Home Lingerie & Sleepwear Uncovering the Evolution of Lingerie: A Look Through the History of Undergarments

Uncovering the Evolution of Lingerie: A Look Through the History of Undergarments

by Essenza
Uncovering the Evolution of Lingerie A Look Through the History of Undergarments essenza

Lingerie History

The word lingerie commonly, the used term for women undergarments has been taken directly from the French word, whichis simply used for the classification and aspects of women’s underwear. What does it cover &use for?  What does it reveal?

Nostalgic, vintage classic, edgier or trendy? All these basics and more come into play when trying to understand the intention behind a woman’s sexy lingerie.

Lingerie often consists of a feather, elastic, smooth, sheer, or decorated fabrics such as silk, satin, lycra, charmeuse, chiffon, or especially traditionally lace. It can be made from colorful natural fibers such as cotton, or colorful synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon.

It is mainly women’s clothing orders, including underwear, mainly bras, and sleepwear. The term is chosen to show that the garment is attractive, fashionable, or both. It is erotic and remains an object of enduring seduction. Lingerie design enhances attractiveness by strategically revealing, concealing, and emphasizing the form of wear.

The history of lingerie goes long back. The concept of lingerie as a part of sexy-looking at undergarment was developed in the late 19th century. Lady Duff Gordon of Lucille was the first of one in the development of lingerie to liberate women from the more restrictive corsets and make them feel unique and boldly beautiful. In the first half of the 20th century, women wore underwear for three main reasons. To change body shape first in corsets, later in cinchers and bras, second being the hygienic reasons, and last but not the least for modesty. Before this, the undergarment used to be very large and bulky which was not that attractive and sexy.

It was During the late 19th century that undergarments came lower, less big, and more constricting and were gradationally superseded by the brassiere. When the First World War broke out, women were not left with any options and settled themselves filling in men’s closets, creating a demand for further practical undergarments which would be according to their body needs and demand.

Then only the Manufacturers began to use lighter and further permeable fabrics for designing women’s undergarments. Then In 1935, brassières were streamlined with padded mugs to flatter small guts and three times latterly underwire bras were introduced that gave a pooching bustline. Around that time there came a trend of a small midriff which was done with cinctures.

The next generation of women in the 1940s were pretty thin, but had pneumatic hips and guts that were sharp and shapely. In the 1960s, there came a lot of changes. the figure of women was liberated along with social mores. The look was adolescent guts, slim hips, and extreme predictability. André Courrèges was the first to created a huge fashion statement out of the youth culture when his 1965 collection presented unisexual numbers and the women embracing their own bodies.

With reaching to 20th century progressed, undergarments came lower and further form fitting and defined. In the 1960s, lingerie manufacturers similar to Frederick’s of Hollywood begin to glamorize lingerie and make it look sexy. The lingerie industry expanded a lot in the 21st century with designs that doubled as outerwear and brought new style into the market.

Let’s here illuminate how sexy lingerie has changed over time, from the whalebone corsets of the 1700s through the Goliath- tail thongs of the 2000s.

Corsets in the 1700s:

Corsets in the 1700s:

Corsets/stays as it was known— were everyday wardrobe pieces for” proper” women of the eighteenth century. Yes, these undergarments do not look like the sexy bustier- corsets of the moment, but they were essential in putrefying the ideal body. They were not stylish nor extravagant just a covering material that differentiate your hips and bust.

The late 1800s

The late 1800s

The s-curve corset was made very popular in the 1800s. It pushed the breast forward and defined hips and butt. The victoria secret corset was extremely eye catching. And ladies would go the extra mile to spend a penny from their pocket for that glamorous lingerie.

1910- closed corset trends

1910- closed corset trends

There is a very interesting story behind this evolution. In the 1937 black-and-white comedy Topper, Mrs. Topper, played by Billie Burke is dull, restrained, and predictable, which jeopardizes her marriage. And here Her husband Cosmo played by Roland Young gave her a pair of lace-up panties, the pinnacle of lingerie fashion at the time. To make this clear, pre-Victoria women wore crotchless panties not because they showed sexual readiness, but because only men wore crotchless panties at the time. The boudoir of middle-class Victorian woman symbolized sexual readiness for her husband when he broke with tradition and was meant to be seen and accepted. There comes this big change in the lingerie fashion industry.

1900-the sheer nightgown

1900-the sheer nightgown

Bridal pants and dresses always consist of see-through nightgowns, sometimes with a low back, that doesn’t just hint at the naked body underneath. However, Trousseaux weren’t just for wedding night entertainment – the more elaborate and extensive they were, the wealthier the bride’s family was supposed to be. Yes, it was designed in such a way using sheer fabric giving it all an ultra-glam and defined look. The brides would check out these sorts of pieces on their big day to make themselves feel more glam and royal.

1920- the next one slips

1920- the next one slips

When fashion designers like Paul Poiret and Madeline Vionnet changed the ideal female body shape from hourglass to masculine and straight, the undergarments had to change as well. The design and comfort of underwear had to be taken care of. Just imagine the ubiquitous flapper dress: there was no need for tight corsets anymore, and underwear had to be designed to be as invisible as possible. Fitted briefs, both long and short, are worn underneath these tube skirts to make them look stylish and comfortable.

1950s-corselets

1950s-corselets

Corselets or brassier, designed to be worn under evening dresses, are usually strapless and have underwires to enhance the bust. It’s designed to give definition to your body and make your dress appear even more sharp and more stunning. 

During that time only Christian Dior’s trendy “New Look” collection focuses on dresses, skirts, and coats that have super full skirts and create an hourglass figure came in to picture. In addition to half-dresses, the cup is also an important part of the look, which means that the bra becomes wired and structured to pull up and form the neckline against the neckline shirt. There had to come to some different sort of style again for giving definition. 

1960- no underwear trend

1960- no underwear trend

In the year 1965, a prominent fashion designer Rudi Gernreich introduced a No-Bra shirt made by France’s Lily, which not only saw through but also promoted the sexually liberated 1960s braless style making it, even more, sexier and classy. This minimalist bra has no metal or underwire and is only available in the A and B cups because it doesn’t offer much support. It was not for heavy breasted women. It was more of a fashion that was introduced and was made to look utterly glam and sassy.

1977-victoria secret

1977-victoria secret

Victoria’s Secret was founded by Roy and Gaye Raymond in San Francisco in 1977.  The concept of Victoria secret came into being When Ray tried to buy lingerie for his wife, he was faced with shelves. cotton bathrobe and ugly floral-print towels printed nylon nightgowns all these were coming his way, and he always felt like the department store clerk saw him as an unwelcome intruder. He was not very happy with the choices and decided to bring on something sassy yet affordable in the market.

In the ’70s and ’80s, women typically bought two types of underwear: the plain, boring basic one in department stores and the more expensive one for special occasions, such as a honeymoon. When Victoria’s Secret entered the market, it offered affordable lace panties and satin bras to middle-class consumers in their familiar shopping malls and at the same time Turn sexy lingerie into everyday items. The Victoria’s secret laces played a crucial role in bringing sexy lingerie into the fashion.

1983- star wars

1983- star wars

In star wars As Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher sported an iconic metallic wire bikini that included a patterned bra and copper-plated bottom in the front and a red silk loincloth in the front back. Fisher has complained that the baggy dresses she wears in the film hide her figure – she didn’t know the bikini would become a sex symbol on its own. Wired’s Philip Chien wrote, “[There’s] no doubt that the image of Carrie Fisher in a yellow sci-fi swimsuit has become ingrained in the sweaty subconscious of a generation of fanboys entering puberty into puberty. spring 1983.” But this outfit is more than just a quirky outfit: Princess Leia is strong, strong-willed, and a hero to many girls. And her outfit became a statement piece. It bloomed into fashion pretty fast and was considered a fashion statement

In the era of 1980 another trend that became quite popular was teddies. The one-piece stuffed animal was recommended for pajamas in the 1980s. In addition, the classic style of lingerie became popular again, falling out of fashion in the 1960s. Working women wear power suits. Men fashion-inspired with giant shoulder pads go to work often dressed in sexy lace lingerie as a reminder of their femininity. This trend continued for a long and still is one of the most accepted styles in the market.

1990-Madonna’s Jean Paul Gaultier Cone Brassiere

1990-Madonna’s Jean Paul Gaultier Cone Brassiere

During her Blond Ambition tour, Madonna revealed many iconic outfits, including her Jean Paul Gaultier conical bra. It was stylish and instantly made women look and feel sexy. his sexual identity is rooted in his agency and no one else could have matched that style.

1994-Agent Provocateur stylish trend

1994-Agent Provocateur stylish trend

In 1994, Agent Provocateur opened its first store in London, combining vintage-inspired sexy lingerie with designer prices and aspirations. Co-founder Joseph Corré, son of rock ‘n’ roll fashion pioneer Vivienne Westwood, was motivated to make Agent Provocateur as much about the sex as it was about basic clothing. – sells whips alongside bikini pants – but the brand’s high price tag has kept it ambitious and despite it looking great it was not able to make a huge mark in the market.

2005-Mr. and Mrs. Smith

2005-Mr. and Mrs. Smith

We are always inspired by film fashion and whatever they wear becomes trendy. One such was when Angelina Jolie wore a rubber dress, making her the sexiest woman in the world as if it hadn’t been set up before. The matrix-inspired ensemble, complete with mesh tights, is eerily softened with pale pink bows. The outfit was such the talk of the town and was so great in design one definitely could not take it off their eyes. it’s still pretty much in fashion and makes a great stand-out piece. Another sexy stylish lingerie fashion came into existence.

2010- Easy A

2010- Easy A

Another story where Emma Stone, as virgin Olive Penderghast, decides to embrace the new fame caused by rumors as a school tramp by wearing a black lace sleeveless top with a red A fresh on the chest, in homage to “The Scarlet Letter”. We wondered what was odder: wearing underwear like high school outerwear or wearing a bright red letter. Either way, the bra above symbolizes Penderghast’s refusal to be a florist — if people wanted to talk about their sex life, she would wear this too. There’s how another trendy lingerie design came into picture.

2011-Sucker punch

2011-Sucker punch

Another film that made a mark for its unique lingerie is this one. Here women were all dressed up in pretty lingerie with weapons in their hand and it made a sexy affair. the movie made such a great impression on the minds of ladies that stylish lingerie still is on their minds.

Here were some of the revolutions and evolutions of women’s lingerie. In today’s,today’s day and time there numerous designs that are being opted for. Films and cinemas even had more roles to play now to make these items look sexy and stylish.

Conclusion on History of Undergarments

The concept of underwear as outerwear is often associated with the 1980s, but the look of underwear has long been an inspiration for fashion wear. Open exposure to several object pairs emphasizes this connection. A nylon nightgown by lingerie brand Iris was on display alongside a Claire McCardell evening gown, created in the same fabric and style. Both date from the 1950s. 

The exhibition continues in chronological order. A corset dating from about 1770, of blue silk, is the first exhibit. While corsets are essential to maintaining a woman’s figure and modesty, they also have an erotic appeal. Many underwears of the 19th century characterized by modest shapes and materials, but in the early 20th century, lingerie was often as beautiful and glamorous as it was functional, a concept typified by the colorful petticoats and chic tea dresses.

During the 1950s, the return to the hourglass figure required stiffer basics, such as stiff tulle corsets and petticoats. These styles were directly opposed over the next decade when lightweight fabric unstructured lingerie was worn to complement the revealing, youth-oriented clothing styles. The 1980s saw a return to luxury bras, such as lace bras and provocative bras, often inspired by models of the past. As sexy, high-end brands like Agent Provocateur and La Perla thrive in the 21st century, the booming lingerie market offers styles for every woman, from classic to edgy, comfort to glamor more seductive.

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Unveiling the 8 Best Lingerie Brands in Canada: A Guide to Confidence and Comfort January 26, 2023 - 3:12 pm

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