This Project Rungay post about the new* Sex and the City* movie made me wonder about this topic. There are some minor spoilers for the new movie here, so if you care about that, don’t read it. Scroll down to where Carrie/SJP is wearing a white, translucent dress. You can see through the skirt, especially when it’s pressed up against her, highlighting maybe a little too much tootie, as the PRG boys like to put it.
Several of the commenters mentioned that the dress needed a slip to prevent seeing through the skirt on an otherwise lovely little Halston dress. However, whenever the subject of a slip was mentioned, it was in the context of, “I know this is old fashioned/archaic/passe, but she really needs a slip with that dress.”
Is it totally out now to wear a slip? I wear a half slip sometimes if the skirt is really thin and/or has a tendency to stick between my legs. I had no idea it was considered so old ladyish.
What say you? Is the slip out now, or are people still wearing them when needed?
I wouldn’t be comfortable in a skirt without one - unless it’s suit skirt and already lined. even then I prefer to wear it as it makes moving around easier.
But then, I’m an old lady.
ETA: The ad at the bottom of the page is headlined “MD crossdressers” does that mean slips are for drag queens now?
Half slip with skirts or dresses that are transparent or have a tendency to stick to my legs. It’s not old-lady, it’s common sense. If you go around in a see-through skirt and everybody can see your business, you look like a tramp, or like you don’t know how to dress yourself properly.
No, a slip sticks to the dress and makes it static-y and clingy and bunch up all funny and hang wrong (especially in the winter). If I tried on a dress and found out it was THAT sheer I’d assume it was a cheap piece of crap and not buy it. (Regardless of price.) Plus wearing a slip with a summer dress defeats the whole purpose of wearing something light and cool - now you’re wearing two layers of fabric and you’re hot all over again!
Not in this life. If I had a sheer dress, yes; but I don’t see a little lace number in my immediate future. Camisoles work fine for sheer tops–but I tend not to buy any item of clothing that needs another item to work. In Texas, we rarely need extra layers. Especially stuff that can’t be removed easily if it gets hot.
And I don’t wear much heavy wool. It just doesn’t work down here. Layers! I do have silk long underwear for the extremely rare truly cold days down here–or trips to the Frozen North. Great for taking mass transit into work–then, into the ladies’ room to prepare for a day in the warm office. Just a slip would not be enough for that job.
In my high school years, I wore a bra, panties, a panty girdle & stockings. Plus a slip or–perhaps–a half slip. In Texas!
So I go with what’s needed to be decent & comfortable.
I don’t have any sheer dresses or skirts, but I like to wear one because it’s so freakin’ cold in this office from the air conditioning. The slip provides a little extra insulation.
Semi-hijack: And what about hosiery? Are pantyhose now considered old lady-wear?
Sure I’ve worn slips. As skirts and nighties. Any dresses I have that are sheer would look just as odd with a layer of fabric underneath that wasn’t part of the original design. I just wear them with a smile and stay out of direct sunlight.
I was going to say that when I googled for “slip dress” and “half slip,” I came up with a lot of options that looked like they could be stand alone garments. (Maybe the same way tank tops/camisoles/t-shirts were once underwear but today are outerwear.)
voguevixen, you said it! When I want to wear a light summery dress, I want to feel cool, not layered.
As for pantyhose, I’ve worn it on occasion. If it’s really cold out, I often wear leggings and then knee length boots with a skirt/dress. It’s way more comfy.
I don’t think I’ve worn a slip since my first communion. I wear dresses all the time, but I generally avoid solid white or pastels, so sheerness isn’t so much an issue. I probably wouldn’t buy anything so sheer that I felt required a slip, it’s just way too much of a pain in the ass for me. After all, half the beauty of a dress is that it’s one piece, pull it over you’re head and you’re done.
Certainly, I wear a half-slip with any skirt or dress that isn’t lined. Even if it’s not particularly sheer or light, walking in front of a sunny glass door will not leave much to the imagination. I never notice that it’s there. In a professional setting I’d consider a slip to be pretty standard.
It’s become quite popular with hip sewists to sew your own lingerie, esp. slips in fun colors and fabrics. Like so. I’ve seen kelly-green recently, meant to go under a black skirt.
I think in the 11 years I’ve been married and the 20+ years I’ve known my wife, she has worn a slip maybe twice. I’m not even sure she owns one at this point. She spends a good part of the summer in light skirts and dresses, but I guess none so sheer that you can see her coochie. However, I do find the look of a slip sexy, as long as there’s nothing on over it. Like, a woman walking around the house before getting dressed to go out- if she’s in a slip, it’s sort of a turn-on. But then when she actually gets dressed, it should come off (in the fantasy).
