Girdles were widely popular for about 50 years from the early to the mid 1900's. Made& originally of rubber and later elastic, girdles smooth the body line and made the wearer appear to have a nicer form. Girdles replaced the very restrictive corset and in turn were replaced by the panty girdle. Like corsets and other types of vintage sexy lingerie, girdles are enjoying something of a renaissance.
The first girdle was made of rubber and was likely created by the French fashion designer Paul Poiret for American ballroom dancer Irene Castle sometime between 1910-1912. Follwing a corset pattern he used rubber so that Irene's dancing could be more fluid. Poiret's girdle brought the ultimate end to the corset. Poiret was quoted as saying I freed the bust but I bound the legs.
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Girdles : An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips, especially by women, to give the body a more slender appearance.
In modern English the term "girdles" is most commonly used for a form of women's underwear that replaced the corset in popularity.
Constructed of elasticized fabric and usually fastened with hook and eye closures or zippers, the modern girdles are designed to shape and smooth a woman's figure, thereby producing a more aesthetically pleasing and attractive silhouette. Most girdles extend from the waist to the thighs.
Girdles and "body shapers" are still popular with women who want to shape their figure with a garment. |
