Petticoats, plain and pretty

Last October I had a long conversation with a great aunt who is very dear to me. She worked as a hairdresser during the 60s and was generally a fashionable lady, even coming from a rather modest background. (I'll have to ask her more about her experience with hairdressing next time we chat.)

I enjoy hearing stories and memories from the elderly even more than I enjoy collecting items from past eras—which is a lot! Their tales are rich with wisdom, experience, and first-hand knowledge. Many have a very characteristic way of pronouncing words and telling stories that has disappeared with the younger generations.

But back to my great aunt.

Vintage Berlei corselet review

Source: calectasia.com

A short while ago I opened up my mailbox and discovered a nondescript package stuffed with soft contents and sporting a Hungarian postage stamp. What was it?

Fashion brochures at the Görlitzer Warenhaus

Over the summer I had the pleasure of traveling to Görlitz, a city in far eastern Germany whose small size is disproportionate to its magnificence. Among the city's many architectural treasures is a department store building (Kaufhaus or Warenhaus) built in the German equivalent of the Art Nouveau style, known as Jugendstil.

The Görlitzer Warenhaus in the early 1950s
source

A treasure trove of warm vintage underwear

Two weeks ago when the temperatures were on the chilly side, I head on over to my favorite thrift shop in town to see if I could find any stylish clothing to keep me warm. Figuring I was going to end up finding a nice winter coat or a warm sweater, I was surprised to stumble upon a bounty of warm vintage undergarments.

One of the owners of the store, a nice woman probably in her early 50s, set me up at a table next to the cash register. Despite my slight discomfort at poring over a stack of ladies' underthings with all the other customers walking by (okay, it was quite awkward!), I got to work sorting through the items for ones that would fit me.

Unfortunately the three girdles dating from the 60s, two in white, one in a pinkish/skin color, were much too large, but I did not go home empty-handed. Here is what I picked up for a grand total of nine Euros:

Schießer high waisted woolen knickers