The History of Lingerie
Women love to wear it and men love to look at women wearing it, so where exactly did sexy lingerie come from?
Corsets are often regarded as the first form of lingerie. These figure accentuating undergarments quite possibly originated in ancient Greece, but this is not certain. For a long period, a thin waist was a fashionable look for both men and woman. Underwear which reduced the size of the waist was very popular amongst the affluent classes of 14th and 15th Century France. Corsets became more popular in other countries in the centuries to follow, but were still long, uncomfortable, often painful and made from materials such as wood, cane and whalebone.
By the 18th Century, Corsets began their transformation into lingerie with the addition of fabrics, laces, ribbons and embroidered detail. These new corsets provided the female wearer with a delicate waist line and pushed up breasts. The harmfully tight lace corsets of the 18th Century fell out of favour in France and neighbouring countries, but the corset soon made a come back in the early 19th Century. With new materials at a lower production cost, this fashion accessory was no longer restricted to just the very wealthy. During this century the camisole became a new undergarment for protecting the dress from the corset and vice versa.
Corsets were still worn by men and boys of the late 1800s, but for health reasons rather than fashion. The aesthetically plain corsets for males were often worn to alleviate the pain of a bad back or those wishing to disguise their large bellies.
Over the decades we have witnessed the change in fashion of the female figure. During the 1920s, it was all about flat chests & stomachs, straight hips & buttocks. Then in the 30s it was the return of the fuller feminine figure, with thin waists and enhanced breast size. With this change in desired female shape, the design of corsets would follow.
With the requirement for a pencil figure in the 20s, brassieres were introduced to flatten breasts and the corset was near abandoned. The lower part for holding up stockings was retained and hence the suspender belt was born.
A breast enhancing brassiere was then created in the 30s for the curve revival. New materials such as rubber were developed, which then led to elastic suspender belts and the stretch girdle. Suspender belts and stockings remained the fashionable lingerie accessory well into the 1960s and remain an ever popular choice today.
The bra was probably first produced for the purpose of support in the early 20th century. There are claims to various inventors of the ‘brassier’, Mary Phelps Jacobs for example tied two handkerchiefs around her breasts with ribbon before attending a dance.
By the end of the 1930s, the brassiere became popularly known as the ‘bra’. Gone were the days of flattening and hiding the breasts, women were ready to celebrate their feminine assets.
Soon these undergarments evolved from the sole purpose of support and figure enhancement into the more intricate designs and styles we know today as sexy lingerie. By the 1980s, lingerie was readily available on the high street. In the now 21st Century, lingerie can be found online for convenience and a discreet shopping experience.
There are now so many styles of Sexy Lingerie to choose from. At Exotic Shoes UK, you’ll find the sassiest of sexy lingerie for couples to enjoy.
Why not also take a look at our lingerie dancewear and sexy shoes range. Typically these items are worn by pole dancers and lap dancers, but just like sexy lingerie they are great for lovers too!
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