For my first wedding, I wore a scratchy ill-fitting bustier which spent more time around my waist than around my bust, a pair of Hanes white nylon panties from a 5-pack I bought on clearance, and a pair of white L'eggs Sheer Energy pantyhose that I got free with a coupon. All in all, my undergarments ("lingerie" seems a bit too kind) were appropriate to my cheap, fishy meringue of a gown.
This time, I'll begin my marriage as I intend to continue, with lingerie that's every bit as fabulous as the rest of my getup. I don't want to wear La Perla or Agent Provocateur, I want retro-glamour, but I draw the line at secondhand lingerie!
After much searching, The Google finally delivered What Katie Did, a London (and Hollywood!) based boutique specializing in faux vintage lingerie styled after the glamorous lingerie of the '40s and '50s... and worn by Madonna and Victoria Beckham, and on some of my favorite period TV programs like Bletchley Circle, Call the Midwife, and American Horror Story.
As I mentioned in my last post, we were in London to sort out some of the final wedding details, so I was luckily able to visit What Katie Did's London Boutique which is in the heart of Portobello Road, vintage heaven!
The boutique is only open by appointment outside of the weekends and I was supposed to have my dress fitted on Thursday morning, so I pretty much ran straight off the plane to Portobello Road for my private appointment.
And what a lovely experience it was! They'd set aside all of the styles I was considering and helped me into them and out of them... and were very patient while I tried each one on with my dress, narrowed it down, and tried them on again. It was completely low stress and there was no pressure whatsoever to buy anything, plus they served refreshments and played really cool '40s music!
I settled on a mid-'50s piece of shapewear with spiral steel boning and garters... it reeks of vintage glamour! I could not have picked a more figure flattering wedding dress, but this just takes it up a few notches... those silver screen goddesses have nothing on me!
Now I have to decide if I should wear sheer, seamed, or contrast seamed stockings for the wedding. It's a tough call, but I bought them all!
Screw Spanx. No man wants to look at Mormon undies. This is shapewear at its shapeliest and sexiest... and they do mail order with a liberal return policy :)
This little shop has made it onto my "must visit" list for London and there are most definitely more What Katie Did items in my future... I suspect Robert will agree, preferably with debit card in hand ;-) Labels: england, wedding
