The Lingerie Blog

Since the first appearance of lingerie thousands of years ago on the Mediterranean island of Crete where women wore corsets made from bone designed to enhance and expose their breasts lingerie has gone through many changes. What is thought of as sexy and appealing has gone through many transformations over the years.

Going from the pagan women mentioned above who wore very revealing items to entice and seduce men where the theme of the day was to exaggerate and expose a woman’s body we move to the Middle Ages when the fashion of the day was to flatten the breasts and make them appear smaller and firmer which was the desired look of that time.

In the time of the Renaissance, we saw a return to showing off and exaggerating the female form with women wearing corsets that made the breasts look conical similar to the lingerie we have seen Madonna wear in concerts and music videos while accentuating smaller waistlines.

Up to the 18th century women started dressing a little lighter but still kept wearing tight whalebone corsets which had been despised by health experts due to the fact that they thought the devices were dangerous, which they were and for a short time these were outlawed. The mid 1800’s saw the addition of the bustle which of course made the bottom look bigger coupled with the reemergence of the corset to make the waist look smaller.

In the 1920’s with parties and flapper dresses all the rage women with thin, flat, and almost boyish figures were considered desirable so now women wore undergarments designed to slim the body and flatten the breasts with corsets now being shortened and primarily used to hold up stockings.

In the 30’s and 40’s the large breast look was in again and out came padded bras to enhance and lift the breasts to give the desired look. Indeed even the reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes invented a bra with a wire support made especially for the Actress Jane Russell.

The lingerie industry suffered a big hit in the 1960’s with all the bra burning and the feminist movement when many women started going braless as a form of protest. But at the same time lycra had been invented and the min skirt introduced which brought about the need for skimpy bikini underwear.

In today’s society the adoration of the female body is back in full bloom and one need only see the success of Victoria’s Secret to know that it shows no signs of abating for awhile.

The fashion industry is a cut-throat industry. Often aspiring designers can’t just climb their way to the top, they have to claw their way there, and most never make it. However don’t be discouraged, a handful of them do make it. I think that it would be the more career savvy decision for you to move to the United States, preferably New York City. However, the choice is yours. Montreal and Toronto are both modern, great cities that I’m sure would have plenty of opportunities. However, if you really want this, my advice would be to move to NYC. I don’t really know if successful European and American designers travel to Canada to help students, but I’m sure if you enroll in a fine design school in Canada you would have some designer guests, as most schools do.

The International Academy of Design and Technology (located in both Toronto and Montreal), the Ontario College of Art and Design, the Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology, and the Superior Fashion School of Montreal are all great schools that you might want to look into, if you haven’t already. I have no idea as to what your odds are when it comes to working with designers like Dior and Dolce and Gabbing, nobody can really determine that.

It’s all really a matter of how badly you want it, and how hard you are willing to work. I don’t really think the five best fashion jobs in Canada differ from the five best fashion jobs in any other country. Also, I don’t think anyone can determine what the five best fashion jobs are in any major country/city, as it is all just a matter of taste. Merchandising, marketing, photography, journalism….the list is endless. Fashion in Canada is nowhere near as in demand fashion is in Europe and the USA. If you want the REAL fashion industry, head to New York, Paris, or Milan.

The 1940’s was a very glamorous era in the history of fashion. The stars of the day that you would probably be interested in researching would be: Katharine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Lauren Bacall, and Humphrey Bogart. Each of these stars had a style all their own. Kate Hepburn, especially helped usher in a new style, in that she always wore slacks, she was hardly ever seen in gowns or skirts, this was extremely rare for that day, she was definitely ahead of her time. Women of the 1940’s emulated what they saw on the screen. For instance, women had their eyebrows either tweezed or painted on very thin and very defined.

They also wore their lipstick in what was called a “cupid’s bow” which was where the upper lip was accentuated rather than the fuller, bottom lip.

The hair was worn in a loose “finger wave.” If you really want to see a true lady of the 1940’s, I suggest you rent the movie “Chinatown,” Faye Dunaway’s character Evelyn really captures a woman of the 1940’s.

Back to clothing, silk stockings were a wardrobe staple for any 1940’s woman. However, the United States was rationing silk, being in the midst of World War II. So the only silk stockings woman could get their hands on had a very noticeable line down the back of them. In order to hide this, women would take a permanent marker and draw down the back of their legs in order to hide the large run in their stockings.

The basic silhouette for women from the 40’s was broad shoulders, a small corseted waist and full hips. Fabrics were very light as many new synthetics were being introduced. Also, while Hollywood glamor was very ‘in’, the US was at war at the time, rationing was in effect and many women were not able to afford things like pantyhose and stockings. One thing women did at the time was draw a line of the back of the leg to make it look like they were wearing stockings, even if they weren’t. (silk stockings had seams). Shoes had a heel and a slight platform. Round toes, peep toes and ankle straps were common. If you’re looking for famous 40’s women to model your look after I’d look for images of Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth or Ingrid Bergman. All had the classic ’40’s’ look.

One of the most effective ways of communicating 40’s fashion is through hair and make-up. Hair was worn long, smooth with intricate finger waves. Make-up was striking and simple. A dramatically arched brow, liquid black liner (ONLY on the upper lid) and bright classic red lipstick. But very matte, no gloss ever. You mentioned the New Look, but that style didn’t debut until the late 40’s and didn’t become more popular until the 50’s. With the new look shoulder silhouettes became more ’soft’, the waist was worn more tightly corseted and hips became even fuller.

Up until about the ’60s and ’70s, women’s undergarments were made to serve a few different functions or purposes, none of them being sensuality or femininity. Learning the history of lingerie should make any woman thankful to have been born during this particular time. A time when ideas regarding the female form and women in general have morphed so drastically from just a century ago, and the changes in lingerie have certainly reflected this.

Women’s underwear, long before lingerie was even a possibility, has, at one time, been not only unsightly and boring, but sometimes, downright painful! Corsets and girdles have been causing discomfort in women for several centuries now. Early corsets made of bone were designed to tighten the waist and enhance the bust by pushing it up and forward.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries, corsets were worn to give women waists as tiny as 16 or 17 inches (40-43 cm). This was so tight that some ladies even passed out from the severe constriction! Thankfully, the girdle became popular in the 1920s, which also helped to shape the body, but into a more natural form and with elastic-type material rather than the painful bindings of the corset.

When more and more women found themselves entering the workplace during World War I and the years to follow, they realized a more practical form of undergarments were needed. Soon fabric became breathable and considerably lighter, and style was focused on functionality. Then, in the 30’s and 40’s, women’s lingerie began to truly enhance the female form with the advent of the bra.

Bras can now be designed for support or for appearance and enhancement. Those that are made for support maximize comfort and minimize movement, such as a sports bra. Bras that enhance figures can lift the bust line, give you cleavage that you’ve never had before and some also feature extra padding to add to your overall bust size. Alternately, there are even minimizing bras designed to make the breasts appear smaller.

Women’s panties have undergone many changes in the design process and can be found in different styles and cuts with something for any preference. Briefs are designed for comfort but can still be found in colorful patterns or designs. Boy-shorts are a fan of many women since they help minimize panty lines but are fun and comfy at the same time.

Also, in the “everyday” category of lingerie along with bras and panties, are slips and pantyhose. Pantyhose were a miracle in themselves in that they combined stockings and a panty into one garment. Garter belts were no longer needed to hold up stockings, which added to the overall comfort of women’s lingerie.

Now lingerie can be delicate, sensual and help spice up your life, giving you a number of styles and types to choose from. Now corsets and girdles can be made for appeal rather than binding and tightening and can also come in all colors and designs. A bustier is a strapless bra that has garter straps attached at the waist and can be made of fabrics such as silk or satin.

The teddy, one of the most popular types of women’s lingerie, is a short nightgown that falls just above the upper thigh and can be made of a variety of sheer or silky materials. Teddy’s also usually come with a matching pair of panties to complete the look.

A chemise is another common piece of lingerie and features a straight-cut with the gown falling just above the knee. A chemise is usually made of a very light material and has spaghetti straps. A longer gown, the peignoir, reaches to the ankle and often comes with a robe of a similar design.

Women’s lingerie and undergarments have evolved into a huge industry that’s ever-changing and always offering something new and exciting. There are so many options for women to discover, and with everything from sexy to seasonal or comfy to cutesy, there’s a type of lingerie for any woman.

Many think of chastity belts as a part of medieval society, but there is little archaeological evidence to show that they were common, and many examples that do exist have been denounced as fakes. Even so, there is a basis in legend of the symbolic nature of the chastity belt.

What archaeological evidence there is suggests the belts were largely manufactured for women, although the main issue of conjecture is whether or not distrustful husbands forced them on their wives when they left home, or whether they were to safeguard women from rape. The most probable answer is that there were instances of both.

The most beautiful legend behind the history is written in the poetry of Guigemar de Marie de France who wrote in the twelfth century. She wrote that two young lovers were going to be separated and that they performed a ritual to honor their oath of fidelity to each other. The girl tied a knot around her lover’s shirt, while he knotted a belt around her waist. They swore that they would only give their love to one who could remove the garment without tearing or cutting it.

Lingerie

The first known example of women using lingerie to enhance their figure is in Crete, with the Minoan civilisation. Archaeological records depict a fashion of flounced skirts with a corset that molded around the breasts and lifted them, leaving them bare. Whether this was a social fashion or a form of religious worship is unknown.

In the Middle Ages, however, there was an emphasis on small breasts, a range of different corset styles coming into fashion, notably thecotte, the bliaunt and the surcot.

During the Renaissance, however, this style became much more emphatic. The Spanish influence meant the introduction of much tighter corsets that molded the woman’s shape into one highlighting a narrow waist, flat stomach and small bust. As a result, women often fainted, which enforced a dependency and the notion of feminine weakness within a male-dominated society.

Later in the eighteenth century, women emphasised a more voluptuous figure and began to employ more luxurious fabrics to enhance the sensual power of the female shape. This style continued, although in the 1770’s, boned corsets were prohibited only to make a reappearance in the 1800’s.

Bodices that could be laced by the wearer also came into fashion.

In the 1900’s, scented underwear and specific types of lingerie for different activities and times of day became fashionable. The fashion for tight corsets, however, remained. Garters and suspenders grew in popularity as more women wore stockings.

The twentieth century saw a decisive break from the tradition of the previous years, as more and more companies began to have an interest in the role of a woman’s body in her notions of self. Styles diversified and became more comfortable, while bra sizes and designs developed.

This development of lingerie throughout the ages has left women today with a much firmer sense of their own beauty, and the range of styles, fabrics and sizes allows each woman to dress according to her own style and what makes her feel positive about herself and her body. The romantic aspect of lingerie is essentially the feeling of self worth that comes from sensuality and indulgence.