One of the curious things about supplying lingerie to costume departments is that we rarely know exactly what happens next. A selection of pieces leaves our stockroom, fittings take place behind closed doors, and then we wait to discover which garments have made it into the production—and who might be wearing them.
Earlier this year, the costume department for Sarah Polley’s forthcoming adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar sourced a generous selection of What Katie Did lingerie, including bullet bras and stockings. We knew the order was connected with Billie Eilish, who plays Esther Greenwood, but that was about as much as we could say with any certainty.
Then the first photographs from filming appeared.
Billie is dressed in a wonderfully simple early-1950s outfit: a red short-sleeved sweater, full grey skirt and coordinating red shoes. Naturally, our attention went straight to the distinctly pointed silhouette beneath the sweater.
The silhouette begins underneath
It is easy to concentrate on the visible pieces when looking at period costume, but the correct foundation garments are what give vintage clothing its unmistakable shape.
Most modern bras lift the bust into a rounded profile. Bullet bras work rather differently, using carefully positioned seams and non-stretch cups to direct the bust forwards. Beneath a fitted sweater, this creates the conical silhouette associated with the sweater girls of the late 1940s and 1950s.
The effect is clearly visible in the first photographs of Billie filming The Bell Jar. Before we get too carried away, however, we must add an important caveat: we cannot yet confirm that the particular bra Billie is wearing is one of ours.
Costume departments normally source several styles and sizes for fittings, and not everything ordered will necessarily appear in the finished film. We know that the production sourced bullet bras from What Katie Did and we know that Billie is wearing a very convincing pointed silhouette—but a sweater does not, unfortunately, arrive with an itemised wardrobe credit.
It is possible that she is wearing our Harlow Peach Satin Bullet Bra. Its structured, non-stretch satin cups create exactly this type of forward-projecting shape, while its non-wired construction and minimally stretchy band are much closer to those of an original mid-century bra than a modern moulded style.
For more about how the shape is created, along with fitting and sizing advice, visit our guide to fitting and wearing a bullet bra.
Billie Eilish and What Katie Did
This would not be Billie Eilish’s first encounter with What Katie Did.
For her dramatic British Vogue transformation in 2021, Billie wore our Champagne and Black Contrast Seamed Stockings in one image and our classic Black Seamed Stockings in another. Those pieces, unlike the possible Bell Jar bullet bra, are confirmed.
Billie conceived the vintage pin-up direction of the shoot herself, appearing with platinum-blonde hair, corsetry and stockings in a striking departure from the oversized clothing for which she was then best known. Among the couture pieces created especially for the editorial, our stocking seams provided two rather important finishing lines.
Seeing What Katie Did stockings in such an extraordinary shoot was a memorable moment for our small brand. Five years later, it is rather lovely to find ourselves looking for familiar details in Billie’s wardrobe once again.
Both styles she wore for Vogue remain in our Seamed Stockings collection, alongside neutral seams, colourful contrasts and traditional black. They are designed to give the appearance of elegant mid-century nylons while including enough stretch to make them practical for modern wear.
A 1950s Silhouette
There is something particularly satisfying about seeing a bullet-bra silhouette used as part of a carefully considered period costume. A sweater and skirt may appear deceptively simple, but change the lingerie beneath them and the entire outline changes too.
For now, we can say two things with confidence: the production has sourced What Katie Did bullet bras and stockings, and someone has clearly paid very close attention to Billie’s early-1950s silhouette.
Whether the bra beneath that red sweater is ours remains to be confirmed. Needless to say, we will be examining any further photographs extremely closely—and checking the stocking seams while we are at it.