What Katie Did Morticia Corset in The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail has been devoting a lot of space to Marks and Spencers' new comfy corsets (they don't resemble corsets at all but are body shapers which come under category 'corsetry' - I think someone along the line might have got a little confused). Yesterday they did a test to see if corsets really were comfortable to wear and included our Morticia Underbust Corset which they gave 7 out of 10 (beating Spanx, yipee!)


Although corsetry should be comfortable enough to wear all day (our Glamour Corselette proves it), steel boned corsets are a whole different matter and unless you seriously want to train your waist, corsetry is the way to go for daily wear.

Corsetry won't give you the dramatic lines of a steel boned corset but will easily nip an inch or two from the waist and hips. The best way to describe it is that when you look in a mirror you stand up straight with your tummy tucked in: corsetry will keep you like that all day in comfort. At What Katie Did we frequently get visits from brides who think they want a steel boned corset but end up with a Glamour Merry Widow or Cabaret Torsolette which is comfortable enough to wear for 16 hours without any practice.

If you'd like to find out our views on steel boned corsets, what to expect from them and whether they're suitable for you, check out our Corset Guide Here.



What Katie Did Morticia Corset worn with our Cabaret Bullet Bra.

Mosh models What Katie Did vintage lingerie

We were lucky enough to meet LA photographer Mitzi at the Grand National Roadster Show in January. She told us she was working on a shoot with super-pin up Mosh at Elvis Presley's Honeymoon hideaway in Palm Springs. Sounds good doesn't it?! Well, wait till you see the pics! They'll be hitting pin up magazines over the next few months but here's a little preview.



Mosh in our Cabaret Torsolette.



Mosh in our Deco Lingerie



Mosh in our 2012 Bikini.

What Katie Did Lingerie in new Elizabeth Taylor Biopic

It's great to see Lindsay Lohan looking healthy and working on new projects. She's just been cast to play Elizabeth Taylor in a new TV movie 'Liz and Dick'. Lindsay says 'I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well'.

The costume department picked out period perfect lingerie from our Hollywood store a couple of weeks ago which can be seen in the picture below (Maitresse Bullet Bras and Glamour Girdle) - alongside Lindsey who's wearing a red velvet dress inspired by a Valentino number Liz once wore. Lindsay has been given final approval of all costumes so we have to keep our fingers crossed that she likes What Katie Did!

Lingerie fit for Royalty!

I first thought about doing a Union Flag corset last Spring, to celebrate Prince William's and Kate Middleton's wedding. I thought it would be great as part of a window display, combined with lots of Union Flag bunting, but really didn't think people would be interested in buying it. I sketched a basic design and asked our factory to throw something together, explaining that it was only for a window display and that it didn't have ot be perfect. Well, they disagreed and were really excited a the challenge which resulted in the most fabulous (and it turns out, horribly expensive!) corset. We had it in our London boutique window for a couple of weeks and did take a few orders and that, I thought, was that.

When I was in our factory in January I started working on a range of Jubilee lingerie in red, white and blue, and started thinking about the corset again. I thought if we were going to do it, we'd really go for it! This time around we made it in the Extreme Laurie shape which takes 2" more from the waistline than last year's Sophia shape. We also made it in two cup sizes for a perfect fit. Finally, we made a slight change to the flag design, changing the waist panels from blue to red which helps enhance the female form. The resulting corset really has had a great response, surprisingly those outside the UK are most enthusastic!

The picture below, featuring Miss Miranda, was shot by Steve Hart in his Slough (UK) studio at the end of a very long day - not that you'd be able to tell!

Karl Lagerfield shoots Kirsten Dunst in a What Katie Did Bullet Bra

Bit of a bombshell this one! When the office of Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfield called about 18 months ago requesting our Jane Cheetah Print Bullet Bra for a new project we were in a bit of a quandry. The bra had been discontinued several months before and we'd already been a bit naughty lending archive samples to Vogue Paris when it was no longer availble (they begged!) You can't really say no to Karl and Carine so we sent it off and never expected to hear anything else.

It turns our the bra was worn by Kirsten Dunst for 'The Little Black Jacket' a book celebrating Chanel's famous black jacket. The book features 100 celebrities, actors, artists, singers and rock stars all wearing a Chanel black jacket in their own style.

The book can be pre-ordered from Amazon and you can see a preview of 20 images here.

As mentioned above, this bra is no longer available, but we have recently introduced a brand new semi sheer cheetah print bullet bra which we think is even sexier!

What Katie Did's Cabaret Torsolette in Lone Wolf Magazine

What Katie Did's Cabaret Torsolette makes it's first appearance in Lone Wolf magazine in a shoot styled by Thea Lewis. Our Cabaret Torsolette is a piece of light control shapewear made from sheer organza and powermesh. Like with all our shapewear, it incorporates spiral steel boning. This piece was inspired by a vintage torsolette a customer brought in to our London boutique and contains the same vintage features including a vintage stitch detail on the front and cathedral boning on the cups. Available in peach or black.

Miss Polly Rae's Burlesque Tips - Day 3: Your first show

You've rehearsed your act and your costume is all sparkly, but the preparation doesn't stop there. The show's promoter should email you a form to fill in with all the nitty gritty details - if they don't you'll have to email one over yourself - and bring a copy on the evening. You need to include everything the promoter needs to know including how you'd like the Compare to introduce you, where you start your performance (stage left, right or already on stage) and where pieces of your costume are going to be thrown (tip: always behind you, never into the audience!) so they can ensure it's returned to you complete. Polly advises bringing two CDs of music - and remember to put your name on both of them!




Once you've got a few newbie shows under your belt film footage of your performance is vital so you can get bookings at more prestigious shows. Polly insists that the footage doesn't have to break the bank and although it's much preferable to have film on a live stage with an audience it's not make or break. Polly reckons she can tell within 10 seconds whether an act is going to be good or not whatever the film quality is like. No good promoter will book an act without footage so it's time to rope in a friend with a camera.