The Sheer Wonder of it All

We just listed a fabulous collection of vintage peignoir sets, including this 1950's Shadowline set in girly pink. Girly - that's exactly what these are. Fluffy, poufy, and sweet as candy. Wearing something like this just makes a gal feel pretty.

So I'm taking pictures of these peignoir sets, and BAM! I put this long white gown on the mannequin and I can see right through it! This thing leaves nothing to the imagination! "Wait a minute", says I. "I know this thing is 50's, but I never wore anything this racy, much less anyone from my mother's generation!"



Then, this black one went on the mannequin. If anything, it's even sheerer than the white one. Wow!



This begins to unnerve me. My imagination starts working overtime as I picture moms all over 1950's middle America, the same moms who baked apple pies, hung laundry outside to dry, and spent the afternoon ironing dad's shirts. I picture those moms running around at night nearly naked in sheer nightgowns after the kids have gone to bed, doing unimaginable things that don't involve washing dishes. It can't be! An email to my mom is definitely in order to dispel these nightmarish visions.

To my relief, mom confirms that no, she never owned anything like that. And though she longed to wear one of those girly pink sets like the one up at the top of this post, with a young family, she couldn't afford it. In fact, when my brain calmed down, I remembered mom wearing something more like these 1950's Barbizon pajamas.



Whew! So who was wearing those sheerest of sheer nightgowns? Maybe this image from a 1956 Frederick's of Hollywood catalog will help clear up the mystery.



The Frederick's catalog! The catalog that fed the fantasy life of moms all across Middle America! The catalog that made us wonder if we too would be magically transformed into that exotic creature when our order arrived in the mail. But I'll never tell. And I know my mom won't either!

See all these lingerie items and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .