Fashion has never been simple and consistent. On the contrary, she was completely unpredictable.
Outfits and styles have changed over time, and absolutely ordinary underwear was no exception. Below are 10 of the most unusual items of lingerie from different eras. Also check out the article 10 Fun Facts About Bras.
10. Loincloths and chest straps
Anyone who studied Latin at school most likely heard a Latin dictum Semper ubi sub ubi. In English it translates as “always where under where"which is consonant with the phrase"always wear underwear".
The underwear of Ancient Rome can be considered the great-great-great-grandfather of the modern bikini. Women wore tight leather chest bands to support and tighten their breasts. It was then in vogue to have small breasts and wide hips. And the chest strap helped to achieve the desired effect.
True cowards did not exist then, but athletes and slaves (and in fact anyone who did hard work in the heat) wore loincloths. From a distance, this element of underwear resembled a modern diaper, but it was made of wool or leather. Not everyone wore a loincloth. It was completely normal not to wear anything under your toga.
9. Long ladies' pantaloons
It wasn't until 1830 that women began to wear pantaloons. In the Middle Ages, they did not wear underwear at all, and in the 19th century, only aristocrats could afford it. Although the pantaloons could be attributed to underwear, they still did not have a bottom seam, and they also consisted of two separate parts that were tied around the hips.
Pantaloons were not worn in order to completely hide everything, but to show their rich and intricate decoration on the contrary, when the skirts were slightly raised. Thus, even embroidery on underwear became a symbol of the upper classes. Those who could afford it were considered rich fashionistas. And women without adorned pantaloons were classified as poor middle and lower classes, and they never lifted their skirts.
8. Silk stockings
In fact, silk stockings were not part of the underwear, but they were necessary since nothing else was worn under the skirts. In the 16th century, women wore stockings made of wool or linen under their outerwear.
That all changed on New Year's Eve, 1560, when Queen Elizabeth received a pair of silk stockings as a gift. She liked the gift so much that she ordered 7 more pairs of different colors. Naturally, fashionistas wanted to look like a queen. And women who could afford it wore silk stockings under their skirts. The fashion soon spread throughout Europe.
It is interesting to know how stockings came into use again, but only symbolically, during the Second World War. Due to the wartime shortage, there were no stockings left at all. So those who managed to find them were truly admired.
Of course, everyone wanted stockings. Therefore, women came up with the idea of drawing them right on their feet. In those days, the stockings had a long black seam on the back. And the women just took a brush and painted a black strip on their legs
7. Women's shirt
Shirt - A simple, loose-fitting dress that was worn under normal clothing in the Middle Ages. It was worn by both men and women and was the only piece of clothing that was washed regularly.
In the 1780s, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, introduced the chemise as an ordinary dress, which was the complete opposite of the then court fashion. But the royal-style chemise quickly fell out of fashion, shortly after the beheading of the queen during the revolution.
Surprisingly, it took only a few years for such a shirt to return to its peak of popularity again. During the Empire period, flowing, almost transparent shirts were worn, but they looked more like tunics. By the way, they were so translucent that women wore nude shirts under their clothes to create the effect of nudity.
6. Combination
The combination first appeared in 1910, but only reached popularity ten years later, in the Roaring Twenties. It covered the torso and crotch and could be tight or loose, depending on the dress worn on top.
In the 1920s, women aimed to look like there was nothing underneath the dress, so they wore very tight slips that resemble modern body-sculpting lingerie. In the 1920s, designers concentrated on the appearance of lingerie and began to decorate it with various decorative elements, such as lace or braid.
Combinations survived both wars, as they were very comfortable, even when worn with trousers. Modern swimwear can be considered direct descendants of the then combinations.
5. The first bras
Women all over the world should be grateful to Mary Phelps Jacobs, because she invented what most women wear every day - bras.
During her preparations for the debutante ball in Manhattan, 19-year-old Jacobs was quite depressed. the fashion of the time included slim figures and plunging necklines. For a well-to-do woman like Jacobs, this really posed a problem, as her corset was constantly peeking out from under her dress.
Together with their maid, they sewed something, and from this came the first bra. The creator patented her creation in 1914, and then it was just two flaps sewn together.
Nevertheless, the invention came just in time. When World War I broke out, the metal used in corsets was required for military production. And women were freed from the hated corsets and could wear a more comfortable bra.
4. Corset
For over three centuries, the corset has been a key element of the outfit for both men and women. In the 16th century, they first came into fashion and were made of metal.
In the Elizabethan era, metal was replaced by whale plates. These were not the bones of a whale, but their whiskers. And one of the reasons why whales are threatened with extinction is precisely the extraction of plates for making corsets.
The style and shape of corsets has evolved over time, from a low, tapered waistline in Elizabethan times to an hourglass shape in the Victorian era, when the waist was dragged down to the point of impossibility.
They say that the waist of the Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, was only 41 centimeters... It took doctors several years to establish the health damage caused by wearing corsets. They were forgotten only with the outbreak of the First World War.
3. Menstrual belts
The menstrual belt was invented around 1900 to make life easier for women. This design consisted of a hip belt with a padding attached to it, which could be changed. First, the pads were made of wool and washed periodically.
In 1923, sanitary towels were invented. They could be thrown away after each use. In the 1950s, menstrual belts were replaced by menstrual panties, eventually evolving into the modern pads invented in the 1980s.
However, in the old days, women used all kinds of absorbent materials: grass, hay, sponges, and rabbit skins. Ancient Egyptians even had tampons made from softened papyrus.
2. Radioactive underwear
Before the effects of radioactive radiation were fully studied, people believed that it was a cure for all diseases. From 1920 to 1950, radium was added to cosmetics, food, and even underwear.
Advertisements promised a solution to all problems in bed with radium-containing underwear. Now it seems completely stupid that radioactive underwear was perceived as a treatment, but in those days, radioactivity was something completely new and natural.
Radium is found in hot springs, and they were also considered very beneficial, so the hype around that. "a new miracle of nature"it becomes a little clearer. Both men and women bought"glowing underwear"or put radioactive pads in their underpants.
1. Chastity belts
In the 16th century, chastity belts were used to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Initially, they were meant only for women and were made of metal (sometimes even with spikes). There are various myths that women were forced to wear chastity belts during the Crusades, while their husbands were absent and could not track the loyalty of their spouses.
Forgotten during the Renaissance, chastity belts returned to use in the late 18th century, when masturbation was regarded as a disease. They have been used as a medical treatment for both women and men.
Some women also wore chastity belts in the 1920s to avoid rape. Some modern writers argue that chastity belts were not used in the Middle Ages, and their image is simply a satirical invention.
We recommend watching:
How women's swimwear has changed over the past 100 years. See for yourself the change in swimwear fashion since 1890. What models will be popular next year?
