#UndiesBabes

100 years of lingerie

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Originally, lingerie was designed to serve several different purposes – allowing a woman to change her body shape, for hygienic reasons and to preserve her modesty. Fast forward to 2018 and women and lingerie have been through a lot together over the years. From the pain of rib crushing corsets to the bandaging of chests to create a more masculine silhouette – put simply, lingerie matters, a lot.

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The history of lingerie tells us a lot about the way a women’s role has changed in society. From bouncy bloomers to barely-there briefs - lingerie reveals how we perceive ourselves and how we’re viewed by others.

The changes in lingerie over the past hundred years is truly fascinating, but what’s also intriguing is the things that have stayed the same. Lets reminisce by going back in time and having a look at the best (and worst) things that have happened in lingerie over the last century.

Let’s start with the 1920’s

1920

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Unforgiving, bulky underwear was the trend of the 1920’s,

but through the developments in fabric technology women were able to wear petticoats made of slinky materials that helped them to achieve their goal of an androgynous silhouette.

Slips also became extremely popular at this time. Fashion designers such as Paul Poiret were continuing to change the ideal shape of women’s bodies, which meant that lingerie inevitably had to change too.

1930

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By the 1930’s women had returned to wanting a curvy silhouette, as opposed to looking masculine. This was also the year of the seamless bra and the first ever bra measurement size chart.

S.H. Camp and Company created the charts for women’s breasts, and that’s how the A B C D cup sizing we all know was born.

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1940

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Rolling into the 40’s, bra’s needed to be durable and thick for women working in the factories and on the farms. Military inspired bras also became very popular during this decade, with conical shapes being a top fashion trend.

It would be rude to forget the icon Marilyn Monroe who came to light in 1945. Before she took over Hollywood she put her famous curves to good use by modelling for a variety of lingerie advertisements. In the 1940’s these were painted by hand instead of photographed.
 

1950/1960

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The ‘New Look’ era. Christian Dior created the beautiful collection just as the 50’s began. It featured dresses and skirts which created an hourglass silhouette. The bust area was the main focus, which meant that bras became structured and the underwired bra came into light. Plunging necklines gave a sexy edge, but were far from comfortable.

The mid-twentieth century also welcomed the pinup girl. This look became popular in lingerie advertisements and campaigns. The 50’s pushed the quote ‘’You buy corsets and bustiers to see them, not hide them’’. Sex appeal started to boom and lingerie started to look more as we know it to.

         Sears Archive Catalog
 

1970

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The birth of Victoria’s Secret. Founded in 1977 by Roy and Gaye Raymond of San Francisco, the global brand VS turned sexy lingerie into an every day essential. Before the brand entered the market, women typically wore plain and neutral toned lingerie for everyday wear and more expensive pieces only on occasions like honeymoons.

1980

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Teddies are still around today, but in the 80’s they were the recommended sleepwear. After going out of fashion in the 1960’s, classic lingerie styles made a dramatic comeback and pulled lace, silk and femininity back into the underwear game. Thongs, G-strings and leather also made an appearance in this decade, with music artist Cher leading the party.

1990

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Speaking of music artists, trendsetter Madonna speared in Vouge wearing a cone brassiere by Jean Paul Gaultier. The stunning piece also featured in her Blond Ambition tour as outerwear, going against the feminism trends of the time. In 2012 the iconic one-piece sold for a huge £50,000.

2000

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Dita Von Teese revived old-fashioned lingerie and gave it a total re-vamp. Suspenders, stockings and corsets made a reappearance and looked sexier than ever. The famous burlesque dancer is well known for being a modern pin-up glamour model and for giving the trend a complete retro spin. In 2008 she even designed a collection of vintage inspired lingerie for the global brand Wonderbra.

2010 – Present

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Underwear as outerwear is the trend of the moment and has been for a while now. The Yeezy collection created by Kim Kardashians beau Kanye West took the world by storm in 2015 with nude bodysuits and sheer all-in-ones. Sporty lingerie and athletic style pieces are also a favourite amongst bloggers and influencers as they’re comfy and stylish. Hayley Baldwin and Gigi Hadid have made the Calvin Klein sports bra a wardrobe essential for young women across the world.

So, it seems that lingerie has had quite a journey throughout the last century, and with trends changing every season it doesn’t spear that our underwear will stop evolving any time soon. What we do know however, is that just when we thought corsets were a thing of the past and our pain was over, waist trainers came about and our dreams were crushed a little, just like our ribs.