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Petticoats are of course an essential part of your vintage/retro wardrobe.
Not even just essential, they are vital. They are what you are building your outfits upon.
Fortunately, with the resurgence of vintage styles, petticoats are now more popular
than they have been at any time since the 1950s.
Probably... Don't quote me on that.
How do you choose the right petticoat for your needs? There are so many different types out there.
You've got different brands, different styles, different fabrics, and of course VERY DIFFERENT price points.
I would love to say that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a really good petticoat
I would love to be able to say that to you, but no.
*Surprised yelling sound effect*
If the look you're after is multilayered, flouncy and beautiful, then yes, yes,
you're going to have to spend some cash.
There are some cheaper alternatives out there, however, and I'm going to be sharing my wealth of knowledge
because if there is one person that you can trust to REALLY know about petticoats
it's a girl who wears them every day.
The most common petticoats used for vintage and retro outfits are square dancing ones and A-line ones.
So, the square dancing is a massive fluff ball that goes straight out to the sides, pretty much
and then is all fluffy underneath.
The A-line one builds to fluff at the bottom.
You can also get bell-shaped ones, but that is a bit more later [?]
Having that fluff around your bum is not--is not necessarily the best look for vintage.
Also, you can get pre-1930s petticoats.
These are obviously going to be much longer.
Women weren't so into showing off the ankles then.
They're the Victorian and Edwardian styles, and they are available online,
but they're all kind of speciality items, and they're specially made for the person.
Petticoat fabrics!
The hard netting crinoline was used during the 1950s. It gives a good puff,
but it is generally uncomfortable to wear and if it isn't the right length, it can leave a really uneven fall.
This is the same petticoat, in a different colour. It's from Grace Karin, who I made a brand review of.
I love the excessive width, but the band can be scratchy so wear long knickers.
Organza is a more modern choice, giving the fullness of a crinoline, but it is more comfortable
This one I made myself, but the seams itch like hell, and it catches on my tights.
I always wear it with another petticoat underneath it; it is perfect for a flat look on top.
Soft netting is delightful to wear and has a lovely fluffy end, but it doesn't give good volume.
It's great when it comes to a good spin around and for day-to-day it's marvellously comfortable.
But these netting petticoats can be loose at the top,
or tight like this one.
For a circle skirt that flows off your hips, you'll want the extra fabric of the loose top,
but if the dress is a little more fitted before flaring out, then you need no extra fabric;
that will just make you look bulky.
Probably be wary of buying bright colours, as you won't often actually wear them
and petticoats take up a lot of space.
*excited audience sound effect*
Soft chiffon is the ideal. It can also be worn without a skirt or dress on top, in a tutu style.
It is more expensive, however, so if you want a multilayered chiffon you'll probably find that
the reasonably priced ones are...THIS LONG.
Yeah. I don't own a single dress this short, so... Hmm, yeah. This isn't a good look.
It can be worn under a dress, of course, but if you want a nice look, you're gonna have to pull it down your hips?
And then you end up with this. I mean... Haha...
I'm tall, but I'm--I'm not THAT tall.
That's just a really short skirt.
*child's voice* Uh-oh...
Extra tip! Tulle skirts that look like this and tutus that look like this
aren't actually petticoats. They're--they're skirts.
Things to think about when buying your petticoat.
What look do you want? Straight down, but fluffy at the ends?
Puffy and fluffy? Flat and even?
Getting away with it or ridiculous on public transport?
That last one is my favourite. I am so sorry to anyone I meet on a bus.
*ding*
Consider the fabric you'll be putting on top of the petticoat. How heavy is it?
Can your petticoat really hold up to that strain? If the fabric is particularly thick and heavy
you're going to need a much stronger foundation, which is where things like the crinolines come in.
What's the right length for your petticoat? Do you want the ends to show or not?
The best way to know what length petticoat you'll need is to measure with a measuring tape
from the waistline of your dress all the way down to the hem, in one flat, continuous line.
Then do this with your petticoat to find out what length you need, obviously.
If you want that puffy, fluffy, petticoat slightly showing look at the bottom, then add a few extra centimetres
but really not too many.
No, don't do more than two or three because it's just going to look like your petticoat
is A. falling off your hips, or B. ridiculously your dress has shrunk in the wash and you haven't noticed.
Definitely don't get a petticoat that is shorter by a few inches unless you can comfortably keep
that band around your hips, rather than your waistline.
Because otherwise you're going to get a really ugly waterfall effect at the bottom.
And that's not good. That's not what you want.
Remember! You CAN roll the top of your petticoat if it is too long for your dress.
However, always roll inwards so you have a smoother, flat line on top.
Also, always keep the fabric beneath your waistline, so you have a little trim waist.
What size of waistband do you need? Hmm...
If you are a UK size ten or below, like me,
please be very, very wary of 'one size fits all'. But no. It doesn't. It does not fit all, not in ANY way.
Ugh.
It will just slip off, and then it kind of peaks out really ugly and quite unevenly, probably.
Not what you need.
Think about what you'll be wearing underneath your petticoat. Does the petticoat have a very scratchy top
or seams or elastic straight onto your skin?
Big knickers!
I am such a fan of the big knicker! It's a dream, it really is.
I have such an incredibly long body. I'm mainly body; it's mainly like...
You'd be amazed where my belly button is in relation to the length of my body.
I have to buy granny knickers because they are the only ones that are big enough.
I really like them, though. What can you do?
Price! Dun-dun-duuun.
Remember, petticoats are a very complex garment. They're difficult to make; the fabrics can be very
expensive, and thus the overall garment can cost quite a lot.
You can get away with the cheaper alternatives,
particularly if you are layering them up, but then you're gonna be dealing with quite a few different waistbands,
that's also something that you should consider.
Oh yeah, final tip:
You can layer your petticoats! Ding!
I'm wearing three here.
Yeah. That's three petticoats.
Petticoat tips!
It is a struggle to keep your petticoat fluffy and full. It will of course lose some volume over time,
and especially under the weight of very heavy dresses, but here are some tips:
Be very careful when you are taking your petticoat on and off! Always remove your shoes first.
Sounds obvious! Isn't.
Shake your petticoat up and down, in and out, and just generally fluff it around like an idiot before you put it on.
Hang it inside out! Ooooh, bet you didn't think of that one.
Yes, much like when you part your hair
in the other direction, and suddenly it's like fluffy and full of volume, and delightful! Your petticoat will do exactly
the same! So, hang it up inside out, when you come to turn it back around,
oo! suddenly there's so much volume.
Do not put your petticoats in a drawer and then expect to just open it and POOF they'll spring out
that's not a thing. That does not--that does not happen.
No.
Keep it on a hanger, or if it's a very hard crinoline you can actually store it just standing up by itself
but again, inside out. Store it inside out.
It will take up so much space. But it is worth it, I promise.
This is the best tip you will ever receive about wearing petticoats, trust me:
When it comes to the toilet, take your entire skirt, fluff it up inside out, grab it, pull it all around to the front
and then sit down on the loo.
Genuinely, that's the most useful thing I can ever tell you.
Don't let go for quite a while until you are sure it's safe.
Washing the darn things is a struggle, so don't let it get dirty.
Boom. Done.
If you do get it dirty, then the washing machine is not actually the worst idea in the world.
Just make sure you run it on delicate and you don't put anything else in there with it.
If you have a tumble dryer, then we need to be friends!
Because that's not really a thing in England, I don't really know many people who have tumble dryers in England.
You can fluff it up in there or turn it inside out and lie it on the floor. Don't let
it dry by hanging it up so it drip-dries, because that will just pfft, pull it down.
There will be nothing you can do
to bring back the fluff you once had.
So it's time to start relegating that petticoat to the 'layering it up' pile.
Here are a few more shots of my favourite petticoats and brands that I recommend.
*music*
I hope this video has been helpful, give it a thumbs up if it has; let me know down below in the comments
if there are any other questions that you have, and I will try my absolute hardest to get around to answering
all of them. I do try to answer absolutely all of my comments. I do, I do.
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*music*