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20.9.06

What the heck are those things called.....??


The other day I wore a beautiful little navy silk 1940's dress and it had a boat-neck collar that was sort of wide. Now having your bra straps peek out may work on some outfits but not this one. Being vintage though, the dress had this covered - it had little ribbons inside each shoulder with a snap to hold your bra strap in place and keep everything where it should be. Brilliant no? It's one of those tiny details that one finds in vintage that on a personal level just makes me feel happy for some odd reason.

So 2 questions here

Why don't they do that anymore in modern day clothing? Ok I know the answer is probably a straight forward dollars and cents argument but why does this apply even in high end clothing? Why have we lost so many of the beautiful details that made clothing special? Where have all the small details gone? The little hook & eye that sits at the base of your spine so the zipper lies just so. The extra shield of fabric built under the arm so it wears better in the long run. Where did the ribbon go that was put over the inside hem of the skirt to cover the stitching there? Why do we have to forego cutting on the bias or using more then two pieces of fabric to put together a garment? Where are all the beautiful seams that made a dress or jacket hug your curves and feel like a silk glove gliding over your skin?

And people wonder why us vintagonado's prefer our wardrobes to come from other eras

And 2 - What the heck are those bra holding strap thingies called anyway?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

My seamstress calls them bra-strap retainers. Not sure if that is the official term but that's what she calls them! And she sews them on for my boat and wide square necked dresses for S$6 a pair. Totally agree with you that how a garment is constructed makes all the difference. It affects how a dress wears and that in turn affects how it looks worn. It's always the little details that define quality and class!

Anonymous said...

You make some valid points. I agree that we've lost the lil' details that make clothing special. I just think that everyone's gotten so busy that they've forgotten to use that old touch of world class that added those delicate details. I'd love to see them add some the things you mentioned back into today's garments. Those bra strap thingies are genius!

Anonymous said...

I just bought a whole bunch of dresses from someone who was clearing out a warehouse, and the woman thought they were to keep the dress on the hangers. I had to educate her.

I think that your theory on cost effectiveness is right on. Plus, now a days, we're lucky if the ONLY thing we see exposed is a bra strap.

Casey Maura said...

Hi! I just stumbled on your blog and really enjoyed this post--right on about the missing details in contemporary garments!! I find even "recent vintage" (e.g. 1980s high end garments) have more attention to details than anything past, say, the mid 1990s. Its really sad when I go to Neiman Marcus, shuffle through the racks only to be turned off by poor details and finishing in an otherwise lovely piece.

Anyway, the "bra holders" are properly called "lingerie straps". Most vintage sewing manuals show different ways to do these; either ribbons with snaps or thread chains with snaps. Either way, I really love this little gadget; makes life so much easier! :)

Keep blogging--I'm really enjoying what I've read so far! :)

Anonymous said...

I have my aunt's plaid wool coat, immediately post-wwII, Roos Bros San Francisco ... glorious...and it has the lovely interior straps that you loop your arms through to make the whole thing a cape. Now, I'm trying to find someone to reline it...so it can be my #1 winter item.
Your blog is wonderful, btw.

Gidget Bananas said...

I bought a Donna Riccio dress this summer that had lingerie straps! Unfortunately, one broke almost immediately.

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