A Brief History
The concept of lingerie as a visually appealing undergarment was developed during the late nineteenth century. Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (1863 – 1935), who worked under the professional name of “Lucile”, was a pioneer in developing lingerie that freed women from more restrictive corsets.
During the late 19th century, corsets became smaller, less bulky and more constricting and were gradually supplanted by the brassiere, first patented in the 20th century by Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; 1891 – 1970) .
Today, nearly a century after these pioneering efforts, bottom wear can help you get all the attention that you crave (I mean, just g out in your undergarments and see what happens), or they can also do well to mess up your ensemble. We’ll like to share some that help do the former perfectly!
Digging Deeper
1. Harem Pants
Harem Pants are awesome bottom wears. Essentially they are baggy trousers that are caught at the ankle; basically having a striking resemblance to Patiala Salwar. Just as a design never really remains the same, you also have this trait with harem pants. Harem pants are widely used in belly dancing, although new and innovative designs are always being unveiled for customers. Currently, harem pants can be worn by men and women, but women will definitely find it attractive as it helped bring out their awesome shape.
2. Slacks
Slacks are basically trousers, but the term could also be taken to mean dress pants. It refers to trousers and generally includes dress pants. Slacks are able to perfectly blend with professional attires, while simultaneously rating their traditional and natural appeal. Most times, women opt to pair slacks with a suit or a top that’s long; however, regardless of how you wear a pair, you can always count on slacks to accentuate your figure perfectly. One of the major advantages of slacks is the fact that unlike most bottom wears, you don’t necessarily have to do any matching with the upper wear. You can match them with just about any color and have yourself looking dazzling.
3. Skirts
We all know skirts, don’t we?
Good. Then there’s really no need for the long introductions. All women love wearing skirts, and that has done a great deal to increase their popularity in the western world. Today, skirts are available in various lengths; you have mini skirts, micro skirts, Caribbean skirts, frill skirts, and so much more; however, if you’re looking for a skirt to accentuate your figure, then it is recommended that you go for something that is a bit more tight-fitting.
4. Leggings
Leggings are tight fitted trouser-like garments that cover the entire leg. Leggings are usually made of cotton, although some are made of materials like leather, linen and silk. Leggings can be knee length or ankle length. Most leggings are used sometimes as lingerie as well, and based on the fact that they are made to hug the body and provide firm fit, you can rest assured that they will accentuate your figure pretty nicely.
Question for students (and subscribers): Have you ever worn harem pants? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hill, Colleen and Valerie Steele. Exposed: A History of Lingerie. Yale University Press, 2014.
The featured images in this article, a drawing of The Harem Girl by Bert Green for Puck from March 1911, a photograph of a 19th century Algerian woman wearing the traditional pants which inspired ‘harem pants’, and an illustration of Paul Poiret harem pants in 1911, are in the public domain in the United States.