If you've ever seen one of the pages of wardrobe malfunctions that grace the gossip mags these days, you may have caught a glimpse of shapewear peeking out  from under an A-List celebrity's red-carpet gown as they clamber back into their car. There's no doubt that big pants have been big news in recent years, launched back into the public eye by the infamous Bridget Jones and continued by television style evangelists like Trinny and Susannah. The fact that celebrities wear these items means that it's no longer a fashion faux-pas to do the same; and even the trimmest of us can sometimes benefit from a bit of help in the figure department, particularly those of us who are fans of vintage clothing.
 
Wearing vintage is a very different experience to wearing modern fashions. You often have to adapt your entire stance in order for it to fit properly – standing tall, sucking in your tummy and pushing out your chest. And what about the often disproportionately small waists of many skirts and dresses? The answer is simple – almost every woman, from the 1930s-1960s wore foundation garments. And that's why they always looked so good! Apart from the obvious smoothing, cinching and supporting benefits, wearing a sturdy girdle or cincher can actually give you better
posture; and they can even make a garment that seems a touch too small, actually fit.


 

But what's a glamorous girl to do if she wants that streamlined vintage silhouette without resorting to high-street brand, flesh-coloured shorts which personify the nickname 'passion-killers'?
 
Well, that's where What Katie Did comes in. We wanted for a long time to develop our own line of shapewear after selling a range of international brands over the years; and in Autumn 2008 our dream was realised. It was a labour of love, because we knew our customers would settle for nothing but the very best; and we finally released our long-awaited Glamour shapewear range to great acclaim. Featuring an amazing nine coordinating pieces, we're proud to say that there is a foundation garment to suit every shape, and indeed every outfit within our range. And, thanks to the shades (black and vintage peach) and the fabrics (slinky satin and powermesh) it all looks supremely chic – not a granny pant or cycling short in sight.
 
The Glamour range contains retro styled bras, both standard and longline; the perfect little girdle to smooth your derriere and skim inches off your hips, whilst holding up your seamed stockings; and a panty girdle that is a far cry from its matronly and restrictive predecessors. We positively encourage you to incorporate these pieces into your usual wardrobe, and feel a million dollars on an daily basis! But there are also some special occasion items that every girl should have in her lingerie drawer.

Find out which Glamour Shapewear item will solve your figure in our Shapewear Guide.

We're on the cover of Look magazine this week! Or, at least, our Lulu bullet bra is. Inside the magazine they've done a feature on conical bras which are currently fashion flavour of the month. Our Padded bullet bra and Lulu bullet bra are featured next to bullet bra wearing celebs: Lady Gaga and Madonna. If you're lusting after Rigby and Peller's peach version, but aren't so sure about the price tag, then we also make a more affordable peach bullet bra which can be found here.

At What Katie Did we'll be the first to admit that a bullet or conical bra takes a little getting used to. Instead of the modern rounded push up shape modern bras bullet bras push the breasts into a pointy shape. If you're new to conical bras please remember that what you wear on top of your cone bra is just as important as the bra itself (unless, like in the case of  Lady Gaga, the bullet bra is the outfit!)

Bullet bras first appeared in the late 1940s and remained fashionable right up to the mid 1960s so they work best with fashions from, or inspired, by that era: especially with 1950s style dresses, instantly giving you that sexy 'Mad Men' silhouette. If you're into vintage fashion, you might notice that bust darts in 1940s and 1950s dresses are positioned in the 'wrong' place: this is because they were designed to be worn with a conical bra - once worn with a bullet bra everything starts to make sense! Bullet bras also look good under shirts, worn with a fitted pencil skirt - again channelling that Mad Men office look (incidentally, the actresses in Mad Men all wear period correct lingerie, which is why their outfits look so good!)

Remember to keep your fashion 1950s style and you'll be fine. Bullet bras definitely don't work under tight t shirts and although we have one customer who wears her bullet bra for working out (she finds it more supportive than a sports bra) in fashion terms bullet bras and sportswear were most definitely not made for each other!

Bullet bras are made from non stretch fabric with a minimal amount of elastic so sizing is very critical. If you are wearing the correct bra size then you should be the same when selecting a bullet bra, but please read our sizing notes (found by the product description) to ensure you select the correct size (several customers have told us that if they'd read them before ordering it would have saved the hassle of exchanging). Welcome to a world of vintage glamour!

Our 2010 Christmas card has just arrived and one will be included free of charge with orders and boutique purchases from now until Christmas. The image for the card is taken by Tony Nylons who is responsible for most of the photography on our website. It features model Olivia and a rather naughty snowman! Tony had the idea for the card 3 years ago but in true British Rail fashion then had to wait for the right type of snow! Further copies of the card, which is A5 in size, can be purchased here. If you like Tony's images but are after something a little more risque than can be seen on our site, you'll be pleased to learn that he also runs 'Nylon Flash' a zine devoted to vintage lingerie. When I say more risque, I'm not talking nudity risque but good old fashioned English seaside humour risque. If you are purchasing one of our calendars or books and would like a half size (32 page) preview copy of Nylon Flash please request one in the comments box of our online order form.

We were bang on trend in yesterday's Guardian newspaper which has picked out our saucy sailor bra. They say Whatkatydid.com (sic) has a wardrobe's worth of sexy vintage-effect lingerie, which is perfect for wearing under sheer tops or peeking out under lace. We especially like the sailor bra (£44.50) and the glamour longline bra for £35. For the adventurous reader, there's also the bullet bra (£32.50): just in case your imagination isn't filling in the gaps effectively, when wearing this one you'll need to be careful about poking people's eyes out.
 

What Katie Did designer Katie Halford began her career as a corset fitter over 15 years ago, before going on to develop her own collection. A decade on from the launch of her company, What Katie Did's now-famous corset range has grown from one style to an impressive eight; with the A/W 09 collection boasting what must be the largest choice of corsets around. There's a cut to suit every shape and size; and a style that will appeal to everyone - from glamour queens and tight-lacing Dita-wannabes, to those simply looking for something saucy to wear on a night out... or a night in!


Overbust Corsets

Sophia is the most popular of What Katie Did's corsets, with a gently curved silhouette
that's neither too extreme-looking or constricting to put off corset newcomers; but with just the right amount of cinching to satisfy experienced wearers. Its curved cups ensure that A-E-cup breasts are pushed delicately upwards and together. Those who are considerably more endowed needn't despair though, because decadent Dolly combines the same classic cut with slightly more room in the bust; perfect for those lucky ladies whose D+ cups runneth over.

These two have a naughty big sister, Laurie - an overbust style with real
va-va-voom. It features the same shaped cups for perfect uplift, but with WKD's signature gored hips, Laurie gives a fantastically well-defined waistline. It's enough to make even Jessica Rabbit jealous!

The 18th Century-inspired Antoinette is the WKD's newest overbust style. Its balconette bustline and innovative pointed sides mean that even the most well-upholstered needn't fear an overspill of fulsome flesh - simply a ravishing pair of (well-supported!) heaving bosoms. With gored hips for a truly ravishing silhouette, it's just like its antique counterpart, but considerably more comfortable. 

Underbust Corsets

Gina was the very first corset that What Katie Did designed, and it's still a firm favourite amongst their customers. It gives a smooth and defined shape, but,
like Sophia, not one that's too extreme. The addition of the signature gores to this basic underbust created Mae. The beauty of the goring is that hips are not compressed, and waists can therefore be cinched down even further, for a very pronounced hourglass shape. Those with a large waist-hip ratio look particularly spectacular in the gored hip versions of What Katie Did's corsets for this reason!  

Wickedly tempting, Morticia is a slightly longer-line style based on the Mae shape, and the latest version to incorporate goring. The longer busk and lower hip-line ensure that shapely derrieres are shown off to their full advantage, while the waist is pulled in as tightly as desired. Morticia is so well cut and designed, that many customers find they can actually go down a size!  

The newest underbust style, Baby, is a little 7” waist cincher designed to be worn under clothes. It's directly inspired by Christian Dior's post-war New Look fashions, and the boned waist-nippers that his models were tightly laced into to achieve that incredibly dramatic silhouette. Baby's clever cut allows the waist to be substantially reduced, but its small size makes it incredibly comfortable.

I had a nice surprise this morning when Bernie Dexter emailed me over pictures from a new campaign she's starring in for Ellies Shoes who specialise in showgirl style heels. The pictures were taken by Danielle Bedics who I've been a big fan of for several years. Danielle took a little break from photography for the last couple of years and I've really missed her work so it's great to see two of my favourite girls working together. Bernie wore our Lily lingerie and 15 denier contrast seamed stockings for the shoot and I'm sure you'll agree that they look fabulous with Ellies Shoes.

We'll have our Lily lingerie available in our boutique at the Goodwood Revival show this weekend. Don't forget that we're not in the main trading area but are located in the centre of the track to the left of the Earls Court Motorshow.

Many years ago I was discussing the passing of time with a friend who told me 'just you wait until you're 30, it really starts speeding up then!' She was right, but what she didn't tell me that once you hit 35 time starts to spiral out of control. Whilst in my head I'm still thinking it's March, we are in fact in September and at What Katie Did we're currently working on designs for next March. No wonder I never know if I'm coming or going.

This problem is made worse by magazines who work 3 months in advance and whos cover dates are invariably a month after they actually come out. Vogue magazine have done a rather festive 'Winter Warmer'  supplement which is rather alarming with it only being early September and the warmest it's been all summer (although the magazine is dated October which is quite close to the frosty season). The supplement features our Harlow bullet bra as part of a 'barely there' lingerie feature, and from the picture (highlighted by my red star) you can see that is it barely there! I can assure you that it is more visible in the magazine.

My, I'm on a roll with my blogging this week! Living in a little village makes finding slightly less mainstream publications quite difficult to find. A couple of years ago I asked  my local corner shop to special order me a copy of Pop magazine which we were featured in. A few weeks later the corner shop was taken over and I was quite surprised to find a big stack of Pop magazines on the shelf as soon as the next issue was published. I snapped up my copy and started feeling more than a little awkward as the big pile of Pop magazines stayed on the shelf and I had to explain that unfortunately there was only one Pop customer in the area. They haven't given up on Pop, although they no longer give it prime position on the shelves. Last night I noticed it the Autumn/Winter edition on the top shelf and grabbed one. I've no idea how long it's been out - but surely it can't be long?

Pop is one of those magazines who always borrow items from What Katie Did, but very rarely use them (one of their studios is just up the road which makes us very convenient for last minute 'could be usefuls') so it was very exciting to discover our long sheer gloves and a suspender belt had been featured in this edition. The suspender belt picture just shows a clasp so I've no idea which model it is but why not try our Maitresse suspender belt as that is our most popular style).

It looks like we've been rather quiet over the last couple of weeks, but let me assure you that most certainly is not the case! Our Autumn/Winter 2009 samples are beginning to come together and are looking rather dandy even if I do say so myself! I know it's a long time to wait in between Spring and Winter collection so we've got a little treat for you at the beginning of June with the launch of our Sailor Gold Label range. Our first Gold Label range was available exclusively through What Katie Did but Sailor will be found in several of our bigger stockists as well as directly from us.

We've also just launched a new Sailor corset which is available exclusively in our boutique at the moment so if you're in London and want to be the first to see our new ranges be sure to pop in and say hi to Clare, Sarah and Ruka.

For the last year we've been giving customers who make purchases of over £100 at our boutique or at shows a little printed cotton bag to carry their purchases home in. The bag has gone down really well with Clare, our boutique manager, spotting them in various weird and wonderful places all over London. Version two is currently being made (should be here early second week in May) and features artwork by UK pin up artist Charlotte Thomson. I've been a fan of Charlotte's work for quite a while and it's great to finally work with her. You might recognise what the pin up girl is wearing: our Glamour corselette!

We're also working on a t-shirt using the same design (albeit with a little more colour) which is due to be launched at the Hemsby Rock n Roll weekender which starts on 14th May. Dave from Geronimo/Daredevil (you know who I mean if you go to any rockin' show in the UK!) has been on at us to do t-shirts for a couple of years now but we could never come up with a good design. With Charlotte's help we've now done it and I can't wait to see them. The new bags will be available to buy online as soon as they arrive, whilst the t shirts will be available online from the end of May.

Later on today we're heading up to Malvern for it's Military Show so I'm working from home this morning and was planning to update the press page - but forgot to bring the USB lead for my scanner home so I'm going to have to come up with something else!

Yesterday myself and Richard spent the afternoon with Clare in our boutique catching up on all the latest gossip and having a very important meeting. As with all very important meetings I'm afraid I can't let you know anything until it's all signed on the dotted line, if it's all signed on the dotted line. I've probably made it sound far more exciting than it actually is now! We had quite a busy afternoon in the shop with customers coming from far and wide for the London Burlesque Fest (reviews from the opening night were very good). We even had customers wandering in with a copy of the 'fresh off the press' London Burlesque Map in their sticky mitts. The London Burlesque Map includes most burlesque shops, venues and events and it's very handy if you're a visitor to London. It can be picked up free from various shops (although we've only had a couple of samples so far), from events at the London Burlesque Fest and also by mail order (for £3).

I was very much looking forward to spending time in the boutique over the London Burlesque Fest but it clashes with the Malvern Military Show so myself and Richard will be at the foot of the Malvern Hills with a lot of bargain seconds (£10 bras and suspenders, £5 knickers). This June is the 65th anniversary of the D Day landings and not only is Richard putting the finishing touches to his Jeep to take over to Normandy in June, but we've also been putting the finishing touches to our 1940s range: CC09. CC09 will be launched in the next few weeks but we'll be taking the stockings to Malvern as a little preview.

Our CC09 stockings include 100% rayon seamed stockings which are becoming very difficult to find and although ours are just as expensive as any others, sizing will be less hit and miss. In addition we'll also have stretch nylon fully fashioned stockings (below) which, being thicker, are far more hardwearing than the normal 15 denier version. The stockings are supplied by a company that normally works with the film industry who's credits include the new Chanel Film, Miss Pettigrew Presents and a host of others. I've always wondered where the film companies got their stockings from and now I know!