The twenties put an end to the corsets. New ideas on sexuality and beauty were made popular by the Flapper Girls. Boyish physiques were popularized with short bob hairstyles and flapper dresses. By the beginning of the 20th century, corsets were being laced down as far as the knee.
But many people didn’t like that style, and fashion designers were leaning towards an uncorseted, more free-flowing style. Sexy lingerie was about to take a whole new turn. With the advent of the industrial revolution, and the invention of the sewing machine, Germany and France opened the first corset factories. In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob created a new type of bra.
It was much softer and much shorter than a corset. And it allowed the breasts to be shaped in their natural state. When too many people started asking Mary for her design, she thought she’d better get it protected. So she applied for a patent. She finally sold this patent to Company. With the start of the 20th century Ladies Lingerie became more visually appealing.
It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that the undergarment became alluring, when the arrival of crinoline replaced the manufactured older fabrics which were bulky. After World War I, women began to enter the workforce and corsets were definitely not appropriate for wear in factories. They needed shorter skirts made of cooler and lighter fabric that was easy to care for. The other reason was that the war had taken its charge on their supply of men, which meant more competition in landing a man – women had to look their sexiest!
During the Twenties, with its elaborated parties, fashion changed dramatically – the boyish silhouette was in. The search for flat chests and stomachs, and straight hips and buttocks, led the fashion industry to design the liberty bodice, the chemise, and bloomers – loose-fitting and light. And a long-overdue alternate for ordinary old white appeared – pastel colored lingerie.
The first brassieres were designed to compress the breasts, adding to the total boyish look. The corset was no longer needed – except the bottom part that held up the stockings. So the corset was shortened right down to a belt – the suspender belt.
A decade later, flat breasts were not fashionable anymore. Lingerie of those days was highly interested in feminine proportions once again, and a bra that enlarged the breasts was born. The girdle also became very popular among fashionable women: although full breasts were considered beautiful, overweight women were not of great respect was. The elastic fiber Lastex, invented by Dunlop Rubber, was also introduced into the production of lingerie at that time. It allowed lingerie markets to offer underwear in a different variety of sizes for every female body type, size, and shape.
The 30s brought back the full-figured silhouette as well as they brought an absolute rotate in the shape of the desired silhouette. The woman’s feminine side once again became the priority. Women were confident, looking well-proportioned, full-figured, but still reasonably slim in the hips. Now women had a full set of lingerie to outfit themselves – a breast – enhancing brassiere, an elastic suspender belt, and the girdle, that kept all the curves in the right places.
