I know the whole concept of this post borders on blasphemous, but it seems so apropos after today's
Elizabeth Taylor slip post. Because the other woman who I think of when I think vintage slips is . . . Courtney Love. Now, I'm not suggesting that Courtney Love and Elizabeth Taylor have anything else in common and some of Love's recent actions have not made her someone we'd want to compare to a recently departed, beloved actress like Liz. And yet! Courtney Love brought the vintage slip into its retro heyday: the era of Grunge.
I unapologetically like anything Grunge-related, including but not limited to: Doc Martens, Flannel babydoll dresses, and most importantly: underthings as outerthings. Also, who could dislike the decade that brought us riot grrls and
My So-Called Life? I graduated from high school in 1997, so I would say this whole cultural movement was a big part of my coming of age, if you will.
And yes, I loved Hole. I loved the whole princess grunge thing: lacy slip dresses paired with combat boots, tiaras, and smeared lipstick. I loved the raw emotion of the music; the Celebrity Skin lyric
"Have you ever felt so used-up as this?" always gets me. I certainly credit Courtney with my interest in the history of lingerie. I remember buying a neon pink vintage slip in a thrift store and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.
Courtney Love wore vintage slips and nightgowns everywhere in the 90s: to the Oscars, on family outings, to perform. And so today the Daily Dress is dedicated to Courtney. Hey, did you know she now sells her old clothing on eBay? You can buy
this vintage Vanity Fair slip from her personal collection. Grunge lovers, take note.
Ohhh, I'm with you on this one! I finished hight school/ college in 1996 and the whole 90s mean much to me too. I was also into grunge and nu-metal, etc. Aww...memories :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this takes me back. I was a huge fan of grunge and I loved my Doc Martens. I liked Hole, but I was a much bigger fan of Babes in Toyland and Kat Bjelland's 'Kinderwhore' look. She had some lovely dresses.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. The Riot Grrrl and grunge scene meant so much to me during my formative years.
ReplyDeleteI wear vintage slips, but under my dresses. I dated a girl in college (1997) who wore them, two at a time, AS dresses to school events.
ReplyDeleteI graduate in 1992, so my coming of age was a bit different. That aside, I still remember falling in love with Hole. Amazing, raw, and just plain unapologetic. Celebrity Skin played on my CD until it was scratched to the nines.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I love wearing Doc Martens and my moto jacket with "girly" dresses and skirts. Gives it that "umph" that I like. You are truly an inspiration Gertie. I just saw your post on The Sew Weekly too. Amazing job on the slip and I'm in awe of your tattoos. I want more tattoos!
ReplyDeleteI graduated same year as you! All those things you mention have meaning for me. Ah, My So Called Life! Love love love. I totally rocked a slip dress in about 2000 going to a concert (Chantal kreviazuk) with my then boyfriend, now husband. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteHeather
Oooh, agree! I was a little younger but still so affected by this time period! I still love My So-Called Life, and I have such a soft spot for the movie Reality Bites. And the way Reese Witherspoon dressed in that movie Fear... sigh. Loved it. So nostalgic!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't care of Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan or Buddha himself wrote it - Celebrity Skin is a brilliant album. It exactly captures the feeling of waking up one too many times in the bleached out blonde sun of SoCal!
ReplyDeleteLoving this post! I agree with her whole look back then - it rocked!
ReplyDeletevintage slips are beautiful. they were produced with fine detail. i have one in a bias cut silk that has several little fitting gussets. yours is beautiful, as are you.
ReplyDeleteComing from Minneapolis, Babes in Toyland's similar tattered babydoll influence was inescapable. I still would rather wear men's shoes or big boots with my girly dresses than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI sure miss the nose Courtney had in 1992.
Oh my god! I finished highschool in 97 too & I LOVED Courtney Love! I used to wear slips as outerwear too! I had all those posters on my wall! Thanks for the memories! xx
ReplyDeleteOMG my parents were so sick of me blasting Live Through This! I loved the grunge look, and wore red lipstick with ripped jeans and baby doll dresses *sigh* Those were the days!
ReplyDeleteI love Courtney, I was lucky enough to see both 'Hole' and 'Nirvana' live (at different times) and 'Hole' were by far, a better band.
ReplyDeleteI think she's an interesting example of the double standards that women suffer, if she were a man, she would be a tortured genius and people would be queuing up to shake her hand. Instead, she's derided by the press and portrayed as a loon. If she were a man, it's highly unlikely that people would be suggesting that someone else authored her best work.
Opps got a bit carried away with the feminist drum beating there, sorry. It's just a thought.
I still love listening to Hole, but my fashion taste is a lot more conservative these days. I do gaze lustfully at Doc Martens in shop windows though.
ReplyDeleteI miss my bright orange Docs... sobs!
OMG! I finished high school in 1993, just when Nirvana was peaking. I was grunge through my college years, too. I could not have been more lucky to go through puberty on those years, I mean, ripped jeans, doc martens, plaid shirts and yes, babydoll dresses. And Courtney, oh Courtney. I love Live through this (that cover!) and specially Miss World, which I had in vinyl single!
ReplyDeletei agree with your obsession and share it. Courtney is supreme for 90s fashion. Her and Kat Bjelland both are!
ReplyDeleteI left high school/started uni in 1996 and still prefer to wear my flowery tea dresses with biker boots.
ReplyDeleteI used to buy slips in different colours, load them up with lace and beads and ribbon and wear them as dresses. Ah, happy days. Happy small-chested skinny-assed days.
Yeah! A fellow 97 grad! I love Courtney too and I wish that tiaras and slips and dirty hair were still all the rage. My mom bought me (scandal!) a calvin klein dress my first year of college that was basically a slip and it was FAB. I don't fit in to it now, but I've never given it away. Because you know, one day I'll be as skinny as I was back then!
ReplyDeleteI also graduated then, and was a fan of Hole and Courtney's fashion. I remember that pic of her in the white slip dress; it was like her classy dress-up move except she forgot about foundation garments. Oh to be a rockstar...
ReplyDeleteI also rocked the slips with t shirts or cardigans over them, and always always mary-janes. I had an a-line skirt from Benneton that looked like a slip that I wore until the seams frayed. Classic fashion era! SAd to say that b/c it makes me feel old!
I love hole :-) ... Courtney is my lil guilty pleasure
ReplyDeleteI have a real affinity for Courtney and grunge, but I have to say I absolutely loved it when she started wearing couture. There was an absolutely fabulous blue slashed/ribbon dress, which I think was Dior, that I still love. Unfortunately, cannot find a picture on google.
ReplyDelete