Tuesday, September 16, 2008

It Slipped My Mind: The Decline of The Slip

Todd Lynn Spring 2009 Runway

Slips were once considered a necessary undergarment, much like a bra or a pair of panties. At lunch today, a co-worker retold a shocking story about a teenager who came to school dressed in nothing other than a lacy slip (she claimed it was a "dress"). Someone coolly remarked, "She probably doesn't even know what a slip is." Another demanded, "Does anybody even wear a slip anymore?"

Oddly enough, I was wearing a slip under my Zac Posen cut-out skirt (it would be quite scandalous without one). It was not a slip I purchased separately, but one that came with my Prada lace skirt--one of the only "designer" pieces I own that came with a separate, detached slip. Other than a few sheer dresses, clothing today usually comes unlined and unslipped (to make up a word). Designers also have no problem sending a model down a runway with transparent clothing, a small detail that is excusable so long as a beautiful woman's assets are revealed.

The au courant thing is to wear Spanx, leggings, or opaque tights under a see-through or snug dress, but I prefer a standard nude silk slip under looser garments as a less restricting option. And while slips may seem old-fashioned and cumbersome to some, I enjoy the smoothness a silk slip provides as I sashay down the halls. At the very least, it removes the itchy chafing that comes from the absence of lining.

3 comments:

Miss Cavendish said...

While I never wear a slip in summer, I think that one is only appropriate for the classroom, where the professor's body is on display, whether she likes it or not. I do like the idea of designers making specific slips to accompany their garments . . .

Farrell and Lauren said...

I needed a slip for a very lightweight dress this summer and it was almost impossible to find one in the city. I ended up having to buy one in the suburbs which, incidentally, is where I wore the slip.

WendyB said...

I have a dress and a skirt that need slips, and I'm putting off getting the slips because I have such unpleasant memories of childhood slip experiences!