1980′s Lingerie

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:54:34 +0000

Many of the significant changes that took place in the world of women`s lingerie throughout the 60s and 70s were motivated by a general demand for underwear that was more comfortable. After decades of corsets and girdles women were more than ready for underwear that was neither rigid nor restrictive and thus in the 60s and 70s lingerie manufacturers placed emphasis heavily upon comfort and wear-ability.

In the 1980s, however, things started to change in the world of lingerie. Underwear was no longer a matter of politics or even practicality, but instead reflected the contemporary society`s love of style and aesthetics. Comfort was certainly no longer the word of the day, as it was forced to take a back seat to the highly stylised lingerie designs that became widely popular with women throughout the 80s.

One of the most significant developments in the world of lingerie to take place in the 1980s was manufacturers` and lingerie designers` willingness to overtly acknowledge a relationship between lingerie and sex for the first time. Of course by its very nature lingerie had always been linked to sex and sexuality, but throughout the 50s and even the 60s and 70s this had always been conveyed in a rather subtle, almost innocent manner. Naturally there was lingerie during the 50s, 60s and 70s that was designed to be alluring and seductive, but this was always conveyed in a rather soft, feminine and perhaps passive way.

The 80s, however, was a time of power suits and strong empowered women, meaning that there was no longer a place for the flouncy fabrics and pastel hues of previous decades. Taking inspiration from characters in television programmes such as Dynasty and Dallas, lingerie in the 1980s was unashamedly provocative, overtly sexual and downright erotic. Unsurprisingly then red lingerie soared in popularity, as did the use of lace. Although lace had been around for hundreds of years it was absolutely everywhere throughout the 80s and was particularly heavily used in the manufacturing of lingerie.

Lingerie designers also borrowed elements from previous decades that they found to be particularly sexy, which is why stockings and suspender belts enjoyed a resurgence in popularity throughout the 80s. Likewise during the 1980s basques and corsets also became popular again, however not as an everyday underwear item as they had been in the 1950s. In the 80s basques and corsets were worn for aesthetic reasons alone, as they were marketed as the perfect accompaniment to any seductive bedroom ensemble.

But despite all of this, without doubt the most iconic item of lingerie to be born out of the 80s was the body suit. The body suit looked very similar to a swimsuit but was fashioned out of a cotton jersey fabric and fastened with poppers at the gusset. Body suits were designed to be worn under clothing instead of vest, but a trend soon developed for wearing them with skirts or jeans as tops in their own right. As a result of this embellished body suits heavily trimmed with lace were worn by many women, despite the fact that most believed them to be uncomfortable and rather unflattering! Body suits were also frequently designed with low backs, meaning that wearing a bra underneath them was not always possible. For this reason women with larger busts often found adhering to the body suit fashion to be rather difficult, as they offered nothing in the way of support.

These days lingerie designers draw on decades gone by for a lot of their inspiration and the 1980s in no exception. If you are in the mood to embrace some 80s lace then a great modern lingerie collection to look at is After Eden, as they have lots of items fashioned from typically 80s lace,even in red!

FAB 1950s or 1960s BLACK LACE BASQUE BULLET BRA CORSET BONED 32/34B APPROX
£9.99

VINTAGE 80'S RARA DRESS WITH BONED CORSET FROM C&A
£5.00

VTG POIRETTE LINGERIE PINK SATIN PANEL 6-GARTER CORSET OPEN BOTTOM GIRDLE 34
£52.98

Vintage Black Lace Girdle Corset Bra 36D
£7.72

Vintage Lady Marlene Bustier Corset
£70.00

BRAND NEW VINTAGE 80s CORSET/BUSTIER BRA AND THONG L 14/16 C CUP
£.99

Vtg 90s cream SHEER Floral LACE grunge DOLLY corset micro MINI gypsy dress XS S
£13.08

Vintage 90s S/M forest green dripping crochet corset mini dress
£16.60

vtg 70's crochet corset back lace up mini dress tunic M/L boho hippie
£6.38

Catwalk collection Corset Jacket with boning inner and blue velvet outer
£200.00

VINTAGE 80s STYLE ELECTRO POP PROM CORSET SHEER PINK RUCHED PARTY FLORAL DRESS 8
£9.99

Red Pigalle Laurie Steel boned Corset 26" What Katie Did SECOND - NEW
£155.00