MEMORIES:

It’s the French word for “boost”, but the bustier does so much more than just that. An incredibly sexy combination of underwires, pads, and stiff metal or plastic rods called boning, this undergarment both slims the waist and enhances the bosom, to the delight of men everywhere. This new design in women’s underclothing finally made the unhealthy and restrictive corset a thing of the past.

 

Women adopted the bustier in the late 1910s. This new garment was made of newly developed knit fabric, which moved with the body and allowed the wearer to breathe without constriction, unlike the corset, which was far more immovable. The shaping action of the bustier was also far more subtle, enhancing the natural shape of the body, rather than completely recasting it.

 

Bustiers – also called merry-widows - were made from strength rubbers and nylons, narrowing the waist and ending slightly below the buttocks, creating a smooth silhouette. Garters were added to the bottom – straps that held up silk stockings, and make the bustier an all-in-one undergarment that changed the way women dressed.

 

The long and lean look of the 1920’s showed how useful the bustier could be. Women who were naturally tall and thin could wear simple undergarments such as cami-knickers or tap pants and a flat bra. But those who needed a little artificial slimming could use the bustier to gently hold in the stomach and bust to fit under the slim fashions.

 

Bustiers were also perfect for the cinched waists and strapless gowns of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s. The combination of the bra and corset, small, waist-length bustiers lifted up the bust in the bullet shape cone that was a popular shape in the ‘50’s. They were still made from wire and boning, but new, modern materials and construction techniques made the garment more comfortable than ever. After that, the bustier lost it’s popularity in the Twiggy-obsessed ‘60’s, another decade that popularized the flat, boyish look.

 

It was the 1980’s that brought the bustier back out of the closet. Pop icon Madonna brought the garment to the forefront – and as a fashion statement of it’s own. She wore the bustier as an outer garment, paired with lace gloves and crinolines, for a look that was feminine and sexy. She also paired her lace bustiers with slim capri pants, and outfitted the style with theatrical gold braids and tassels. Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier created an array of Madonna-inspired styles, popularizing spiral stitched cone bustiers in shiny black satin.

 

Underwear as outerware became a fashion statement, and girls wore bustiers and bra tops with pants and skirts. The lingerie business boomed, and not since the ‘50’s, when men’s white t-shirts came out from under dress shirts, did underwear become such a wardrobe staple.

 

In recent years, the bustier has returned to the lingerie drawer, doing again what it was designed to do – gently lift and cinch where necessary to make women look and feel more beautiful. It’s always nice to know you’ve got something sexy on underneath it all.