1990′s Lingerie

During the 1980s both women and lingerie manufacturers started to move away from the idea that underwear was either a political statement or a practical necessity, instead embracing the potential of lingerie as both fashion items and weapons of seduction.

The growing demand for super sexy lingerie that began in the 1980s only grew throughout the 90s and as a result lace become the popular fabric du jour. At the time lace was extremely popular throughout all areas of fashion (we probably have Madonna to thank for that) and its feminine nature and suggestive transparency made it perfect for use in the construction of lingerie. In previous decades lace had been regarded as a material to be used for embellishment or decoration, but in the 90s lingerie manufacturers began to use lace as the primary and often the only material for their undergarments. Lace lingerie was absolutely everywhere and was no longer saved for saucy nights in as it had been during the 80s – in the 90s lace lingerie was an every day occurrence.

By the end of the 90s the bra market in the UK alone was worth half a billion pounds, which many believe was due to the so-called return of the cleavage. Although a perfect hourglass silhouette had been popular back in the 50s, women were still expected to be modest and keep their assets well and truly covered up. In the 90s, however, there was an ever-growing attitude of 'anything goes', which combined with the power dressing and overt sexualisation of lingerie in the 80s encouraged women to have a little cleavage on show. This fashion for cleavage was, of course, helped along by the iconic 'Hello Boys' advertising campaign from Wonderbra, which convinced millions of women (and men!) that the 90s should be the decade that cleavage made its long awaited comeback.

But whilst bras really were big business during the 1990s there were also other interesting things going on in the world of lingerie, one of which was our rapidly shrinking knickers. Before the 90s the thong was only seen on extremely skimpy swimwear, but during this decade lingerie manufacturers and fahionistas alike decided that visible underwear simply was not acceptable and that the only possible solution to this dilemma was the thong. Needless to say this eye-wateringly small lingerie item enjoyed a huge wave of popularity and many a thong could be spotted any time a woman knelt down or bent over. Many lingerie sets were sold with thongs rather than briefs and to this day when buying matching lingerie you almost always have a choice between a thong and larger briefs or French knickers.

Throughout the 20th century fashion frequently influenced developments in lingerie and the 90s was no exception. During the 90s straighter, figure-hugging sheath dresses found there way into fashion, which resulted in a huge rise in the demand for underwear that offered much more control than just a bra and a thong! As a result of this the 90s was the decade in which control underwear was born, as lingerie manufacturers started to explore the potential for lingerie to help women create slimmer, smoother silhouettes beneath their clothing. Despite demanding such items many women were reluctant to buy the old fashioned corselets and girdles available, thus the super-stretchy control underwear that we are now all familiar with started to hit the market. This new type of control underwear enjoyed a huge amount of market success and still continues to sell extremely well today.

The developments in the lingerie world in the 1990s had a huge impact on the styles and shapes of the lingerie we see in the shops today. Womens designer underwear in particular owes a lot to the 90s, as it is the 90s willingness for experimentation and carefree attitude of 'anything goes' that has allowed modern lingerie designers to be so bold and creative in their work.