A quick history of lingerie

Throughout history, women have adorned themselves in different ways and styles and focused the looker's eye, usually male,  to different areas of the female body. Whilst the modern women is confident to wear skimpy, sexy lingerie in many varied sizes and colours this hasn't always been the case.

Mention the word lingerie to anyone and most people will immediatley think of delicate, fragile clothing items which cover the body just enough to keep the male's immagination working overtime. This type of clothing has been present in society for a lot longer that we think. As far back as before Christ was born, on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, women were wearing boned bodice corsets. These early forms of erotic wear were designed to push up their breast and outwards to tease the male.

The two main parts of the female form which have been focused on by designers throughout history are the bust and the bottom or rear. Some societies focused on the bust while others focused on the ladies rear. The people with the overall say on 'what's in' or 'what's out' are the fashion designers themselves.

Views on the female figure during the middle ages were that the bust be reduced as much as possible and women's breasts become small and firm. Women wore corsets over their dresses to flatten the chest. How times have changed!

The Spanish, during the Renaissance, liked their women padded in all the right places. Cone-shaped breats, flat stomachs plus narrow waists were the fashion trends. Corsets usually involved the help of another person to help dress as the waist was brought in with laces and were considered to be unhealthy by doctors claiming that the corset wearer's internal organs were sqeezed unnaturally and ribs pushed out of shape. A common effect of all the squeezing was for the woman to faint and in one case, actual death through a punctured liver. All this effort and hurt to look good and conform to fashion gurus.

The 18th Century saw a relaxed approach to lingerie. While corsets were still popular, designs of embroidery, ribbons and lace were fashionable. Again the main focus was to push the woman's breasts up and out. The health issues surrounding corsets still existed and boned corsets were outlawed by the powers that be.

The 1800's saw designers overcome the problems of lacing and unlacing corsets by the wearer themselves by developing systems that would allow them to acheive it. During 1840 whalebone re-appeared in corset design and men's attraction to women was focused on the woman's waist and later on,  the focus was switched to the women's rear by adding a bustle to the back of the corset.

Corsets became  a universal item with a different corset for a different event or time of day. Beachwear, Horseback riding, cycling, morning wear, evening wear, each had it's own corset.

At the end of the 19th century, corsets not only supported the wearer's breasts but also held up the latest fashion craze, stockings. Garters and suspenders attached the stocking to the corset and a new fashion trend was born.

The 20th Century saw the introduction of the sewing machine via the industrial revolution, Germany and France opened the first corset factories and the creation of the bra. Mary Phelps Jacob created the bra in 1913, shorter and softer than a corset and she later sold her patent for the bra to the Warner Company.

Corsets began to disappear from day to day wear for women after World War One as women entered the workforce and needed a more comfortable and less restrictive item of underwear. Shorter skirts, a lack of men led to women determined to look more sexy.

The roaring 20s saw flat chests and stomachs, straight hips and buttocks and this led lingerie designers to create the bodice, the chemise and bloomers, loose fitting and light. Brassiers appeared and helped create the boyish look of the time. White was soon joined by pastel colours of lingerie. Finally, the corset no longer was needed except to hold up the stockings so the corset was shortened and the suspender belt was born.

By 1930 the woman's shape was turned on it's head as a more natural look was back in fashion. Full-figured, well proportioned women with slim hips were the ideal shape. Women were helped in getting the right shape by Dunlop Rubber who invented Lastex, an elastic fibre which was used in lingerie for the first time and enabled lingerie to be available in various sizes.

World War 2 brought an end to Germany's industry and people began to knit their own clothes. While not sexy or pleasing on the eye, they were cheap to make and warm. 

After the war, lingerie was targeted at teenage girls. lingerie was regarded as grown up and sexy lingerie for teenage girls brought the German industry back. America began to make it's own lingerie styles and Howard Hughes created the wire-reinforced bra for actress Jane Russell.

The 1960's were a bad time for bras in particular as feminists rebelled against society and burnt their bras in protest. This hit the lingerie market as a whole and many manufacturers vanished.

By 1980, the bra and lingerie in general was back and from 1980 to now the lingerie market is booming once again. With so many outlets, websites and trading places, lingerie has become a big fashion accessory for the modern woman. No matter what age, size or shape, there is a style, colour and size that will fit and make women feel and look sexy. Long live lingerie!

If you would like to view the range of sexy lingerie, bridal lingerie, leather wear, costumes and more from leading manufacturers such as Dreamgirl, Allure Leather, Vacari, Hustler and more then visit www.soho-lingerie.co.uk