• Cotton Fan Laced Girdle By Camp, c. 1940s, USA. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Cotton Fan Laced Girdle By Camp

    Cotton Fan Laced Girdle By Camp Date: c. 1940s Origin: United States Fabric: Cotton Brand: Camp   A girdle in sturdy pink cotton drill, supported with a mix of flat and spiral steel bones. There are gussets of elastic at the front of the waist and hip lines. There is a row of hooks and…
  • Pale Pink Custom Nylon Corselette By Rigby & Peller, c. 1960s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Pale Pink Custom Nylon Corselette By Rigby & Peller

    Pale Pink Custom Nylon Corselette By Rigby & Peller Date: c. 1960s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Nylon Brand: Rigby & Peller   A luxurious corselet that was likely custom made for a specific customer, likely created in the transitional period of fashion between the 1950s and 60s. The style is reminiscent of 50s foundationwear, but…
  • Elastic & Leather Sports Belt, c. 1930s, Spain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Elastic & Leather Sports Belt

    Elastic & Leather Sports Belt Date: c. 1930s Origin: Spain Fabric: Elastic and leather Brand: Unknown   A structured and supportive corset belt designed to be worn by men, made of a heavy weight elastic and leather. It's supported throughout with spiral steel boning and a busk closure at the centre. The back adjusts with…
  • Lace & Stretch Mesh Corselette By Christian Dior, c. 1955, France. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Lace & Stretch Mesh Corselette By Christian Dior

    Lace & Stretch Mesh Corselette By Christian Dior Date: c. 1955 Origin: France Fabric: Nylon Brand: Christian Dior   This corselet was created for the ''Gaines Et Gorges' range of Christian Dior, which appears to have been designed and created in house (as opposed to being licensed). It is likely that this garment was altered…
  • Silk Crepe With Lace Appliqué Girdle By Kestos, c. 1930s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Silk Crêpe With Lace Appliqué Girdle By Kestos

    Silk Crêpe With Lace Appliqué Girdle By Kestos Date: c. 1930s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Silk and elastic Brand: Kestos   The Kestos lingerie brand was founded in 1925 in London by Rosamond Lilian Klin. The brand is best known for the 'Kestos' style bra (patented in 1926, and arguably one of the first commercially…
  • Quilted Floral Cotton Corselet With Pleated Interior Cups, c. 1950s, Poland. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Quilted Floral Cotton Corselet With Pleated Interior Cups

    Quilted Floral Cotton Corselet With Pleated Interior Cups Date: c. 1950s Origin: Poland Fabric: Cotton Brand: Custom made   A corselet in a heavy brocade cotton coutil. The centre front is quilted for additional support, with elastic inserts at the leg line to allow for some flexibility of movement. Underwired cups have an interior panel…
  • Swiss Dot Nylon Cathedral Boned Corselet By Namsie, c. 1950s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Swiss Dot Nylon Cathedral Boned Corselet By Namsie

    Swiss Dot Nylon Cathedral Boned Corselet By Namsie Date: c. 1950s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Nylon Brand: Namsie   This Cathedral style corselet (so named for the bone structures resembling the arches within cathedrals) uses a mix of nylon based fabrics: a woven nylon with printed polkadots, a lightweight mesh and an elasticated mesh. Cotton…
  • Pointed Tea Rose Brocade Coutil Girdle With Side Lacing, c. 1930s, France. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Pointed Tea Rose Brocade Coutil Girdle With Side Lacing

    Pointed Tea Rose Brocade Coutil Girdle With Side Lacing Date: c. 1930s Origin: France Fabric: Coutil Brand: Unknown   A short girdle in a tea rose pink brocade coutil, with a panel of heavy elastic forms the centre back. Unusually, the girdle laces at a side seam, with a hook and eye opening at the…
  • 'Little X' Nylon & Lycra Girdle By Silhouette, c. 1960s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    ‘Little X’ Nylon & Lycra Girdle By Silhouette

    'Little X' Nylon & Lycra Girdle By Silhouette Date: c. 1960s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Nylon and lycra Brand: Silhouette   The 'Little X' girdle design was a particularly remarkable design for the fact that it was fully elasticated; previously girdles would only stretch horizontally and had a tendency to move around the body during…
  • Satin & Lace Overbust Corset By Agent Provocateur, c. 1990s, United Kingdom. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Satin & Lace Overbust Corset By Agent Provocateur

    Satin & Lace Overbust Corset By Agent Provocateur Date: c. 1990s Origin: United Kingdom Fabric: Viscose and cotton Brand: Agent Provocateur   A satin overbust corset with a metal busk fastening, steel bones and a laced back. There are 4 detachable suspender straps. The corset is trimmed with a ruffled machine lace at the top…
  • Ecru Cotton Twill Corset With Gores & White Flossing Embroidery, c. 1870s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Ecru Cotton Twill Corset With Gores & White Flossing Embroidery

    Ecru Cotton Twill Corset With Gores & White Flossing Embroidery Date: c. 1870s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Cotton Brand: Custom made   A single layer corset in a sturdy cotton twill, opening with a metal centre front busk and structured with baleen boning. The pattern achieves its shape with multiple bust and hip gores, with…