Of all the things to go in and out of style, bust lines certainly rank among the silliest. Recently I’ve noticed some throwback silhouettes in couture fashion, and I can’t help but think that this is a trend I can get behind. Literally.

During the mid 20th century, knits came into fashion, and more women began to pay attention to how their bodies would appear undearneath of the new fashions. Men enjoyed oogling the way sweaters draped on a woman’s body, which created the advent of “the sweater girl.” Popular sweater girls included movie actresses such as Lana Turner and Jayne Mansfield, while models like Betty Brosmer actually received the titles as “Miss Sweater Girl.”

I decided that it’s about time I work on my own sweater girl sillouette. It’s fun, it’s different, and hey, who knows? Maybe it would be a good conversation starter! During my quest for a wearable bullet bra, I found lots of great deadstock items on Etsy and Ebay, but concerned with achieving an accurate fit, I decided to delve deeper and look for modern bullet bras.

Here are the three options I found at What Katie Did’s Amazon store (1 2 3). Now I’m just waiting for my order to arrive in the mail! What about you? Would you ever wear a bullet bra?

We tease it, we pull it, we dye it, we cut it. Experimenting with hair styles is one of the greatest parts of being a lady- when you’re in the right mood and your hair is behaving, that is! Usually I just let my hair go free, fixing my bangs and calling it a day. But lately I’ve been really inspired to kick it up a notch and do a little more than just blow dry and go.

I’ve had a few reader questions as to how to style a beehive up-do, and most recently, how to achieve the ’60s inspired braided up-do I featured yesterday. Rather than creating redundant tutorials featuring my own mug, I figured I would kindly point you in the direction of some pretty fantastic hair tutorials from other fine blogging ladies.

1. Keiko Lynn’s Braided Do
I’ve done the beehive up-do. I’ve done the maiden braids. But combining the two? Not only is it a perfectly lovely style, but also a great way to ground a scarf on my head. I don’t know about you, but when I wear hard scarves, I often feel as though they might slip from my head at any moment. I’ve found braided dos are the perfect trick for securing scarves! Also, be sure to check out Kara Haupt rocking her own version of this very same style.

2. Elsie Larsen’s Summertime Twist
Here’s a style I have yet to try, but it looks so easy and pretty! This style is great with flowers or other hair accessories tucked inside, and I think it might also serve as a great style to host a small vintage hat. Next time I’m about to pull my hair out on a bad day, I’ll just twist it up like this, and who knows? Maybe when I take down the twists, my hair will actually have a nice curl to it?

3. Veronika’s Anna Karina Inspired Beehive
The beehive is my favorite go-to style when headed out in a fancy dress. The trick with this style is a lot of teasing, and if it weren’t for the resulting tangles, this is a hair-do I would sport a lot more often. Isn’t the bow on top so pretty?

4. Casey’s Charming 40’s Braids
I really love the style of the 1940s, but so many hair-dos from this era are either too complicated or too costumey for me to try on an average day. This pulled back and braided look Casey created is straight out of the ’40s, but has the ease and simplicity of a modern style. I’ll be trying this one soon!

I can remember lining up along the wall of mirrors in my fourth grade ballet class, trying to concentrate on my pli?s, while worrying about the fact that my thighs were curvier than the girls down the bar from me. In sixth grade, I was the only girl in my class who would rather wear a tight sportsbra than an underwire, though I was also the only girl who actually had enough goodies to put into an underwire bra. I’ve never been unusually large,  and nobody has ever intimated that I should lose a little weight, but nevertheless I’ve spent the majority of my life accutely aware of my curves, and trying to fight them.

I’ve learned a lot about selecting properly styled and structured clothing for my body-type, but it wasn’t until about two years ago, when reading about shapewear in an issue of Glamour magazine, that I actually thought about the merits of donning what I had considered to be antiquated undies. I mean, who wears girdles these days, right?

Well, here I am today actually preparing to preach to you the values of investing in some high quality shapewear. While I only wear full-torso shapewear about once or twice a week, I now can’t imagine not having them available in case of a fashion emergency. I’ve discovered I don’t need to worry so much about buttons on a dress gapping in the front, awkward lines signifying back chub around my bra-line, pesky muffin-top around the tops of my trousers, or even what to wear under that sheer blouse.

In the interest of helping sistas out, I’d like to share with you my top three shapewear items and how they’ve helped me come to peace with my curves as well as how they act as negotiator between my body and my clothing.

#1: Bali’s No Lines No Slip Panties
I suppose panties might not be considered shapewear, but I spent far too long holding onto my low-rise briefs and thin thongs trying to make them work with my increasingly high-waisted wardrobe. They just don’t. Proper panties help make your slacks, shorts, or fitted skirts look much nicer over your body. This particular pair is virtually invisible underneath my clothing, and doesn’t cling to my clothing’s fabric. I don’t have to worry about any extra chub creeping over the top elastic band, and I’ve never had them ride up, causing awkward lines to appear on my clothes.

#2: Flexee’s Sew Free Body Briefer
This was the first piece of shapewear I bought. Initially this item was meant to wear underneath my vintage dresses that were a little constricting in the front. I was uncomfortable with the creases that happened around my midsection, particularly under my bra. This smoothed out my torso, and even appeared to elongate my waist underneath the dresses. Now I even wear this underneath some shorts and trousers to soften the transition area between a fitted top and my bottoms.

#3 Flexee’s Wear Your Own Bra Firm Control Singlet
This one is the most recent shapewear addition to my arsenal. It works well with trousers that need shapewear, without causing a panty-line appearance. If I can’t wear #2 for that reason, this one is great for smoothing out my torso, hips, and also my bum. Even though I’m wearing extra clothing, I am often more comfortable wearing something like this underneath dresses in warmer months, because it prevents chaffing. You know what I’m talkin’ about.

You can find these items at most department stores, but I purchased mine at Kohl’s for a combined discount. (#1, #2, #3) Having curves is a wonderul, feminine thing, and shouldn’t be cause for shame. But if you also struggle with mediating the fight between your clothing and your body, shapewear can be a life changer.