The sale of foundation garments has increased considerably. With more and more women wanting to look beautiful and slim, new styles of shapewear are becoming a hygiene buy and not things of luxury.
In recent years, the sale of foundation garments has increased considerably. Research has shown that the popularity of shapewear is increasing by the day. With more and more women wanting to look beautiful and slim, new styles of shapewear are becoming a hygiene buy and not things of luxury.
Once upon a time in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived unclothed. Then one day, they ate the apple of sin and felt the need to cover themselves with a fig leaf. Perhaps that was the birth of lingerie, the product of need and desire. However, what makes a woman wear an item of underwear? Is it modesty or the desire to please? Probably, both. It is her wish to accentuate an intimate part of her body.
Body parts like shoulders, breasts, waist, bottom and even ankles are hidden, adorned or compressed according to the ideal of femininity of the time. Women have been imprisoned in corsets reinforced by whalebone, bound in knickers with laces and uncomfortable garters. Today, however, women wear garments which are light as feather and caress the skin when touched.
Somehow, the history and evolution of lingerie run parallel to the emancipation of women. An imaginary gallery of shorts, crinolines, corsets, girdles, silk stockings and knickers of every shape, cut and colour revealed the passage of time – from repression to seduction – illustrate women’s long journey from modest dimensions to erotic reaches of imagination. Women have changed with time; they have squeezed their waists and breasts to resemble androgynous models.
Gone are the days when the colours of lingerie were limited to white, black or skin. Today, female innerwear can be found in all colours of rainbow and neon hues. Often in striped designs, decorated with stars, prints, hearts, animals, lips, and a host of other enchanting patterns. The choices for fabrics are also vast like net, lace, voiles, silk, cotton, rayon, spandex, etc.
Timelines of corset and its variants
1300 – The corset was stiffened linen under bodice, as appeared in Europe. It was the cotte, made in two parts – front and back.
1600 – The corset got more complex and was called a basque or stays over time.
1800 – The corset was renamed a pair of stays.
1832 – A Frenchman, Jean Werly, patented the first woven corset made on loom. Its shape was an integral part of the weaving.
1870 – The focus was on women’s hips and bottoms as well as waists and the long curvaceous figure became a rage. This was achieved with the ‘S-bend corset’ or the ‘Gibson girl silhouette’ that actually distorted the female physique and affected women’s health, impairing respiration and reproduction. Fashion at that time required women to have lavish bust, tiny waist and curvaceous hips.
1907 – Women were freed from the cumbersome clothes they used to wear and could stand upright. A French couturier, Paul Poiret, proclaimed the fall of corset and the use of brassiere.
1910 – ‘Rational corset bodice’, which was a less constricting bodice, was introduced. However, the dance craze of the early 1900s had an even more dramatic effect. ‘The dancing corset’ allowed for more freedom of movement. It was like a girdle, with side panels of zig-zagged elastic and fastened either by lacing back or with hooks down the side. The ‘bust basics corsets’ became staple to women’s wardrobe.
1915 – Europe was at war and women were working in hospitals and factories; they needed corsets that gave them freedom of movement. The ‘Jenkins corset’ had a back lacing system, which laced over the lower back, crossed over the hips and buckled at the front.
1919 – The ‘Corselette’ helped women to have a fuller figure and yet look slim. It was a cross between a slip, brassiere and corset. It had shoulder straps and elongated compressed side panels in loom elastic extending from waist up to mid-thigh.
1928 – Brassiere established as a separate garment, though its function overlapped with corset.
1934 – ‘Sport corset’ was a shorter corset and controlled the hips. It had a two-inch elastic waistband and cut higher on the thigh. This enabled women to play sports and pursue activities like skiing. This was, in fact, the precursor to girdle.
1940 – The ‘Pantee corset’ made history.
1947 – The war came to an end and women craved for glamour yet again. The key to the new look was a ‘cinched’, designed by Marcel Rochas. It was called the cincher in the US, waspie in Britain, and the guimpe or guepiere in France.
1950 – Christian Dior launched torsolette exclusively for eveningwear.
While these shapes were evolving, other developments were taking place in areas of fabrics, zips and knitting machines. In 1937, DuPont introduced nylon, a fabric that was lightweight, allowed greater freedom of movement, gave necessary support and had dipped dry factor. The nylon elastic net was a stretch mesh that eliminated the need for busks, lacing and boning. The elastic net was later renamed ‘power net’. It led to the new generation of foundationwear that transformed a figure to overly sexy shapes.
Impact of Lycra
Vogue wrote: “A little vanity and a little willpower and an ounce of Lycra will make you a lighter woman.” This wonder fabric was impervious to detergents, cosmetics and perspiration. Spandex was another synthetic fibre invented in 1959 by DuPont’s Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia. The word ‘spandex’ is an anagram of the word ‘expands’.
Spandex transformed the textile industry ever since the first sample emerged. Due to its elasticity, it modernised various aspects of the garment industry. It was stretchable and remained tight fitting even after being worn for a long time.
During World War II, scientists took the challenging task of developing synthetic replacement for rubber, since the price of rubber fluctuated frequently and most of the rubber available was used in war equipment.
Bayer, a scientist, produced the first spandex fibre and earned a German copyright for his invention in 1952. Later, scientists at DuPont and the US Rubber Company came up with the final fibre and gave it a brand name Lycra. In 1962, they started large-scale manufacturing of Lycra. Currently, they are the world’s leading producer of spandex fibres.
This invention stood extremely important in the development of shapewear as the fibre had all the properties needed for foundation garments. It was stretchable, light and retained its shape even after being worn for prolonged period.
Mary Quant’s mini skirt and Lycra ushered the end of the era of corset. So, what is foundationwear or shapewear?
A foundation garment (also known as shapewear or shaping underwear) is an undergarment designed to temporarily alter the wearer’s body shape, hence to achieve a fashionable figure. The function of a foundation garment is not to enhance a bodily feature but to control the display of one. It helps to hide flab and flatters the shape.
Women have worn foundation garments, such as corsets and brassieres, for a long time. Some were essential, while others born out of the need for women to feel beautiful.
Rise in shapewear popularity
The shapewear market continues to grow each year. The UK-based retail chain Debenhams recorded a 75 percent increase in shapewear sales between 2009 and 2013. Factors like technological advancement in garment design, lightweight fabrics, fashion that emphasises body shape, re-branding of panty girdles, and celebrities wearing shapewear are contributing to the increased demand of shapewear. Prominent shapewear brand include Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Spanx, Maidenform, Victoria’s Secret, Her Room and Marks & Spencer.
The Indian lingerie market is largely unorganised (70 percent). The organised market consists of larger players such as Enamor, Lovable and Triumph with other relatively smaller names. These brands cater to mid- to high-price segments. There are more brands catering to lower price segments, such as Juliet, Libertina, Daisy Dee, etc. With liberalisation in FDI, more and more international brands are entering the Indian market. Under the intimatewear segment, La Senza and M&S have stepped in, while Benetton and CK are poised to push their underwear categories on a large scale with retail support. Multi-brand store concepts for mid-high price have also surfaced in the metros.
A foundation garment may be worn for a specific outfit. Being an underwear, the foundation garment should not be visible under the outerwear, unless the exposure is intended. A general-purpose, ‘all the way’ shaper with clear straps that starts at the bust and ends at the knee or mid-calf is also available.
Foundation garments may come with a built-in strapless bra for dresses and halters. Shapewear may be categorised according to the level or shape control offered, for instance light, medium or firm. The basic foundationwear is a body-liner or bodysuit; it is an ultra-light weight leotard. The leotard offers greater control over a body-liner.
They are available in unitard style (shortened legs) or camisole-leotard style; including in boy-leg or capri-leg lengths, spaghetti straps, low-cut necklines, and even scoop backs. These garments are made more with Lycra spandex than the usual 10 percent Lycra and 90 percent cotton blend used in most leotards.
Torsette is another style of shapewear available in myriad silhouettes. They are made for women who want to wear the bra and shapewear separately. They are similar to camisoles but unlike camisoles, they help reduce flab around the bust area.
This design solves the problem of women who have large or small breasts; or who have difficulty in finding proper fitting shapers with correct cup size. It also helps women with heavy bust who want to wear all-in-one shapers that give proper control to the back, tummy, thigh and midriff. Besides providing these solutions, the torsette also allows customers to choose from plunge, push-up, demi, balconette, full-coverage, minimising or any other type of bras.
A torsette firmly covers the upper back and the areas below the shoulder blades. It also eliminates spread of back fat over bra wings. It creates a smooth look and conceals lines created by the straps, wings, slides and rings of the bra. It wraps the front of the torso, from below the bust to hips; and provides control of the midriff and tummy.
In recent years, the sale of foundation garments has increased considerably. Research has shown that the popularity of shapewear is increasing. With more and more women wanting to look beautiful and slim, new styles of shapewear are becoming a hygiene buy and not luxury.
In the west, shapewear are more popular as the apparels are more body defining. In India, it has not been long since women have started wearing dresses and tight skirts. Hence, the younger generation, especially in the metros, has started wearing shapewear. The older Indian is yet to get comfortable wearing shapewear.
In a survey of 500 American women carried out by Kelton Research for Jockey International in 2008 showed that 44 percent wore shapewear regularly or occasionally. It showed that traditional brands are preferred by older women; of 186 reviews of best-selling M&S control briefs, 53 percent of respondents were over 55. Similarly, in the USA, only 13 reviews of out of 230 for two control briefs stocked by Her Room – it is the largest woman-owned lingerie retailer in the US – were from women under 50. Nevertheless, this proportion increased to over one-third in the case of a firm, Long Leg Girdle. And, of 70, UK reviews for two high-waisted garments, 60 percent were from those under 55. Shapewear has swept over celebrities and body-conscious women alike, and has made a huge US$ 720 million a year in the US alone. The range by lingerie designer Bruno Schiavi, and plastic surgeon and reality TV star Robert Rey, boasted a sale of US$ 1 million in its debut weekend. Other designers like John Paul Gautier, Christian Dior and Vivienne Westwood have glamourised the corset into a fashion accessory.
Since, Spanx was featured in talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey’s show, most Hollywood stars, including Katherine Heigl, Jessica Alba and Cate Blanchett are using the brand’s knickers. Other brands in the market include Hollywood Shapes, Nancy Gantz and Bella Bodies.
A regular user of shapewear said that wearing a Rey’s high waist step-ins takes her dress-size down by 7 cm. Although many claim it to be a modern version of corset or girdle, Alicia Kawalsky, sales director at Jet International that distributes Spanx in Australia, said that technology has made shapewear much safer and easier for women to wear.
Challenges & risks
Various reports have pointed out that continuous wearing of shapewear can cause blood clots, acid reflux and breathing problems. However, some shapewear enthusiasts claimed that if worn the right way, there would be no health implications at all.
Shapewear and undergarments have been worn since the turn of the century. In Margaret Mitchells’ ‘Gone with the Wind’, Scarlett O’Hara was laced up in her corset. Sometimes beauty is a pain, but our generation is lucky. With latest technology, creative fabric, stitching techniques and high-quality design, one can achieve that hourglass look without pain; there’s no boning and no horsehair.
Australian actor, Isla Fisher, revealed that her weight-loss secret was a pair of tummy-tucking knickers. Following the shooting of her film ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’, she said that she owed her on-screen figure to Spanx. “They’re amazing. They’re like Lycra bodysuit that holds you in. You cannot breathe and you can’t go to the toilet but they’re worth it,” she admitted. But, wearing a shapewear to the point of losing your breath has raised concerns of heath complications. According to Dr. Cindy Pan, an Australian doctor and media personality, has said that one can easily use a shapewear to smooth out lumps and bumps as long as the garment fits correctly. “It’s not supposed to transform you from size 14 to 6. If you use common sense and comfort as a guide, I don’t think that you are going to be doing yourself too much harm. But the main thing is to be realistic about the sizing,” she said.
In the Indian market, there are a number of brands offering shapewear like Avirate, Jockey, B’Witch, Heart to Heart, Chloe, Scandale, etc. Many online portals like Jabong, Myntra, Amazon, Pretty Secrets, Zivame, Homeshop 18, Dermawear, Moods of Chloe and Yebhi are selling shapewear. The prices range from Rs. 300 to Rs. 4,500 depending on the kind and brand of shapewear.
Most young women that I spoke to preferred buying from Marks & Spencer or a renowned brand for the first time. The Indian lingerie market has unleashed like never before; it has undergone a transformation in the past few years. The innovative technology has influenced the making of lingerie.
With US$ 2.5 billion innerwear industry, the global women’s innerwear is the fastest growing segment significantly outstripping the growth in men’s and overall innerwear market. With evolving perceptions, lingerie has managed to become an essential part of a woman’s wardrobe from being just a bare necessity. Rising disposable income, growing organised retail and increased awareness among the consumer segment would further stimulate the gains in the industry. The industry, though faced with certain challenges, would continue to march ahead driven by Indian consumption boom and compelling demand demographics in India.
It is estimated that the industry would grow at a CAGR of 18 percent until 2015 and would be soaring to new heights. The Indian lingerie industry, pegged at US$ 1.5 billion in 2011, would jump to reach US$ 3 billion by 2015.
