Profile

This small shop in the Showplace Antique Center touts delicate, well-preserved lingerie from the early 1900s. First-name-only owner Illisa has been collecting for over twenty years and has provided costume pieces for several Broadway shows, like Cabaret and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Silk stockings, corsets, bras, and garters are stacked on shelves, and a massive assortment of handmade nightgowns and slips hang from long racks. Illisa dry-cleans and presses each item herself to restore it to its original condition; other less-dated slips are hand-painted or dyed by local artists. She scouts stock from across the country, including costume jewelry, clutches, and scarves. Though the prices of many of the styles reflect their rarity—most starting at $150—one standout piece is the shop’s sign: a size 52 pink corset from the forties with “Illisa’s Vintage Lingerie” embroidered onto the front. — Kathryn H. Cusimano