The Girdle: Classic Shapewear
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by: letease
Girdles and garters may look burdensome to lingerie wearers today but in the mid-twentieth century, they gave women a new confidence in their bodies and a very new freedom of movement. Not only did girdles give the entire body a slimmer look, but also, with some that featured exaggerated waistlines, the so-called sexy hourglass look was also created too.
The dual purpose of a girdle as a control garment and as means of holding up stockings with suspenders or garters became unnecessary with the innovation of tights and pantyhose in the sixties. - The suspender belt or garter belt became the mainstay for those who remained loyal to stockings.
Many girdles today use a blend of Lycra Spandex and Nylon. Girdles made from this interweaving of materials are light and comfortable with a snug fit, and virtually offer as much control as its predecessors had, before Lycra came into the market in the early sixties.
Throughout the later decades of the twentieth century the word girdle took on a bad reputation with health concerns and changes in attitude and lifestyle. As a result, many manufacturers found new names to describe their products such as long-line slimmer, control panty, shaper or sports brief to name but a few in order to avoid any negative association.
Bra, an informal shortening of the term brassiere, was first introduced in the 1920s. Just as its name changed through the decades, so did its rationale. Bras lifted, enlarged, supported, revealed, and covered women's breasts throughout the decades. By the 1930's, it was recognised that the measurement of the bust and the size of the breasts needed two different scales (A, B. C, D).
The first strapless bra appeared in 1934, and a little later, underwired bras were worn to give breasts a more substantial silhouette. In the forties padded bras were introduced followed by the push-up bra and a myriad of styles developed including, the balconette bra which lifts the bosom forwards; the classic sheer bra to provide a smooth outline; t-shirt bra with woven cups; as well as sports bras, seamless bras, strapless and shelf bras.
In 1992, Wonderbra - a padded, underwired push-up bra- was launched and took the world by storm. By the late 1990s, the bra or brassiere had became one of the most complex pieces of lingerie, made with up to 43 different components.
Corsets, a core fashion piece of lingerie has been the foundation of women's fashion for centuries. While the corset was the most intimate of women's underwear at the start of the twentieth century, it has become the flamboyant, rebellious and sexy 'underwear as outerwear', associated with fantasy and eroticism by the end.
Often these garments are worn for the visual enjoyment of a partner and are made from myriad of fabrics and materials including, lace, fine cotton, eyelet lace (broderie anglaise), matte and shiny silk and silk imitations, crepe de chine, georgette, and satin as well as more modern materials such as lycra, leather and rubber.
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