books & vintage lingerie dating

Spent some tired energy this morning & gained some good energy. It seems I am a collector--and not much else. Librarian of my little corner of the internet. Here are a couple things I'm collecting & organizing--books & vintage lingerie resources. (Both of these books were ordered yesterday & should be here in a couple weeks.)

• Janet Reger: Her Story

Product Description
Janet Reger's success rode on the crest of the sixties' fashion boom and all that was perceived worldwide as the swinging London scene. Her name became synonymous with fine lingerie. Janet's marriage to Peter Reger, the man she fell in love with when they were young students working on a kibbutz in Israel, was the vital ingredient in her business liefe: she the designer and creative force, he the business co-ordinator. It was the perfect partnership. Then, at the peak of success, came collapse and liquidation: her business in ruins, her marriage over. Later, tragically, Peter was to commit suicide. Today, Janet Reger is back in business. This is the tale of a woman in a man's world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Chapmans Publishers (October 24, 1991)
• ISBN-10: 1855925346
• ISBN-13: 978-1855925342
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Chastity in Focus. by Janet Reger

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Quartet Books (September 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0704321513
• ISBN-13: 978-0704321519

Seeing Past Black & White Film To The True Colors Of Vintage Lingerie was posted by Here's Looking Like You, Kid as a remembrance/exploration of vintage lingerie (1920s-1930s especially) and the colors enjoyed by those who wore/watched it worn.

I enjoyed reading her post in the middle of last night while waiting for some other things to happen--namely, I've begun using a wireless modem (aircard) to access the internet and company servers through the cellphone network--this is what the government sold off last year & why analog television signals went away & digital radio/tv is being pushed so hard--and the speed reminds me of dial-up!

Anyway, here was a post featuring beautiful underwear & pointing to some resources that may help date and organize when a garment was worn. And since this blog is about collecting those resources and pointers, it seems appropriate to include this reference.

newly discovered vintage lingerie resources

• add Glamoursurf to the vintage resources list. They have a great list of vintage swimwear labels to help with dating.
• Vintage Nightgowns is a resource with pictorial indices for Olga, Vanity Fair and other vintage nightgowns.
  

Virtual Lingerie Museum

Vintage clothing websites
Any history of women's underwear requires good reference materials. Going to the library or the museum is part of the job in getting the research done—making up stuff is fun, but not credible. Because the number of reference books available is almost none and collections are only found in urban settings my research is limited to the Internet.

What I've found is an array of sources. However, most of them do seem to be making up stuff; at best, the authors water down watered down information until it is meaningless. It can be like trying to understand the Bible from one of those tracts that appear in big box bathrooms sometimes. The few impressions that come through are so stilted and vague to not resemble religion.

So, I've begun to develop my own resource library—a dynamic museum for the development of modern underwear. There are a few scholarly collections scattered around, and a few researchers out there. Writers, those so far discovered, have two topics through which they trace this history: fashion and sociology/anthropology. (There are some who are collecting out of nostalgia.)

However, the bulk of the material for my collection is from the online collections of vintage lingerie retailers. The resulting linkdump is a compilation of web-based retailers of vintage underclothes. A list of shopkeepers stocking contemporary articles is beyond my scope. I also refrain from new items inspired, or even made from patterns, by vintage clothing. Although I would add a site listing patterns. Much of the material is for sale—and therefore dynamic. What is there today may be gone tomorrow.

These sites are listed in the order of when they turned up in my browser. I have tried to give brief description when it crossed my mind. If you know about other sites that could be listed drop an email & I'll check it out. I am not building a soft porn website and will not put up any listings that range into that area.

• Vintage Pastelle


• Dandelion Vintage


• Sleek-n-Chic


• Babylon Mall


• Vintageous


• Vanity Treasures--this site has lots of advertising and packaging materials as well as clothing items. Includes lingerie boxes and stockings still in the graphite boxes.


• Petticoat Dreams–this site is focused on the petticoat around 1950 in the UK. It does have some historical images and magazine articles (the kind touting current fashion).


• Another Time Vintage Apparel


• Glorious Vintage
–a website featuring clothing for gals, some of which are foundation garments.

• www.wickedlady.com/collectables/lingerie.php


• Ad Classix
–this is the website of a retailer of vintage advertising. This link is to the fashion & lingerie index

• online exhibit hosted by Kent State University


• Google Directory of lingerie history-related sites


• ”antique” bras & panties for sale


• Vintage Chikana vintage slips


• Glamour Gurlz


• Heavenly Vintage Lingerie


• Pink Girl Vintage Lingerie

If you do not wish your site to be listed, or I've broken your copyright rules, let me know & down it will come.
last updated 20 April 2008.