Table of Contents

Introduction

The
Girdle
Encyclopedia

Women's
Voices

Mens'
Dreams

Relationships

Cultural Foundations

The
Gallery

Girdle
Resources
on the Net

The
Girdle
Drawer

Site
Index

Contact
Information

Powernet on the Internet

Shoppers' Guide

Readers frequently e-mail me with questions on where to purchase girdles. I always direct them to this listing of girdle retailers. These are merchants that I have dealt with personally, or who have been recommended to me by readers. I present this list as a public service; I have no connection with any of these merchants.

-Virginian

• The charming and vivacious Lyn Locke offers a variety of vintage items at Lyn Locke Lingerie. If you're looking for a shop where the proprietress even models the garments, this is the place! A Virginian favorite.

• Remember, "Behind every Olga there really is an Olga?" Well, it appears that there really is a Katie behind the charming What Katie Did page. The site specializes in "the sexiest British hosiery available," but also offers selected girdles and gloves, and presents a good bit of interesting news and background information, too. Well worth a visit. A Virginian favorite.

• An interesting new page of collectible foundations, run by a very good friend: BuyGirdles.Com. (The name doesn't leave much doubt where the proprietor's interests lie, does it?) A Virginian favorite.

• Girdle Bound is an example of the ability of the Web to accommodate the novel and unconventional. An obvious labor of love, this page not only offers a line of girdles for sale, but also provides galleries of cheesecake photos ranging from mildly risque to explicit. If the idea of buying from a fellow fetishist appeals to you, I'd give this place a serious look.

• Many readers highly recommend the Sally Ann Corset Shop, a Chicago store that advertises itself as "trans-gender and cross-dresser friendly."

• Sleek 'N' Chic offers an extensive assortment of vintage control wear. The site looks quite intriguing, and I'd be interested to hear a report from anyone who has dealt with them.

• Fantasies In Lace is a well-known, long-established firm specializing in the needs of cross-dressing men.

• Check out the outstanding selection at Orchard Corset Center. Reasonable prices, and a charming gentleman who answers the phone and doesn't bat an eye at a man placing an order.

• Jennifer Mirya Collections claims "We have every control garment for all occasions from light to firm control." Their web page is most impressive, and I'd be glad to hear from anyone who's done business with them.

• You say you want really firm girdles? Try shopping at Morris Designs. They specialize in surgical garments, but they do sell to the general public. Prices are considerable, but their catalogue is amazing.

• Did someone say Bullet Bras? This company specializes in them. Nice folks and absolutely fanatic about their product... in the best possible way.

• The Vintage Slips site displays a charming assortment of... what else?... vintage slips, as well as collectible panties, bras, nightwear, and control garments. Highly worth visiting for the serious collector.

• Another very nice vintage lingerie site is... Vintage Lingerie. Girdles, slips, hosiery, and more, very attractively presented.

• Another British site: Double-D.Com offers "quality lingerie for curvaceous women." Their web page is one of the most informative I've seen, with a wealth of information about foundation garments and their manufacturers.

• And another old-fashioned neighborhood corset shop hits the Internet: Appealing Lingerie. Good selection of Rago products, among other items.

• Secrets In Lace carries an extensive girdle line. Their web site is a visual delight, with gorgeous images illustrating each garment.

• Formerly known as "Caressable," Vicki's Nylons offers not only full-fashioned stockings, but also an assortment of retro lingerie including the ever-popular "bullet bra."

• One Hanes Place is nearly always worth a look. (Their paper catalogues are just gorgeous!)

• Underworks features an extensive line of shapewear for both men and women.

• BraSmyth carries a basic assortment of modern control wear, including styles from Nancy Ganz.

• Lingerie Direct has an extensive assortment of girdles and control garments.

• If I hadn't visited Sweden's Froja site, I would never have learned that the Swedish word for "girdle" is gördel. Now if I could only get close enough to Ann-Margret to see if she's wearing one...

• A virtual trip down Memory Lane... the venerable Marks and Spencer now sells girdle on-line.

• Speaking of Memory Lane, Woods of Morecambe has a fascinating page devoted to traditional corsetry, including some very firm girdles from Twilfit and other classic brands.

• Her Room has shaping garments from Rago, Va Bien, and others. They also have an FAQ which contains the dubious statement: "Girdles are out and have been replaced by shapewear." Ummm... okay. Right.

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Lingerie Manufacturers

• During the Seventies and Eighties, Rago Shapewear held a special place as one of the few American companies that still produced a full line of firm-control shapewear. Now that girdles are returning to popularity, Rago still stands out for the quality of their garments. A Virginian favorite.

• Many knowledgeable observers agree that the Canadian company Grenier produces some of the finest girdles available today.

• Once a Virginian Favorite, the Bali Company has slimmed down its web presence, dropping their fascinating corporate page, which once provided a history of the company. Their product page is still worth a look.

• "You can overcome any hurdle in a Custom Maid girdle." It says so right on their Web page! A great company, dedicated to keeping alive some of the classic firm-control designs.

• Chantelle Lingerie is another superb manufacturer's page. Their site seems to be aimed at lingerie retailers, so there's plenty of "inside information."

• The important German company, Triumph, offers a sophisticated web page.

• At the other end of the corporate size spectrum from Triumph is Magnolia Hosiery, which appears to be a small family firm dedicated to the production of old-fashioned stockings. Nylon fans should definitely check this one out.

• Another destination for stocking enthusiasts is Caroline B.

• The Italian manufacturer Nuova Clara presents a variety of control garments.

• The Brazilian firm Del Rio has cutting-edge graphic design, gorgeous images, and a great deal of information on choosing the proper underfashions. (Though their section on the history of underwear is simplistic and misleading.) Their site seemed to be under renovation in late 2002.

• Lyssette is a Mexican company with a fascinating page, filled with lush imagery.

• The British firm Beeva specializes in "lingerie for the fuller figure." Their web page features an amazing array of voluptuous models in formidable control wear- don't miss it!

• Sigh... not a girdle to be seen on the Vassarette page. How the mighty have fallen!

• And another included mostly for old times' sake, though at least you will find some shapewear on the Maidenform page.

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Places To Visit

The advent of the World Wide Web has facilitated an explosion of creativity and imagination. It is now possible for anyone with a home computer and a Net connection to reach the same global audience as the corporate communications giants. In just a few years, web pages have sprung up on virtually every topic imaginable.

For years, I dreamed of publishing a magazine devoted to the topic of girdles. I assumed it was just an idle fantasy, of course; no publisher would be interested in such an out-of-the-way topic. Then, along came the Web, and suddenly I realized I could fulfill that dream by means of the new medium.

Across the Web, similar dreamers are putting up new pages every day. This listing provides a sampling of sites reflecting the diversity of thought concerning the topic of foundationwear and lingerie.

An Important Note

The pages listed here represent a wide cross-section of approaches, styles, and viewpoints. They will not all be to your taste; some entries may even seem offensive to more conservative readers. Heaven knows, there are some listed here that are not exactly my cup of tea.

But if you are open-minded, you may well learn something new from one of these sites, or have a laugh, or find your pulse beating just a bit faster. If you land upon a site with content that makes you uncomfortable, use your "Back" button. That's what it's there for.

Go ahead. Explore.

And then don't forget to return to Zona.

-Virginian

• I'm frequently asked if there's a place in cyberspace where one can get to know other male and female girdle enthusiasts. For a long time, that place was The Girdles and More discussion forum. Sadly, that site is scheduled to close at the end of April, 2008.

  Two alternative discussion venues, recently established, are:

The Zona Forum, right here on this site.

The New Girdles and More Forum on Flickr. This site is not officially affiliated with the old Girdles and More site, but the organizer is a fine person and hopes to carry on the tradition. It requires signing up with Flickr (free) for site entry.

• One of the earliest, and still one of the best, lingerie pages on the Web is Sylvia Marie Aster's Bandeau Boudoir. Brassiere enthusiasts will especially love this site, but all lingerie lovers will delight at its presentation of an item that is surprisingly often taken for granted. A Virginian favorite.

• For some absolutely gorgeous photos, don't miss The Girdle Oasis. A Virginian Favorite.

• How's your German? The Mieder Revue is scholarly and sophisticated. Even if your German is not so hot, the collection of images is. A Virginian Favorite.

• Dave's Place is an outstanding girdle page, covering the topic from a British perspective. A Virginian favorite.

• How can you not love a site called "Mummy! Have You Seen My Girdle?" Whimsical and witty, and filled with anecdotes and images. A Virginian favorite.

• Ivy Leaf's Tribute to the Corsetiere is a superb work, devoted to the custom Spencer and Spirella corsets and the women who fitted and sold them. A Virginian Favorite.

• An extensive and opinionated overview of underfashion history from my old friend Bunyip Bluegum: The Art of Corsetry. A Virginian Favorite.

• Charming and informative: Corseterie Boutique.

• The first Russian girdle page, Girdlewolf, features samples from an extensive collection of European catalogue illustrations, acquired at a time when the Soviet government made such images nearly impossible to find. Don't worry if your Russian is not the best-- just take a moment and contemplate this proof of the girdle's universal appeal.

• Robin Whittle's controversial views on gender relations will definitely raise a few hackles, as well as a paddle or two, but I think all can agree that his corsetry page is well-executed and informative.

• The delightful Tight Skirts Page answers Virginian's question, "What was it like for guys who came of age twenty years after I did?" Plus ca change, plus la meme chose...

• The name says it all: Guys in Girdles, "A place for men who wear girdles." Finally- the first really comprehensive treatment of the topic.

• For a change of pace, visit Mystery Date- One Gal's Guide to Good Stuff- a hilarious retrospective on growing up female in 1960's America.

• And now for something completely different... a good friend of mine has placed his collection of tasteful lingerie photos in a web treasury at mistand1 and mistand2. Just pictures, nothing else, but definitely a nice collection.

• To browse through several German apparel catalogues of the 1960s, visit the Old German Catalogues page.

• A good collection of American catalogue pages of the 1960s at Catalogue Image Scans.

• Interested in brassiere pictures? Try The New Bra Page.

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Corsets

The Web seems to have a plethora of corset pages. Here are a handful of Virginian favorites:

• The Long Island Staylace Association web site just keeps getting better and better. If you are fascinated by corsets, this page should be your first stop.

• The Victoriana Corset Page has a wealth of material for hours of enjoyable exploration.

• Absinthe And Old Lace has an intriguing and informative web page. They seem to be aiming to be a corsetiere to the younger set.

• Honors for "Coolest Name" definitely go to the British firm, Button, Boot, and Spatterdash. Many readers have recommended their products, too.

• Another interesting New Wave corsetiere is Delicious Corsets. Their artistically superb web page opens a fascinating window into a world of tattoos, body modification, Goth fashions, and more. Not my thing, but still well worth a visit.

• The corset manufacturer Axford's has a marvelous web site.

• J.C. Creations, in Amsterdam, has corsets for sale, along with some very interesting pictures of women wearing them.

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Erotica

If there's anyone left who still thinks, "Men don't find girdles sexy," the profusion of girdle-focused erotic sites on the web will prove how wrong they are. Here are a few among the many:

• A classic example of the web's ability to accommodate the unique is the Lingerie Lovers and Panty Art web site. On first glance, it seems to be a straightforward purveyor of explicit erotica, with quite a stock of X-rated videos featuring girdled women. A more thorough examination reveals a marvelous discussion forum, where readers can submit queries about panty fetishism to a clinical psychologist who shares their fascination. Though I'm not really a fan of the overall genre, this site still earns my respect. An off-the-beaten track Virginian favorite.

• The Web has provided a new venue for exhibitionistic folks with a creative bent. I've received announcements of several new sites from a number of ladies who enjoy showing their charms to others, or men who enjoy sharing images of their ladies. These are not generally my cup of tea, but one stands out well above the pack: Hidden Views. Here is a couple who seem to be sharing their little kink with a great deal of mutual pleasure. In addition to providing numerous pictures of a girdled, but faceless, lady, the proprietor has written some thoughtful reflections on the pleasures of looking and showing. (He also says some nice things about Zona, which don't hurt this writer's feelings at all.). Update, 7/2007: site has been converted to a Yahoo group, but is still very much a Virginian favorite.

• I should have posted this link years ago: Sheerio has some of the best erotic photgraphy for girdle fanciers available, bar none. A Virginian favorite, for sure.

• The Village Ladies site is an absolute delight. If you've ever wanted to get a look at the members of the local Garden Society without their clothes, now's your chance.

• Lady Suspender has an extensive site. They describe their main stock in trade as "erotic videos for the ladies underwear and hosiery enthusiast." There's something for all tastes: models range from slender twenty-somethings to full-figured ladies of... as the French say... "a certain age." Recently, they expanded into selling vintage girdles and hosiery, as well. The folks who run the site seem very friendly, and are obviously sincerely interested in the subject matter.

• One of the more charming things about the Net is the way it brings together gentlemen who like to look at ladies, with ladies who enjoy showing off. An attractive, mature lady who goes by the name of Primm Heels is one of the most recent additions to the latter category. Her pay site contains numerous galleries showing her posing in foundationwear.

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Even More Links

• One of the most exhaustive collection of lingerie links I've ever seen is at lincheri.

• You could spend the rest of the year- maybe your life- exploring the links posted at www.costumes.org. Information on everything, and we mean everything, related to costume and fashion.

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Broken Links

Web pages come and web pages go, but here are some that really are missed.

• For quite some time Sylvia Marie Aster had a companion page to the Bandeau Boudoir titled Sylvia Aster's Place. The site combined thoughtful reflection on gender identity issues with a stunning image collection devoted to slips. You didn't have to be a slip fancier to marvel at this page, but unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared from the Net. Let's hope Sylvia is okay, and that one of these days she brings this great page back to life.

• For a brief shining moment, Danielle's Closet was unquestionably the most graphically sophisticated lingerie page on the Web. Now, search engines turn up a transgender page with the same name, but it's very different in tone and content. I doubt the sites are related. Where are you, Danielle?

• Hey- what's happened to Rowena's very enjoyable Control Briefs page?

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Please send information on outdated links, as well as suggestions for additional sites, to Virginian.

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