Lingerie's Transformation From In To Out
By M Wakefield
Lingerie-- the word suggests lacey, titillating garments. But lingerie came from humble origins. The term "lingerie" is from the French linge, or linen alluding to the cloth from which underwear was by tradition made. By the end of the nineteenth century, lingerie had become a common term to describe underwear that had moved beyond sensible functions to be used as a device of for the exhibit of the female body. Lingerie was initially made for every size- including plus sizes.

Lingerie was supposed to only be used by women within the confines of a blissfully married life in the early years; with strict controls. One female journalist penned in 1902, "Lovely lingerie does not belong only to the fast. . . . dainty undergarments are not necessarily a sign of depravity." As time passed, lingerie's attractiveness to the general population increased along with decreasing adherence to Victorian morality, and the increasing social status of women. Lingerie was freedom from the practical and flagrantly straitlaced undergarments advocated by the Victorian era. For example, a doctor of that time period recommended wool as the perfect underwear for sanitation and wellbeing.

At first, lingerie was a sign of social status , handmade and afforded only by the very few. Of note were those fashioned by the English couturiere known as Lucile (Lady Duff-Gordon), who created camisoles, peignoirs, and petticoats using lace, chiffon, and crepe de chine, deliberately appealing to the sense of touch, and evoking a new eroticism for the twentieth-century woman. Although synthetic fibers such as rayon and nylon were developed and sold in the 1920s and 1930s as luxury fabrics through the use of the name "artificial silk" their development led to a democratization of lingerie.

WIKIPEDIA SAYS-Rayon is a very versatile fiber and has the same comfort properties as natural fibers. It can imitate the feel and texture of silk, wool, cotton and linen. The fibers are easily dyed in a wide range of colors. Rayon fabrics are soft, smooth, cool, comfortable, and highly absorbent, but they do not insulate body heat, making them ideal for use in hot and humid climates.

The

ARTICLE_CONTENT2