty woman, and it seems like in the 1920s brassieres were mostly designed as a little extra coverage for small-busted women and didn't offer must support. If you were busty, you wore a corset. However, I was set on the idea of something a little prettier and floatier, like the excellent undergarments on Boardwalk Empire.

Finally I found a period example of a brassiere with a seam over the bust point - the essential element I had been looking for. The Fairy Health Brassiere from The Met collection. Using it as a guideline, I drafted my own.

I wasn't too interested in flatting the bosom for this one, just not lifting the bustline, as you see a lot of photographs from the period of women with a low, round bosom. The result is amazingly comfortable, and I actually find it creates a better 20s silhouette under clothes than flattening the bust entirely.

The tap pants were also drafted by myself, and the kimono drafted with square construction.

The brassiere and tap pants are made of a beautiful pale yellow silk-satin given to me by a friend from India. It's trimmed in a pale yellow lace and the brassiere is lined in cotton voile with self-bias binding. The kimono is a polyester chiffon I've had for a few years.

As you can just make out in the photo, I rolled my stockings below the knee for the ultimate flapper look.