My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.
- Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair
- Janet Weiss Accessories
- Janet Weiss Lingerie (THIS POST)
- Janet Weiss's Pink Dress
- My Janet Weiss Dress
Janet is wearing a traditional 3 piece set of lingerie: a bra, a panty, and a slip. Click pic for bigger.
BRA
I have seen a lot of people perform Janet a lot of times. 99% of Janets will not have the petite frame and exact breast size of Susan Sarandon. Bras have changed a lot over the decades (now, stretch fabric is king). I do not recommend trying to find an exact match of Janet's bra. If you find it, it won't fit. Like shoes, wearing an ill fitting bra on stage is just a bad idea all around. Janet is wearing an ill fitting bra (the band size is too large so the band rides up at the back).
Janet's underwire bra is in a cotton-like fabric that has no shine. It has a flat trim on the cups but the cups are solid and not lacy. The back panel edges have elastic zig-zagged on. The top edge of the back piece curves up to meet the straps. The bra clasps at the center back. The straps are shiny with a straight edge that is dotted. There is a three-dimensional rosette between the cups.
If you are a woman and A to D you might have some luck finding such a bra at places like Kmart, Target, and Walmart. Demi or pushup styling are appropriate. A smooth-cup tshirt bra can be modified by adding the cup trim (common at sewing store).
For everyone with larger breasts start with bras that are white and fit properly. Minimizer and full coverage bras will not look right as cleavage is essential. Such women may prefer higher quality bras because I sure do in which case just make sure it's white and has cleavage.
For men, get an old white bra at the thrift store that fits around the chest and is non lacy. Take out the underwire if you like.
UNDERPANTS
Janet's panties are a white brief style that sits below the waist ("hipster"). The leg is a low brief "conservative" leg. The panties have side seams and there is lace detailing on the front (in V shapes) that end at the side seams.
The most important thing for Janet's underwear is that you can wear it without your bits being visible or falling out. Larger women may prefer a full brief or a french bikini. Consider getting the matching panty to your bra, or get a plain opaque panty you can modify with the same lace as your slip. For stage work definitely wear a second pair of underpants underneath (or underneath pantyhose). This goes for women and men. The under pair should be light colored and have a smaller "footprint" than your Janet panties. On stage men should wear a dance belt but a fitted thong or bikini brief in a smooth fabric might be fine. Mens thongs are commonly available, get one that is seamless in the front. Women usually wear a smooth flesh colored thong under pantyhose for stage work.
Janet does not reveal her private landscaping. Make an effort to do the same.
SLIP
Janet is wearing a white half slip. The fabric may be a cotton voile as it has no sheen, and it wrinkles. It is a couple of inches shorter than her dress hem length and falls from the natural waist. The slip has an elastic waist. There is a slit of about 6 inches that is located 1/4 away across the front panel. The lower edge and slit of the slip is finished in a scalloped lace that appears to match her underpants.
You can make a slip yourself using your seat measurement, two rectangles of fabric with extra allowance for the elastic casing at top, normal seam allowances on the sides, and a narrow hem. Half slip tutorials are commonly available.
The slit adds some difficulty but I intend to make a slit using some instructions I have from continuously bound cuff slits and I'll let you know how it goes.
You could by a modern slip from Target etc but they are a nasty shiny nylon, and have a rounded vent.
That's it for today! Stay tuned for details on Janet Weiss' pink dress.
