Dear Susan,

Love your site, and the great descriptions of petticoating adventures.  I am a vintage guy almost eighty years old, and thought my experiences as a youth might be of interest to the readers.

I grew up with twin sisters almost four years older than myself.  We all went to a parochial school.  On entering seventh grade, that is at about age twelve, the boys had to wear ties and jackets to class, while the girls were required to wear sheer stockings with their blue and white uniforms; or alternatively the girls were allowed to wear bobby socks.  For the girls, this was a real rite of passage.  I well remember my mother taking my sisters shopping for their first OBG girdles, garterbelts and sheer stockings, and how my sisters joyfully modeled their new acquisitions, completely ignoring their little eight year old brother who was watching intently.

My sisters usually came to breakfast with their stockings rolled into their bobby socks, then pulled them up and fastened the four garters just before going out the door for school.  My mother carefully supervised the process to make sure that the seams were straight, and there were no wrinkles or sags in the stockings. Many times my sisters had to fasten, adjust and refasten their garters before receiving Mother's approval.  Again, this intent observer was totally ignored.  But my main memory is of how jealous I was of the wonderful stockings and underwear my sisters were wearing.

This jealousy was reinforced by my mother's bridge club, a group of eight ladies who met twice a month, and so about three times a year at our house.  They were always dressed to the nines: heels, stockings and lovely dresses.  In those days, there was no air conditioning.  In hot weather, while sitting at the bridge tables, and in order to keep cool, the women would raise their skirts to display stocking tops, garter straps and bare thigh.  Again, I was never noticed.  Indeed, younger people would be surprised at the almost casual display of stocking tops in home situations of those days.

The result of all this was an intense desire to try on women's underwear and stockings myself.  But how?  From age eight, I regularly searched our trash bin for discarded stockings and underwear, particularly when my mother or sisters found a run in their stockings.  From time to time, I found discarded stockings and panties, always run or tattered, and hid them in my room down the hot air register.  When privacy was assured, I would try them on.  I just loved rolling the stockings up my legs as my sisters did each morning.  Even at that age, the feeling of the filmy fabric gliding on the leg excited real stirrings. The stockings were very long for me and to this day, I love very long stockings.  But I had no garters.  So I would try to hold up the stockings with rubberbands or string tied around my legs; it didn't work too well.  Finally, one day, I found a badly tattered garterbelt in the trash.  I was in seventh heaven and trembling as I  put it around my waist, fastened the back hooks and rotated the belt around me.  I pulled on a pair of tattered flared panties over it.  Then, I donned a pair of laddered stockings, and, for the first time in my life, fastened my garters to the stockings.  No woman would be caught dead in such an outfit, but I was in heaven.

But what of petticoating?  In those days at junior high school, high school girls used to have slumber parties where a group of girls slept over at a friend's house on a rotating basis, usually on a weekend.  On one occasion when I was nine, the party was at our house.  My parents were away and my sisters, in addition to hosting the party, were babysitting me.  I think about a dozen girls were there.  It turned out that this particular slumber party was also a panty party.  When my sisters had put me safely (they thought) to bed, all the girls removed dresses and slips or petticoats, and pranced around in panties, stockings and bras.  I had snuck out of my bedroom in my pajamas and was watching the whole proceeding.  The sight of a dozen young ladies cavorting around this way was awsome, and really stirred my juices.  They were modelling for each other, and even trying on each others' clothing.

But I coughed!  One sister demanded that I come down immediately.  I had no choice but to obey.  To my relief, all the girls, including my sisters, were amused rather than angry.  They all crowded around me in their frillies; what a wonderful experience.  Then one girl suggested that I should dress up as a girl, and all others approved enthusiastically.  I felt chilled and excited at the same time.  One of my sisters went upstairs and got a garter belt, stockings, panties and bra.  I was incredibly embarrassed as they had me remove my pajamas, fastened the garterbelt around me and pulled a pair of flared panties over the garterbelt.  They put a bra on me and stuffed it with paper.  Then, one girl had me sit down and put on her frilly petticoat, and then put on the stockings.  They supervised carefully as I pulled up the stockings and fastened the four garters.  My excitement was indescribable.  They then had me prance around in my outfit, modeling it from all angles, and raising the petticoat to display stocking tops and garters for all to see.  I was applauded.

Thereafter, until my sisters went away to college, I always joined the slumber party when it was at our house and my parents were away.  On several occasions, I went to the parties at other houses, and was always dressed in stockings and petticoats by the girls.  My sisters realized that I really enjoyed it  I no longer had to retrieve tattered lingerie from the trash.  My sisters would let me wear theirs, and even bought some especially for me.  Often, when our parents were away, we would all get dressed and prance around the house; it was our big secret.

Alas, as I entered high school, my sisters went off to college.  But by that time,  I had accumulated a nice lingerie wardrobe.  I still have one, and use it regularly. I never took this as discipline; it was always fun.  My sisters were wonderful.  They're both gone now, but we joked about it all their lives.
Thanks again for your site,

Babs

Your sisters were exemplary in being so kind and understanding, and they must have added so much pleasure to your years of growing up. Probably most girls would have told the parents, which might have been disastrous. Parents rarely understand the yearning to wear pretty undies and nightdresses. Sadly, girls no longer wear garter belts and stockings  - the slight tug of the suspenders was quite a nice feeling, but tights or panty hose are much more practical.

Thank you for writing such a beautiful and interesting recollection of pre-war petticoating.
Susan