Maybe it's because we're nostalgic romantics at Kuhmillion Lingerie, but we love to flip through fashion books about different eras. And since lingerie is our business, we often reference one of our favorite little illustrated gems, 1000 Dessous, A History of Lingerie published by Taschen. You can find it in any major bookstore or online and will be amazed at what you didn't know about lingerie from the past. To give you a little taste, we'll take you through a few eras and illustrate some of the big trends from the history of lingerie.

 

The thing that we must always remind ourselves, is that (western) culture and fashion is always steadily changing and sometimes big seismic changes happen suddenly. Often it is only when we look back that we identify iconic images and fashion that seem to define an entire era.

 

Lingerie is just a small part of fashion, which is itself just one part of the culture of any given time. It's like looking through a small window and seeing little hints of what everyone wore at the time. People were just as varied then as they are today, with very conservative men and women as well as counter-cultural rebels throughout society. 1000 Dessous is really great at illustrating the variety of lingerie styles from each era.

 

One more thing to note before we get to lingerie styles: sometimes we get caught up thinking that lingerie is de-facto meant to be erotic, but this is not necessarily true. Lingerie has often been designed for the practical as well as erotic. One of the truly interesting things about lingerie is how a simple functional garment becomes provocative simply by way of concealment and reveal. It's a little bit of magic.

 

Classic 1920s lingerie, a chemise with silk stockings. Photo by Schall for the girlie magazine Pour Lire à  Deux (Néret, Gilles. 1000 Dessous, A History of Lingerie, 2010.)

1920s
Let's start our tour with the 1920s. As early as the late 19th century, clothing designers began to develop showy undergarments as alternatives to highly restrictive corsets of that era. But it took a few decades before a generation of young girls changed the style and functionality of foundation garments for good. Of course the older conservative ladies of the day were appalled by their lack of propriety, but that is a familiar story. The lingerie of the 1920s was, in a word, "liberating". A typical look for this era was a simple silk garter belt, thick, showy garters, silk stockings, French knickers and a loose fitting gown like a chemise. Women wore lingerie like this well into the 1930s with a myriad of choices in design. It is because the style of lingerie changed so drastically during the early 20s that the look lasted so long. It would take a world war and new materials as well as a new generation of women to again move lingerie fashion along.

 

It's funny how fashion is in some sense recycled from previous eras. Good designers and trendy people constantly look back and recognize great ideas when they see them. Creative people, designers and visual artists throughout every era are compelled to look back, reinvent and even resurrected whole ideas. The 1940s demonstrates this.

 

The lingerie trend of the 1940s is one part nostalgia and one part new materials. The war brought new materials such as nylon and rayon into garment manufacturing. Designers and women looked back to the controlled figures and corsets of the pre 1920s and sought a return to some of the style. A typical lingerie outfit would be a corsolette (lightwight fabric corset constructed of satin, nylon and rubber), simple thin garters and nylon stockings and a long line bra, (a bra that extends further down the rib cage). The figure was restricted but not nearly like the corsets of the past, and the nylon stockings were now stretchy, making the wearer's leg appear more elegant and smooth.

 

The lingerie styles of the 1950s were mostly a continuation from the 1940s with simple garters, nylons and both longline and bullet bras. A newer foundation garment began to replace the corsolette: the girdle. It's a funny little name for a garment that has simply disappeared from the modern wardrobe. The girdle satisfied the renewed desire for less restrictive control around the waist. The old corset and corsolette days were now coming to an end.

 

As we all know, there was another seismic shift in both fashion and culture during the 1960s. Lingerie of course reflected this and changed along with women. New fabrics such as lycra changed the way hosiery was constructed and fastened. Stockings no longer needed garters as thigh highs could stay up all on their own, and pantyhose and tights replaced even these. Over the course of 20 years, girdles all but disappeared and lingerie became much of what we see today. The typical lingerie outfit from the 1960s might be a simple bra and panty paired with a panty-girdle (a control-top panty) and thigh highs. Typical lingerie from the late 1960s into the 1970s became simply a bra and panty set. It was here, during the 1970s, that lingerie as bedroom attire and "underwear" became mostly distinct aspects of a woman's wardrobe.

 

Lingerie has changed little since the 1970s and 1980s compared with the big changes of previous eras. Hemlines and cuts are moved around, and new colors are mixed with new textures. But the garment styles are all pulled from these bygone eras. Our shop is filled with a wonderful mix of lingerie styles that look back on and celebrate the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s. It's great to have such a rich history of lingerie to choose from and it's fun to share with you!