lingerie

   The shapes and styles of lingerie and underwear have always been determined by the silhouettes dictated by outer fashion, but equally significant has been the revolution in the manufacture of fabrics. Nylon, the most important innovation in the history of underwear and lingerie, was widely used up until the 1970s. Lycra, introduced in 1959, together with stretch lace, knitted simplex, cotton polyester and other elastic fabrics, have encouraged new possibilities in design.

   Lingerie and underwear enjoyed a complete revolution in the 1960s. Tights were being manufactured from 1960 onwards. Originally available for ballet dancers and sports people, the modern versions were much thinner, and Mary Quant also introduced tights in a variety of colours. However, older women continued to wear stockings, and it was only in 1976 that manufacturers finally stopped making removable suspenders for panty corselettes. Janet Reger, a major innovator in lingerie and underwear, established her company in 1967 and was successful into the mid-1980s. The general trend of foundations from the 1960s to the 1990s has been progressively towards increasingly natural shaping. Also, as feminism continued its onslaught on bounds of acceptability, underwear became outerwear; Jean-Paul Gaultier has been a key exponent of this new trend.

   See also: body adornment; cosmetics

   Further reading

    McKenzie, J. (1997) The Best in Lingerie Design, London: Batsford.

   FATIMA FERNANDES