Under Where? Unmentionables Exposed!
Under Where? The Early Years
It is difficult to determine what ancient peoples wore as underwear. Studies show that both men and women in Crete wore garments similar to corsets and people wrapped bands of linen or kid around their waists and lower torsos in other parts of Greece. During the Middle Ages underwear was strictly utilitarian. It did not indicate class or alter the shape of the body – largely because none of it was ever seen. Instead underwear was worn for three main reasons: added warmth during winter, to protect the skin from harsh outerwear like scratchy wool, and to protect the outerwear from the unclean body. This began to change during the Renaissance when small portions of underwear became part of the visible fashion and took on a more important role.
Altering the Body
From the Renaissance to the 1960s, underwear was used to alter the body. Both men and women wore a variety of items to produce the ideal shape – an hourglass figure for women and a narrow waist and thick calves for men. One of the earliest pieces worn by women to achieve that effect was a farthingale. Farthingales first appeared at the Spanish court in the 1470s. They began as tiered hoop skirts that sloped slightly in the front, making the waist appear very small and the hips and rear unnaturally large. By the late 1500s the farthingale had literally turned into a cage and was worn to produce a bell shape. Women unable to afford a farthingale wore a “bum roll”, a padded, sausage-shaped roll worn around the waist and tied at the front. The bum roll allowed the skirt to fall away from the body but it was not as large as a farthingale.
Farthingales went out of style around 1625 and were replaced by hoop skirts, panniers, petticoats, and bustles. Each of these was in style at different times but all served the same purpose – to provide a bell shaped skirt. Hoop skirts were made of whalebone or wicker and were voluminous, with styles as wide at 15 feet. Panniers became fashionable in the 1700s. Derived from the French word meaning “basket”, panniers were a type of hoop skirt made from plant branches or whalebone covered with fabric. They lifted the outer skirt off a woman’s hips, making the waist appear even smaller and the hips unnaturally wider. In the 1800s, panniers gave way to petticoats. Known as a crinoline petticoat because the fabric was stiffened with crin, this undergarment reverted back to the bell shape. Several petticoats were worn at the same time to achieve the desired look and the extra weight, sometimes as much as 10 pounds, was incredible. In 1856 the cage crinoline was invented. An undergarment made of graduated hoops of cane, whalebone, or steel, the cage crinoline allowed women to discard their heavy petticoats and wear only one item that still gave them the look they desired. From about 1865 to 1900, the bell shape gave way to the bustle, which flattened the front and moved to the width to the rear. Bustles were made from cotton and stuffed with items like cork, deer hair, wire mesh, and even grain husks. They gave the rear a “pouf” look.
Corsets
While various contraptions have been worn below the waist to give the appearance of an hourglass figure, the main garment worn above the waist to create that look was a corset. Early corsets were known as “stays” and began as simple bodices stiffened at the center and waist and laced at the back. They were worn over a cotton chemise or undershirt, and generally were reserved for the aristocracy. Both men and women wore corsets, with women being the more common wearers. Over time corsets became more and more restrictive and, for women, they came to symbolize wealth, virtue, and helplessness.
Men's Underwear
Unlike underwear made for women, men’s underclothing was primarily made of sturdy, protective fibers and designed for comfort and practicality. Corsets for men were in vogue at different periods of time and men during ancient times wore them to achieve a small waist. Later men in the military wore corsets to attain a straight appearance. It is unknown when the loincloth was first used but it is the parent of modern-day men’s underwear.
Men's clothing began as togas, robes, and long shirts. Garments similar to loincloths or, more often, nothing at all was worn underneath the outerwear. In the 11th century robes and shirts started to become shorter, exposing men’s thighs. As a result men began wearing underclothing akin to short trousers. Known as breeches, they reached the knees and were worn underneath the tunic. Eventually robes went away and shirts became very short, exposing the breeches. The name soon changed to mean not underwear but regular, knee-length trousers. In the 1500s men began wearing “drawers” between their breeches and their bodies. As underwear they resembled modern-day men’s swimsuits. This style of underclothing changed little until the 1900s when a relaxing in clothing styles for both men and women took place as the result of sports. Sports require movement and clothing worn during athletics is a standardized uniform – everyone wore basically the same thing. Today's underwear - boxers, jockey shorts, and boxer briefs - are all 20th centurty inventions.
20th Century Underwear
Women did not begin wearing what is today considered underwear until the 20th century. Underwear began to be mass-produced in the 1870s and as garments became more readily available and cheaper to purchase their popularity increased. Most underwear at this time was made from natural fibers – cotton, linen, wool, and silk. The inventions of elastics and synthetic polymers in the late 1800s and early 1900s absolutely revolutionized underwear. Rayon was invented in 1905, viscose rayon in 1911, and lastex (latex combined with other fibers) in 1919. These were soon followed by nylon and polyester. All were lightweight, easy to wash, and more comfortable. As corsets began to go out of style in the 1930s they were replaced with today’s more common panties, all-in-ones, and girdles.
New fabrics and the waning role of corsets led to the invention of bras. The first bra was invented in 1886; it was wire and silk and looked like two liquid strainers hooked together. A more modern bra was developed in 1914 by Mary Phelps Jacobs, who designed and patented a garment made from two handkerchiefs and some pink ribbons. She sold the design to the Warner Corset Co. for $1,500. What we know as today’s bra was invented in 1927 when a patent was granted to William Rosenthal for the first “uplift brassiere”. Rosenthal’s wife, Ida, and her partner, Enid Bissett, were custom dressmakers in New York and they used the patent to create the first Maidenform Brassiere. With their clients requesting more bras the three founded the Maidenform Corporation. The coup de’ grace took place in 1935 when the Warner Company introduced the first bra cup sizes – A, B, C, or D. These changes helped manufacturing underwear on its way to becoming a multimillion dollar industry.
