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Within many centuries fashion in regard to lingerie styles was switching between
the feminine and boyish, painful and practical. Gone are the days of cone-shaped
bust, "; wasp waist", and "false buttocks". Today, lingerie is the most beautiful, luxurious and feminine clothes that is worn intimately and appreciated for its practicality and comfort.
Ancient Times
The loincloth, the simplest form of underwear, was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. A loincloth may take three major forms. The first, and simplest, is simply a long strip of material which is passed between the legs and then around the waist. The ancient Hawaiian malo was of this form, as are several styles of the Japanese fundoshi. Another form is usually called a cache-sexe: a triangle of cloth is provided with strings or loops, which are used to fasten the triangle between the legs and over the genitals. The alternate form is more skirt-like: a cloth is wrapped around the hips several times and then fastened with a girdle.
In warmer climates, the loincloth might have been the only clothing worn (making it effectively not an undergarment), as was doubtlessly its origin, but in colder temperatures, the loincloth often forms the basis of a persons clothing and is covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available (King Tutankhamun was buried with 145 of them). |
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Men are said to have worn loincloths in ancient Greece and Rome, though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. Mosaics of the Roman period indicate Roman women (primarily in an athletic context, whilst wearing nothing else) sometimes wore wrapped breastcloths or brassieres made of soft leather, along with loincloths and possibly something like panties. |
| Roman Mozaics at Piazza Armenia, Sicily, 4th Century A.D. |
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Any cloth used may have been wool, linen or linsey-woolsey blend. Only the upper classes could have afforded imported silk.
The loincloth continues to be worn by people around the world (it is the traditional form of undergarment in many Asian societies, for example). In various, mainly tropical, cultures, the traditional male dress may still prescribe only a single garment below the waist or even none at all, with underwear as optional, including the Far eastern Dhoti and Lungi or the Scottish kilt.
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Cretan Corsetry
Fashion history shows the first recorded corset came from Crete. The Cretan woman stood proudly bare breasted and the waist and hip corset shown in the header above is obviously a decorative part of her underwear.
For many centuries, both East and West, women and men have worn loose flowing robes. Elaborate layers of cloth indicated the rank or wealth of an individual. Sometimes to give shape to robes, the clothes were tied with a girdle or a sash. Later extra shaping was introduced by the use of a brooch or a pin. This type of clothing was popular among Greeks and Romans 3000 years ago.
Greek Corsetry
Greek women were corseted. Under the Greek Chiton a leather band style corset was worn and this gave definition to the hips and bust. From birth, girls were swaddled. For six
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Minoan Snake Priestess at the
Palace of Knossos on Crete,
1500 B.C. |
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months their arms and legs were bound in swaddling cloths restricting their movement and keeping limbs straight. Adolescent Greek girls were forced to keep trim. Their Greek mothers used woollen bands to keep the developing body slim.
The Middle Ages
Most recently, Lise Charmel Group has launched Eprise, a very distinctive line of lingerie for the woman lingerie sizes up to 4X and bras sizes up to 44F, without compromising on style or fabric.
In the 13th Century, in the times of Louis IX, the Medieval Fashion considerably changed when the surcoat was introduced. It was at first a garment worn only by women, but it was soon adopted by both sexes. It was originally a large wrapper with sleeves, and was thrown over the upper part of the robe (cotte), hence its name, from French, sur-cotte (over the cotte). Very soon it was made without sleeves, so the under garment, made of a more costly material, might be seen. In order that the motion of the limbs might not be interfered with, the surcoat was raised higher above the hips, and the arm-holes were made very large. From this period gowns with tight bodices were generally adopted. The women wore over them a tight jacket, reaching to a little below the hips, often trimmed with fur when the gown was richly ornamented. Also the fur was richly ornamented itself when the gown was plain. At the end of the 13th Century luxury was at his height at the Court of France. Moreover, the magnificence and display was not confined to the Court, but it extended to the bourgeois class.
So, in the 13th century a corset was worn, but as in later centuries it was sometimes worn as an outer garment over robes like a waistcoat is worn. From the 14th century onwards costume began to introduce new elements simply for the sake of variety and change rather than function.
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