The Slip Project

To me, grown-up glamour is a drawer full of silk slips.  I have carried this image with me since I was a small girl.  I think the image partly comes from the old black and white Hollywood films.  The drawer in my images is always the wide, shallow drawer of my Mother's dresser.

Whilst I do have a modest collection of slips, I would like to indulge this image of glamour a little more.  I do not live in a locale suitable to the collection of vintage slips, so of course I have to make them!    I particularly like the slips with separate bust panels.  This is a work in progress, but I have made a muslin of  a few vintage slip patterns, which I will show you over the coming days.

Before then, I want to show you a slip that my Mother gave me for my birthday last year.  It was the loveliest present!  I think it was from her wedding trousseau, so it is probably from the late sixties.

The slip is made from a very smooth, nylon knit fabric, with lace overlays.

An asymmetrical lace overlay is placed on the front hem.  The hem is at mid-knee length (so too long for most of my dresses).  There is a side split on the left side.

 The bust cups are made from lace and gathered onto the skirt panel.  A lace motif has been sewn over the centre front of the lace.

 The bust cups are lined with a sheer, non-stretchy fabric.  The upper back panel has a curved seam where it joins the skirt.  The back skirt has a centre back seam.

 This photo of the inside of the hem shows that the lace edging was applied with a zig-zag stitch.

 The inside of the bust cups show that they were darted as well as gathered.  The darts go through both the lace and the backing fabric.  The slip was assembled with an over-locker.

 The straps are made of ribbon.  The findings on the straps are very fine.

 This coat-hanger also oozes glamour.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I have had it for years and years.  I always associate it with the theatre and those dressing room mirrors surrounded by lights.  I have always meant to reproduce this gathered satin covering for a coat hanger.  Perhaps once I finish my slips.