#foundation garments

Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, 1997

Los Angeles Premiere of J.P Jeunet's 'Alien Resurrection'

additionally, if i can’t find one with the right robotic design already on it, im more that willing to get a solid color one and simply paint my own design on it.

Hello there!

I'm not going to be great and finding something with a specific design, unfortunately, since that's not in my area of expertise, but I can point you towards some resources for suits you can paint on, so I'm glad you're okay doing that. I know a lot about undergarments :P

When painting, either wear the suit with something underneath (like plastic wrap) to protect your skin, or stretch it over something the same general size and shape as yourself. This will ensure that the designs are in the correct places on your body and that they will stretch and move with the suit.

My suggestion would be to get a bodysuit made for dancewear if you can find one that fits you (size ranges tend to be a bit narrow). Capezio is my personal favorite brand. I'm not sure what color you want, but you can usually dye these, as they are typically a nylon/spandex blend. Look for white if you want to dye it to an unnatural skin tone. The good news is that these will usually be matte rather than glossy, which is better at imitating skin.

I seem to remember some sort of controversy with We Love Colors a while back (but can't remember what it was haha do some research if that bothers you.....I want to say it was being weird about BLM?), and I remember stopping buying from them because of it, but they do have a good selection of colors if you're comfortable buying from them.

Another option if you fit into the very narrow sizing is to buy a bodysuit from Classe Wig. They sell on Amazon now (so no shopping service needed). They have bodysuits meant to prevent exposing too much skin at cosplay events/to prevent being too cold at cosplay events, and I'd trust their quality.

Another option but might be a bit...well, there's usually padding sewn in to imitate a feminine figure, is to look at skin suits for kigurumi cosplayers. These will be very heavy and opaque and come in typical masculine sizes, but typically come in light skin tones and have the aforementioned padding.

The final option is to sew your own, which would get you custom fit and materials, but would be extra work. A matte miliskin for an opaque look or a light (non compressive) stretch mesh or powernet (again, non compressive, not heavy powernet) for a look that allows your skin to show through. The latter would be good if you want "skin but with visible augments in a few places" rather than "full robot looking arms."

I'm not sure how much skin the design shows, but if whatever you get has too much compression for your sensory needs, you might be able to cut away part of the fabric (and rehem it if possible, just to prevent it from stretching out) around the bust to give a little extra room.

I would recommend getting a snap crotch bodysuit and tights separate is possible, though, since it will be easier to pee than if you have to wrestle off a full unitard.

The Unfitted Fifties: Butterick 6889

I always warn my students that there were styles that ignored some of the main fashion trends of a given decade, see this re-issued pattern Butterick 6889 from the 1950s. When we think 1950s, we tend to think of the impact of the New Look by Christian Dior from 1947: best known for its soft shoulders, tiny waists, and long full skirts. Dior actually created a very skinny, tight dress silhouette that year too, but we usually overlook it. While the New Look had a huge impact on fashion for years to come, other looks did show up.

Take this dress pattern from the 1950s which has the longer, fuller skirt, but leaves the waist entirely unfitted. There are darts at the upper bodice but otherwise no bust darts. The sleeves are mere cut-on cap sleeves with shoulder pads created for them which seems very 1940s, and then buttons close the side. The whole design reminded me of Claire McCardell who first made her name with the unfitted Monastic Dress in the 1930s and then had many designs in later years which were loose at the waist, but tied in various ways. 

This is certainly much easier to wear than all those fitted bodices and small waists which relied on foundation garments, the Spanx of their day. Also, it was far easier to iron. It is best made in the soft fabrics with drape that they recommend including crepe, challis, rayon. Anything stiffer could not create the soft gathers at the waistline. You don’t have to worry about matching print patterns either as you have 1 front and 1 back pattern pieces

Resource Request!

Yesterday we reblogged a post about the potential of Nursing Bras/Maternity Bras to be of help to folks in our community, and we received a request related to that!

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We have a community member who has SUPER sensitive skin issues which makes underwire/hook and eye bras are painful, and pulling a sports bra overhead is too painful for their joints.

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We recommended a peek at our post-mastectomy section, as many of those bras will be designed especially to avoid over-head pulling on and off, and also to minimize bruising post-surgery.  HOWEVER, We also wanted to open this to the community for input!

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Anyone have recommendations for super-comfy bras that are unwire/hook free but also, don’t necessarily have to be pulled on from overhead?  Reblog or respond by message or reply and let us know your hacks and finds!  And, now that we have a one-off/mega-mart section, we can even add links to single product finds if we get some good recommendations!

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