Vintage glamour at its best: Maitresse lingerie at What Katie Did
I love vintage fashion. Nothing fusty, mind, just immaculate classics that bring back the style of bygone decades renowned for panache.
So it’s natural that I should be wowed by the old-school, bombshell glamour of the What Katie Did lingerie label. Think scarlet lips, spun-sugar coiffures and feminine charm at its most potent. The team at What Katie Did prides itself in living and breathing vintage style – and helping women look and feel fabulous.
Founder and head designer Katie Halford’s longstanding love affair with 1940s and 1950s fashion led her to develop a lingerie collection that smacked of sensuality. She want to satisfy her personal quest to find key pieces like the perfect bullet bra, the most authentic stockings and the firmest foundation garments.
As the brand has grown, she — and the label’s followers — have come to appreciate (nay, obsess over) vintage hallmarks, like the art of a circle-stitched cup, a wasp-waist or a flash of fully-fashioned seam.
Katie says, “We create and produce beautifully cut, high-quality and affordable undergarments, corsetry and hosiery. Our designs are based on vintage patterns, using authentic fabrics and old-fashioned production methods wherever possible. We’ve collected a few celebrity followers, but really we make our lingerie for every woman, so she can be a bombshell any day of the week.”
Sounds good to me. But what does Katie do for the small-busted woman? After all, isn’t the glamour of this sexy era typically epitomised by the curvy Hollywood icons, like Marylin Monroe? Not necessarily…
I’m glad to hear that the What Katie Did range has recently expanded to include certain styles in A-cups. These include the black version of What Katie Did’s trademark Maitresse Bullet Bra and the Padded Bullet Bra
, available in black and peach, both of which are now sold in sizes 32-36A (as well as cups B, C, D, DD and F).
And I’m informed that, since all What Katie Did bras are cut to original vintage patterns, the sizing tends to come up smaller than most modern day bras. So, if your back size is 30, you’ll probably find that 32 fits. And if your cup size is AA, it might be worth trying the A-cup. For a little assistance, you can also buy conical bra pads, which help fill out the cup to the point of the cone (since no-one’s breasts are actually cone-shaped!).
Other styles can also be supplied in an A-cup*, using What Katie Did’s special order demi-couture service. These include: the Harlow Bullet Bra, which is is available in a delectable shade of vintage peach; the Lulu Bullet Bra
featuring red satin panels with a black lace overlay; and the Cabaret Bullet Bra
in a sheer black organza. (*Details of A-cup sizes that can be ordered are available on request).
Along with the new smaller bra sizes, the Maitresse Suspender Belt, Harlow Deep Suspender Belt
, Glamour Waspie
and Glamour Waist Cincher
, which previously started at size 10, are now available in size 8, all the way up to size 18.
