The Mighty Bustier

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

What is a bustier?

A bustier is a form fitting, sleeveless women’s top that is typically worn as lingerie. It can be strapless or have straps and covers the chest, extending from over the breasts downward to the bottom of the ribcage. The word bustier originates from the French word “buste” meaning, well bust of course! The purpose of this evocative foundation garment is immediately clear, push up the bust by tightening up the upper midriff and forcing the breasts together and upward.

Other names often used interchangeably with the bustier are the long line brassiere and the Merry Widow. The term “long line” refers to the extension of what is essentially a bra that extends down to the tummy. That was the original name assigned to this garment.  A Merry Widow is not in fact a bustier at all but a long slip like corsolette from the 1950s. Why the bustier would be thrown in with such a dissimilar foundation garment, we’re not sure, but we love the name! Interestingly, the Merry Widow itself was the result of a clever marketing campaign, named after an operetta from 1905 called The Merry Widow.

Bustier fashion history

The bustier has an interesting place in fashion history and designers continue to create outfits that utilize it as both an undergarment and outerwear. The birth of the bustier reaches back to the 1950s when they were just called long line bras. Great advances in technology between 1935 and 1945 including the invention and widespread use of nylon, made mass produced bras lighter, easier to launder and finer than ever before. The fashion designers of the 1950s began to pay more attention to the style of the everyday brassiere and developed a trend towards long skirts, lots of fabric and exaggerated smooth, bullet shaped busts. A great example of this is the classic pinup sweater girl look epitomized by the young Marilyn Monroe. The pointed, bullet shape was achieved simply by conical stitching of the bra cups.

Today, the bustier has crossed the line from underwear. What once was simply an intimate foundation garment has become stylish outerwear. Many designers have incorporated showy bustiers into the tops of dresses or boldly positioned the bustier as an outerwear piece. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier created his famous bullet bustier for pop entertainer Madonna and continues to work the basic bustier design into his work. A quick look at his trendy line of clothing for Target reveals the basic bustier shape and function incorporated into many dresses. The long line brassiere of the 1950’s has permeated into everyday fashions as a bustier.

Bustier Vs Corset

So what is the difference between a bustier, a basque and a corset? Well a bustier is shorter than a corset, extending down to the top of the tummy and does not attempt to shape the waist at all. The corset is usually laced up the back and has hook and eye closures along the front. Remember a bustier is designed to shape the bust, but the corset is more about the hips and waist. Another way to make sense of it is to remember that a bustier shows off the tummy and the corset hides and controls it. A basque on the other hand is essentially an overbust corset with very little boning. This makes it more comfortable than a corset and a lot less restricting.

© Kuhmillion 2010