A Brief History:
Undergarments–whether that be the petticoat, the hoop skirt, or even the kind used in religious practices–have been around for centuries. In fact, the loin cloth is the first form of undergarment we know of, dating back 7,000 years to hunter-gatherer societies. Women wore a fuller version of the loin cloth with more of a belted fashion and ties, similar to the look of a “bikini”.
The social significance and cultural history of “undergarments”, too, offers up much more than simple bodily coverage. Sagging your pants and showing your briefs in some US communities (typically urban, but also elsewhere) functions as a countercultural act, critiquing social discipline of the body and limits on the representation of self. Women, too, struggled throughout the centuries with relative social standards of beauty and underwear, wearing dome-shaped petticoats (in as early as the 1500s) to enhance and exaggerate the “hourglass” shape related to a gendered community ideal. 18th century Native Americans in the New World, even, wore the loincloth, which differed from the garb of US settlers. The loin cloth and other social markers contributed to settlers’ xenophobia and the future oppression and colonization of Native Americans. Finally, satirist Mark Twain compared hoop skirts to boyishly “peeping under circus tents” to see a “mysterious” world of legs.
With that being said, I wanted to introduce A Slip Shop and the magic of a simple decorative slip. Undergarments can function as an accessory to an outfit, and (as sagging has taught us) can even be a fashion statement. A Slip Shop on Etsy is an independent seller’s site that markets handmade decorative slips. These slips not only give you coverage, but can also change the wearing of a skirt. Some of the slips sold are a thicker material to create a more swing-like effect at the bottom, like the Three-Tiered White Eyelet Ruffle slip.
Others simply add simply a hint of peek-a-boo lace or organza.
Either way, I’ve bought from this seller and was pleased with my new fun slip. It helped me wear again a skirt that was a tad too short, and I also used it to dress up some of my plain-jane dresses. The $28 price, I admit, is a little steep, but if you think you could dress up a few of your own barely-worn dresses or skirts with a slip, that equals a few new outfits!
