EGYPT and GREECE were the first ancient civilisations to wear lingerie. Women of Crete wore a functional corset that supported their breasts at the base and an early prototype of the bra, known as a strophium, was in use in Roman times.



MIDDLE AGES, the European nobility wore linen clothes under lavishly decorated and expensive outerwear. This ensured their luxurious costumes were protected from dirty bodies, and kept the wearer warm. Small, firm breasts were the fashion, and women wore a multitude of corset-like variations. The hard centrepiece, known as the basque, was often lavishly carved as a lover's token.

ELIZABETHAN wide-hipped fashion of the sixteenth century, focussed attention on a woman's ability to have children. Toward the end of the Renaissance, the padded silhouette became the mode, with a flat stomach and narrow waist. The style became greatly overstated during the seventeenth century when the frame achieved astonishing proportions, the corset became a near straitjacket, moulding women's bodies into abnormal shapes and used as an pretentious display of the rich, highly decorated dress fabrics of the day.

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, the corset became a work of art never seen before in undergarments. Generous use of damask, satin or brocaded silk, embellished with embroidery, hid the trough structure of whalebone within.

NINETEENTH CENTURY, the extent and style of underwear worn by women reached its zenith, and women's figures became more exaggerated, a miniscule corseted waist, followed by whalebone hoops and crinolines covered with yards of fabric, flounces and trims. The bustle emphasised women’s bottoms, and lacy pantaloons and many layers of petticoats created full skirts. The female body become so unobtainable beneath the layers of underwear that removing it became a form of sexual anticipation and created the first striptease shows.