Passion For Fashion

Retro fashion enthusiasts will be pleased to know that What Katie Did?s autumn lingerie and corset range will be on display at the Glimpse of Stocking fashion show. The Glimpse of Stocking fashion show will be held at the Soho Review Bar in London on the evening of Friday 12th September and is set to feature a range of acts as well as the fashion show itself.

A selection of the models and pin ups from the What Katie Did website will be wearing the latest retro lingerie designs. The evening will also feature performances from Miss Aloha, Miss Polly Rae and the Hurly Burly Girlys.

If you fancy popping along to see the fashion show and the latest in retro lingerie then tickets are available from the What Katie Did Boutique in Portobello Road, London or you can buy them online from the What Katie Did site. If you do pay them a visit the boutique then don?t forget to check out the underbust and vintage types of corset and waist cinchers.

Burlesque is a form of theatre entertainment from the early twentieth century that has made a come back in recent times. It usually consisted of comedy, performance art and adult entertainment often performed by ladies. Women would wear extravagant outfits made up of corsets, stockings and nipple tassels and acts would be made up of strip teases, stand up comedy and more extreme acts like fire breathing.

The meaning behind burlesque is an interesting one as it means in an upside down style. The performers were given the freedom to push social boundaries and make new styles so the term is quite fitting.

In the beginning burlesque came out of music hall shows from the nineteenth century. It came about as a form of working class comedy that would poke fun and provide social commentary against the upper classes. A vast amount of this humor was considered lowbrow and vulgar to many which eventually led to the inclusion of strip teases and circus acts such as contortionists.

Lots of now infamous comedians and actors were inspired or had their roots in the genre. Everyone from Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope and Abbot and Costello have their roots in burlesque and even Charlie Chaplin was a fan.

Fast forward to the nineteen nineties and burlesque had risen out of the ashes once more. Neo burlesque acts began emerging in New York and Los Angeles with acts like Dita Von Teese becoming notorious for their take on their genre. Most of these acts focused on the clothing, wearing either a corset or waist cincher along with seamed stockings and suspenders. Later performers like the Pussy Cat Dolls donned similar lingerie and performed songs in a provocative manner but didn?t have the same sort of attitude of the genre.

Now a days fashion and streetwear are becoming the same thing with blends of styles that take influences from the past with a traditional style and look that is more reminiscent of the 50′s or even the 20′s along with a range of styles that are influenced by modern streetwear and youth culture from across the world.  It is now more the fashion for someone to have a number of different looks as opposed to one style.  This means that someone could wear a designer suit one evening, a stylish streetwear T-shirt the next and finish the week with a mix of the two.

T-shirts and jeans are still common place in the fashion world but it is the styling and designs on them that differ the most with tears, zips and innovative quirky design features being added. New terms like Streetwear and Urbanwear have been invented to categorise these new fashion trends and styles.  Streetwear is used to describe clothing inspired by the urban lifestyle and often incorporate urban themes such as graffiti and life on the streets.  Urbanwear and streetwear brands are often created by people from the street such as graffiti artists and musicians.  Supreme Being and WeSC are two companies who have had success by developing their brands like this.

In recent years vintage clothing has returned to the high street with more and more vintage clothes shops selling second hand classic clothing.  These stores can make a lot of money as vintage clothing is often quite rare and so customers are willing to pay higher prices for rarities.  The popularity of retro vintage clothing has resulted in faux vintage clothing being produced and it has had a big impact on the fashion industry as most customers want the retro look at todays affordable prices but it can often be hard to find authentic vintage clothes.  Clothes from the 40′s-80′s are now being copied by designers so that they can be mass produced and sold at more affordable prices and thus keeping the consumer happy.  Many women like retro lingerie from the 1940′s and 1950′s and now companies are producing corsets, seamed stockings and other types of vintage lingerie such as waist cinchers.