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Undergarment



 
 
Undergarments are clothes
Clothing

A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
 worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, shape the body and provide support for parts of it. When the weather is cold, long underwear
Long underwear

Long underwear, often called long johns, is a style of two-piece underwear with long sleeves and long legs that is normally worn during cold weather....
 is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth.






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Encyclopedia


Knickers1
Undergarments are clothes
Clothing

A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
 worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, shape the body and provide support for parts of it. When the weather is cold, long underwear
Long underwear

Long underwear, often called long johns, is a style of two-piece underwear with long sleeves and long legs that is normally worn during cold weather....
 is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Some undergarments are intended for erotic
Eroticism

Eroticism is an aesthetic focus on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. It is not only the state of arousal and anticipation, but also the attempt through whatever means of representation to incite those feelings....
 effect. Special types of undergarments have religious
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
 significance. Some items of clothing are designed as underwear, while others such as T-shirt
T-shirt

A T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves....
s and certain types of shorts
Shorts

Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
 are appropriate both as undergarments and as outer clothing. If made of suitable material, some undergarments can serve as nightwear
Nightwear

Nightwear, also called "sleepwear", "sleeping suit", "nightclothes", or "nightdress", is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. Nightwear usage is seasonal, i.e....
 or swimsuit
Swimsuit

A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn while participating in List of water sports and activities such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing....
s.

Undergarments commonly worn by women today include brassiere
Brassiere

A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts.As well as an undergarment, the bra is considered a foundation garment because of its role in shaping the wearer's figure....
s and panties
Panties

Panties or knickers or pants or undies are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist....
 (also known as knickers
Knickers

In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth of Nations nations, knickers is a word for women's undergarments. George Cruikshank, whose illustrations are classic icons for Charles Dickens's works, also did the illustrations for Washington Irving's droll History of New York when it was published in London....
), while men wear briefs
Briefs

Briefs are a type of short, tight Y-shaped underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's male genitalia in a relatively fixed position, which makes briefs a popular underwear choice for men who are participating in athlet...
, boxer shorts
Boxer shorts

Boxer shorts are a type of underwear worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by Boxing, for whom unhindered leg movement is almost as important as the completely free arm movement of the barechested fighters....
, or boxer briefs
Boxer briefs

Boxer briefs are a type of men's underwear.They are long in the leg, like boxer shorts, but tighter-fitting, like briefs, a compromise between the two main types of male underwear in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada....
. Items worn by both sexes include T-shirts, sleeveless shirts (also called singlets), bikini underwear
Bikini

File:Girl with red flowered bikini.jpgA bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts , the other the groin , leaving an uncovered area between the two ....
, thongs
Thong (clothing)

The thong is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by both sexes but more commonly women, in a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment?s back designed to sit between the wearer?s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband....
 and G-string
G-string

A G-string is a type of underwear, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the Hip , worn as swimsuit or underwear by both men and women....
s.

Terminology

There are a number of alternative terms for undergarments. Underclothes, underclothing and underwear are formal terms, while undergarments may be more casually referred to in Australia as Reg Grundys (rhyming slang for undies) or Reginalds, and in the UK as smalls (from the earlier smallclothes).

Women's undergarments are collectively known as lingerie
Lingerie

Lingerie is a term for fashionable and alluring women's undergarments. It derives from the French word linge, "washables" ? as in faire le linge, "do the laundry" ? and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then...
. They may also be called intimate clothing or simply intimates.

An undershirt
Undershirt

An undershirt is an article of underwear worn underneath a shirt. This is to protect dress shirts from sweat and smells. It also makes dress shirts less transparent....
 is a general word for a piece of underwear covering the torso
Torso

Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk....
, while underpants (in the UK, often simply known as pants), drawers, or shorts enclose the genital region
Sex organ

A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; in mammals, these include:...
. Terms for specific forms of undergarments are listed in the table below.

Function

Undergarments are worn for a variety of reasons. They keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration. Women's brassiere
Brassiere

A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts.As well as an undergarment, the bra is considered a foundation garment because of its role in shaping the wearer's figure....
s provide support for their breast
Breast

The breast is the upper ventral region of an animal?s torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a female primate?s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used to feed infants....
s, and men's briefs
Briefs

Briefs are a type of short, tight Y-shaped underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's male genitalia in a relatively fixed position, which makes briefs a popular underwear choice for men who are participating in athlet...
 serve the same function for the male genitalia
Male reproductive system (human)

The human male reproductive system is a series of organs located outside of the body and around the pelvis region of a male that contribute towards the Reproduction process....
; a corset
Corset

A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
 is worn to mould the torso
Torso

Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. It is sometimes referred to as the trunk....
 into a certain shape. For additional support and protection when playing sports, men often wear more tightly fitting underwear, including jockstrap
Jockstrap

A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during the performance of sports or other vigorous physical activity....
s and trunks
Boxer briefs

Boxer briefs are a type of men's underwear.They are long in the leg, like boxer shorts, but tighter-fitting, like briefs, a compromise between the two main types of male underwear in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada....
. Women may wear sports bra
Sports bra

Sports bra is a Brassiere that provides firm support for the breasts. It is intended for wear during vigorous exercise that might cause the breasts to move uncomfortably, preventing discomfort and embarrassment during exercise....
s which provide greater support, thus increasing comfort and reducing the chance of damage to the ligament
Ligament

Ligaments connect bone to bone. In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote three different types of structures:# Fibrous Tissue that connects bones to other bones....
s of the chest during high-impact exercises such as jogging.

In cold climates, undergarments are an additional layer of clothing that help the wearer to keep warm. Undergarments can be used to preserve the wearer's modesty
Modesty

Standards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged....
 – for instance, some women wear camisole
Camisole

File:Camisole.pngHistorically, camisole referred to jackets of various kinds, including overshirts , women's Negligee and sleeved jackets worn by men....
s and slips
Slip (clothing)

A slip is a woman's undergarment worn beneath a dress or skirt to help it hang smoothly and to prevent chafing of the skin from coarse textiles such as wool....
 (petticoat
Petticoat

A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
s) under clothes that are sheer
Sheer (textile)

"Sheer" when applied to textile, refers to semi-Transparency and flimsy cloth. It is usually a very thin knits and is used to make tights, leggings and stockings....
. Conversely, undergarments can also be worn for erotic
Eroticism

Eroticism is an aesthetic focus on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. It is not only the state of arousal and anticipation, but also the attempt through whatever means of representation to incite those feelings....
 effect. It is possible to purchase underwear made specifically for sexual titillation, such as edible underwear
Edible underwear

Edible underwear is a type of undergarment that are formed of an edible material which can be consumed by the Sexual partner during sexual activity....
 and crotch
Crotch

Crotch or crotch may refer to:*William Crotch, English composer, organist and artist.*Any region of an object where a Trunk splits into two or more branchs....
less panties
Panties

Panties or knickers or pants or undies are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist....
.

Some items of clothing are designed as underwear, while others such as T-shirt
T-shirt

A T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves....
s and certain types of shorts
Shorts

Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
 are suitable both as undergarments and as outer clothing. The suitability of underwear as outer clothing is, apart from the indoor or outdoor climate, largely dependent on societal norms, fashion
Fashion

Fashion refers to the styles and customs prevalent at a given time. In its most common usage, "fashion" exemplifies the appearances of clothing, but the term encompasses more....
 and the requirements of the law. If made of suitable material, some undergarments can serve as nightwear
Nightwear

Nightwear, also called "sleepwear", "sleeping suit", "nightclothes", or "nightdress", is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. Nightwear usage is seasonal, i.e....
 or swimsuit
Swimsuit

A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn while participating in List of water sports and activities such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing....
s.

Religious functions


Undergarments can also have religious
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
 significance:

  • Judaism. Male Orthodox Jews
    Orthodox Judaism

    Orthodox Judaism is a Jewish denominations of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict constructionist and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim....
     wear a four-cornered prayer shawl
    Shawl

    A shawl is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or Square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape....
     called a tallit katan
    Tallit

    The taleth or talet tallit , also tallis is a Jewish prayer shawl worn while reciting morning prayers as well as in the synagogue on Sabbath and holidays....
    , which has tzitzit
    Tzitzit

    Tzitzit or tzitzis are "fringes" or "tassels" worn by observant Jews on the corners of four-cornered garments, including the tallit ....
     (fringes) attached to the corners, draped over their shoulders. To conform with societal dress codes, a tallit katan is often worn beneath one's shirt, but above an undershirt as it should not come into contact with the skin.
  • Mormonism. Most members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons
    Mormonism

    Mormonism is a term used to describe the religion, ideology and subculture elements of the Latter Day Saint movement, and specifically, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
    ) wear special temple garment
    Temple garment

    In some denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, the temple garment is worn as a religious vesture beneath the clothing of those who have taken part in the Endowment ....
    s after they have been endowed
    Endowment (Mormonism)

    In Latter Day Saint theology, the Endowment usually refers to an ordinance or ritual that is performed in temple . The term may also refer more generally to any gift of ?power from on high?, or more specifically to events of importance to the Latter Day Saint movement in which particular gifts or powers were ?endowed? upon members of the ch...
     in a temple
    Temple (Mormonism)

    In the Latter Day Saint movement , a temple is a building dedicated to be a house of God and is reserved for special forms of worship. A temple differs from a church meeting house, which is used for Worship services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Weekly services....
     to help them remember the teachings of the temple.
  • Sikhism. One of the panj kakaar
    Five Ks

    The Five Ks, or panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that baptised Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699....
     (five articles of faith) that Sikh
    Sikhism

    Sikhism , founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Sikh Gurus in fifteenth century Punjab region, is the Major religious groups organized religion in the world....
     men wear is a type of underpants called the kaccha
    Kaccha

    Kachera/Kaccha are an undergarment which looks similar to boxer shorts.It is one of the five Sikh articles of faith, called the Five Ks, and was given as a gift of love by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 and worn by all baptized Sikh....
    , which are similar to boxer shorts
    Boxer shorts

    Boxer shorts are a type of underwear worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by Boxing, for whom unhindered leg movement is almost as important as the completely free arm movement of the barechested fighters....
    .


Types and styles

Common contemporary types and styles of undergarments are listed in the table below.

TypeOther namesInformationVarieties
Worn by both sexes
Whole body
Long underwear
Long underwear

Long underwear, often called long johns, is a style of two-piece underwear with long sleeves and long legs that is normally worn during cold weather....

Long johns, long handlesA two-piece undergarment worn during cold weather consisting of a shirt with sleeves extending to the wrists and trousers with pant legs reaching down to the ankles.
  • Thermal underwear – made from two-ply
    Ply

    Ply may refer to.* Ply * PLY , the polygon data file format.* Plying, the spinning technique to make yarn.* A colloquialism for Plywood* The different layers of toilet paper....
     fabric.
Upper body
Sleeveless shirt

Tank top, wife beater, singletA sleeveless garment similar to a T-shirt.
  • A-shirt (guinea tee, muscle shirt, singlet, wifebeater; UK: vest) – tight-fitting with large armholes and a neckline that can extend as far as mid-chest.
  • T-shirt
    T-shirt

    A T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves....

    TeeA garment covering a person's torso which is usually without buttons, pockets or a collar, and has long or (mostly) short sleeves. It is worn by pulling it over the head.
  • Round-neck T-shirt
  • V-neck T-shirt
  • Lower body
    Bikini underwear
    Bikini

    File:Girl with red flowered bikini.jpgA bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts , the other the groin , leaving an uncovered area between the two ....

     Usually worn with the waistband lower than the wearer's waist, and often at the hips, with the leg bands ending at the groin
    Groin

    In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two wikt:crease at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a pulled Adductor muscles of the hip....
    . Men's bikini briefs normally have no fly
    Fly (clothing)

    A fly on clothing is a covering over an opening join concealing the mechanism, such as a zipper, velcro or buttons used to join the opening. The term is most frequently applied to a short opening in trousers, shorts and other garments covering the groin, and to allow garments to be taken on and off with greater ease, and for convenience at...
    .
  • High-sided bikini underwear
  • Low-sided bikini underwear
  • String bikini
    Bikini

    File:Girl with red flowered bikini.jpgA bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts , the other the groin , leaving an uncovered area between the two ....
     – consists of two triangular pieces connected at the groin
    Groin

    In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two wikt:crease at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a pulled Adductor muscles of the hip....
     but not at the sides, with a thin "string" around the waist connecting the pieces.
  • G-string
    G-string

    A G-string is a type of underwear, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the Hip , worn as swimsuit or underwear by both men and women....

    Gee-string, gee stringA type of thong consisting of a narrow piece of material that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips. 
    Tanga
    Thong (clothing)

    The thong is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by both sexes but more commonly women, in a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment?s back designed to sit between the wearer?s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband....

     A type of thong which has no material around the sides other than the waistband. 
    Thong
    Thong (clothing)

    The thong is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by both sexes but more commonly women, in a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment?s back designed to sit between the wearer?s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband....

     Has a narrow strip of material along the centre of the garment's rear which sits between the wearer's buttocks and connects the front or pouch to the waistband behind the wearer. Thongs are sometimes worn to reduce "panty line
    Panty line

    A prominent, visible panty line or VPL occurs when the outline of one's underpants becomes visible through one's clothes. There may be a ridge or depression in the clothes, or the clothes may be slightly see-through....
    s" when wearing tightly-fitting trousers
    Trousers

    Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately . Such items of clothing are often referred to as pants in countries such as Canada, South Africa and The United States....
    .
     
    Worn by women
    Upper body
    Brassiere
    Brassiere

    A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts.As well as an undergarment, the bra is considered a foundation garment because of its role in shaping the wearer's figure....

    BraUsually consists of two cups for the breasts, a centre panel (gore), a band running around the torso under the bust, and a shoulder strap for each side.
  • Demi bra (balconette bra)
  • Padded bra
  • Push-up bra
  • Sports bra
    Sports bra

    Sports bra is a Brassiere that provides firm support for the breasts. It is intended for wear during vigorous exercise that might cause the breasts to move uncomfortably, preventing discomfort and embarrassment during exercise....
  • Strapless bra
  • T-shirt bra
  • Lower body
    Boy shorts
    Boyshorts

    Boy shorts, also known as boy short panties, boys' cut, booty shorts, shorties, tap panties or boyleg briefs are a sort of lingerie that goes all the way down the hips....

    Booty shorts, boyleg briefs, boy short panties, boys' cut shorts, boyshorts, shortiesA type of panties with sides that extend lower down the hips, rather like men's briefs. 
    Panties
    Panties

    Panties or knickers or pants or undies are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist....

    UK: Knickers
    Knickers

    In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth of Nations nations, knickers is a word for women's undergarments. George Cruikshank, whose illustrations are classic icons for Charles Dickens's works, also did the illustrations for Washington Irving's droll History of New York when it was published in London....
    These usually have an elastic waistband, a crotch to cover the genital area which is usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton, and a pair of leg openings which are often also elasticized. They either have very short or no leg sections.
  • Control panties – usually made of strechable material such as Spandex
    Spandex

    Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity . It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor....
     and extending above the waist, these are designed to provide support and create a slimmer appearance.
  • High cut (French cut) panties.
  • Hipsters – worn lower with the waistband around the hips.
  • Worn by men
    Lower body
    Boxer briefs
    Boxer briefs

    Boxer briefs are a type of men's underwear.They are long in the leg, like boxer shorts, but tighter-fitting, like briefs, a compromise between the two main types of male underwear in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada....

    TrunksThese are similar in style to boxer shorts, but are generally shorter and form-fitting like briefs.
  • Athletic-style boxer briefs – similar to cycling shorts
    Cycling shorts

    Cycling shorts are short, skin-tight legwear designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling. They:* Reduce wind resistance.* Protect the skin against the repetitive friction of the legs against the bicycle seat or frame....
    , these are skin-tight and usually have no fly.
  • Pouch boxer briefs – these have a pouch for the genitals instead of a fly.
  • Boxer shorts
    Boxer shorts

    Boxer shorts are a type of underwear worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by Boxing, for whom unhindered leg movement is almost as important as the completely free arm movement of the barechested fighters....

    BoxersThese have an elasticized waistband that is at or near the wearer's waist, while the leg sections are fairly loose and extend to the mid-thigh. There is usually a fly, either with or without button
    Button

    In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small disc, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or for fashion....
    s. The waistbands of boxer shorts are usually wider than those of briefs, and often bear the brand name
    Brand

    A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity....
     of the manufacturer.

    Boxer shorts with colourful patterns, pictures of cartoon characters, sports team logos and slogans are readily available.

    • Knit boxers
    • Woven boxers
    Briefs
    Briefs

    Briefs are a type of short, tight Y-shaped underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's male genitalia in a relatively fixed position, which makes briefs a popular underwear choice for men who are participating in athlet...

    UK: Slip, Y-fronts
    US: Jockey shorts, tightie-whities
    These have an elasticized waistband at or near the wearer's waist, and leg sections that end at or near the groin
    Groin

    In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two wikt:crease at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a pulled Adductor muscles of the hip....
    .
    • Traditional briefs – these have a Y-shaped fly.
    • Diagonal-flap briefs.
    • Double-seat or double-back briefs.
    • Low-cut or low-rise briefs
    • Pouch briefs.
    Jockstrap
    Jockstrap

    A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during the performance of sports or other vigorous physical activity....

    Athletic supporter, jock, strap, supporterConsists of an elastic waistband with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of the waistband at the hip. In some varieties, the pouch may be fitted with a pocket to hold an impact-resistant cup to protect the genitals from injury.
  • Strapless pouch – consists of a support pouch for the genitals and a waistband, with no securing straps.


  • Fashions and trends


    Designers and retailers

    A number of major designer label
    Designer label

    The term designer label refers to clothing and other personal accessory items sold under an often prestigious marquee which is commonly named after a designer....
    s are renowned for their underwear collections, including Calvin Klein
    Calvin Klein

    Calvin Richard Klein is an United States fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc.In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc....
     and Dolce & Gabbana
    Dolce & Gabbana

    Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian fashion house. Its designs are worn by the likes of Fergie, Jennifer Lopez, Gisele B?ndchen, Michelle Williams, Madonna , Monica Bellucci, Ashanti, Christina Aguilera, Isabella Rossellini, and Kylie Minogue...
    . Likewise, specialist underwear brands such as 2(x)ist
    2(x)ist

    2ist is an American manufacturer of men's underwear. The brand was founded by Gregory Sovell, who in 2005 left the company to start C-IN2, a competing underwear brand....
    , C-IN2, Ginch Gonch, Lord and Obviously are constantly emerging.

    Specialist retailers of underwear include high street
    High Street

    High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic street name of the primary business street of towns or city in the United Kingdom....
     stores La Senza
    La Senza

    La Senza is a Canada fashion retailer based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which specializes in own-branded stores located in shopping centres, as well as online shopping....
     (Canada), Agent Provocateur
    Agent Provocateur (lingerie)

    Agent Provocateur is a lingerie brand based in the United Kingdom. The company has stores in 13 countries across the globe including cities such as London, New York City, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Nevada, Los Angeles, Paris, Vienna and Berlin....
     (UK), Victoria's Secret
    Victoria's Secret

    Victoria's Secret is an United States retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest a segment of publicly traded Limited Brands with sales surpassing United States dollar$5 billion and an Earnings before interest and taxes of $1 billion in 2006....
     (USA), and GapBody, the lingerie division of the Gap
    Gap (clothing retailer)

    The Gap, Inc. is an United States clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F....
     established in 1998 (USA). In 2008 Abercrombie & Fitch
    Abercrombie & Fitch

    Abercrombie & Fitch is an United States clothing retailer encompassing five brands: The namesake flagship Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister Co., RUEHL No.925 , and Gilly Hicks....
     opened a new chain of stores, Gilly Hicks
    Gilly Hicks

    Gilly Hicks is a lifestyle brand, from United States company Abercrombie & Fitch, specializing in women's "Undergarments from casual to sexy, relaxed loungewear and personal care products." Marketed for the female consumers of its parent brand, Gilly Hicks is officially labeled as "the Cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch."...
    , to compete with other underwear retailers.

    Exposed undergarments


    Underwear is sometimes partly exposed for fashion reasons or to titillate. A woman may, for instance, allow the top of her brassiere to peek out from under her collar
    Collar (clothing)

    In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. A collar may also be a separate or detachable accessory worn around the neck....
    , or wear a see-through blouse
    Blouse

    The word blouse most commonly refers to a woman's shirt, although the term is also used for some men's military uniform jackets....
     over it. Some men wear T-shirts underneath partly- or fully-unbuttoned shirt
    Shirt

    A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an item of Undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become in American English a catch-all term for almost any upper-body garment other than outerwear such as sweaters or Coat , or undergarments such as brassiere ....
    s.

    A common style among young men is to allow their trousers to sag
    Sagging (fashion)

    Sagging is a manner of wearing pants or shorts below the waist, revealing some or all of the wearer's Undergarment....
     below their waists, thus revealing the waistband or a greater portion of their boxer shorts. A woman wearing low-rise trousers which expose the upper rear portion of her thong underwear is said to display a "whale tail
    Whale tail

    Whale tail is the Y-shaped waistband of a Thong or g-string when visible above the waistline of low-rise jeans, shorts, or a skirt that resembles a whale's tail....
    ".

    Not wearing undergarments

    Not wearing undergarments under one's outer clothing is known in American slang as freeballing for men or freebuffing for women; in addition, the term going commando
    Going commando

    Going commando is the practice of not wearing undergarment under one's outer clothing....
     is used for both sexes. People choose to forgo underwear for reasons of comfort, to enable their outer garments (particularly those which are form-fitting) to look more flattering, or because they find it sexually arousing. The practice is not without its risks, particularly for women, some of whom have been the victims of upskirt
    Upskirt

    Upskirt is a :slang term usually referring to up skirt photography, images of the view up a woman's skirt , including shots of a woman's underwear or crotch, or exposing her vulva or buttocks....
     photographers.

    Certain types of clothes, such as cycling shorts
    Cycling shorts

    Cycling shorts are short, skin-tight legwear designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling. They:* Reduce wind resistance.* Protect the skin against the repetitive friction of the legs against the bicycle seat or frame....
     and kilt
    Kilt

    The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century....
    s, are designed to be worn or are traditionally worn without underwear.

    History


    Ancient history


    The loincloth
    Loincloth

    A loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a Belt , which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks....
     is the simplest form of underwear; it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates the loincloth was often the only clothing worn (effectively making it an outer garment rather than an undergarment), as was doubtless its origin, but in colder regions the loincloth often formed the basis of a person's clothing and was covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available.

    A loincloth may take three major forms. The first, and simplest, is simply a long strip of material which is passed between the legs and then around the waist. Archaeologists have found the remains of such loincloths made of leather
    Leather

    Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
     dating back 7,000 years. The ancient Hawaii
    Hawaii

    File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
    an malo was of this form, as are several styles of the Japanese fundoshi
    Fundoshi

    is the traditional Japanese underwear for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males; however it went out of use quickly after the war with the advent of new underwear, such as briefs and boxer briefs, on the Japanese market....
    . Another form is usually called a cache-sexe
    Cache-sexe

    A cache-sexe is an item, often a small garment, that covers its user's genitals. The most common style, seen in Western G-strings and Japanese Fundoshis, has a triangle of material attached at the corners to straps or strings around the waist and between the legs, that fasten the triangle over the genitals....
    : a triangle of cloth is provided with strings or loops, which are used to fasten the triangle between the legs and over the genitals. Egypt
    Egypt

    Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
    ian king Tutankhamun
    Tutankhamun

    Tutankhamun , Egyptian language was an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt , during the period of History of Egypt known as the New Kingdom....
     (1341 BC – 1323 BC) was found buried with numerous linen
    Linen

    Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
     loincloths of this style. An alternate form is more skirt
    Skirt

    A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In European culture, skirts are usually considered woman clothing....
    -like: a cloth is wrapped around the hips several times and then fastened with a girdle
    Girdle

    The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English the term "girdle" is most commonly used for a form of women's Foundation garment that replaced the corset in popularity....
    .

    Men are said to have worn loincloths in ancient Greece
    Ancient Greece

    The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
     and Rome
    Ancient Rome

    Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
    , though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. There is some speculation that only slaves wore loincloths and that citizens did not wear undergarments beneath their chiton
    Chiton (costume)

    A chiton was a form of clothing worn by men and women in Ancient Greece, from the Archaic_period_in_Greece to the Hellenistic period . There are two forms of chiton, the Dorians chiton and the later Ionians chiton....
    s. Mosaic
    Mosaic

    Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other material. It may be a technique of Decorative arts, an aspect of interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral....
    s of the Roman period indicate that women (primarily in an athletic context, whilst wearing nothing else) sometimes wore strophiae (breastcloths) or brassiere
    Brassiere

    A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts.As well as an undergarment, the bra is considered a foundation garment because of its role in shaping the wearer's figure....
    s made of soft leather, along with subligaculae
    Subligaculum

    A subligaculum was a kind of undergarment worn by ancient Rome. It could come either in the form of a pair of shorts, or in the form of a simple loincloth wrapped around the lower body....
     which were either in the form of shorts
    Shorts

    Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
     or loincloths. Subligaculae were also worn by men.

    The fabric used for loincloths may have been wool
    Wool

    Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
    , linen
    Linen

    Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
     or a linsey-woolsey
    Linsey-woolsey

    Linsey-woolsey is a coarse twill or plain weave textiles weaving with a linen Warp and a woolen weft. Similar fabrics woven with a cotton warp and woolen weft in Colonial America were also called linsey-woolsey or wincey....
     blend. Only the upper classes could have afforded imported silk
    Silk

    Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
    .

    The loincloth continues to be worn by people around the world – it is the traditional form of undergarment in many Asian societies, for example. In various, mainly tropical, cultures, the traditional male dress may still consist of only a single garment below the waist or even none at all, with underwear as optional, including the Far-Eastern
    Far East

    The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
     dhoti
    Dhoti

    The dhoti or doti in Hindi, called suriya in Assamese language, pancha in Telugu language, Laacha in Punjabi language, mundu in Malayalam, dhuti in Bangla, veshti in Tamil language, dhotar in Marathi and panche in Kannada, is the traditional garment of men's wear in India....
     and lungi
    Lungi

    The lungi is a garment worn around the waist in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar . While its origin is found in India culture, it is worn by diverse communities across Southern Asia....
    , or the Scottish kilt
    Kilt

    The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century....
    .

    Middle Ages and Renaissance

    In the Middle Ages
    Middle Ages

    File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
    , western men's underwear became looser fitting. The loincloth was replaced by loose, trouser
    Trousers

    Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately . Such items of clothing are often referred to as pants in countries such as Canada, South Africa and The United States....
    -like clothing called braies
    Braies

    Braies can refer to:* Braies , a type of undergarment*Prags, a town in Province of Bolzano-Bozen, Italy...
    , which the wearer stepped into and then laced or tied around the waist and legs at about mid-calf. Wealthier men often wore chausses
    Chausses

    Chausses are armour for the legs, usually made from mail . They could extend to the knee or cover the entire leg. Chausses were the standard type of metal leg armour during most of the European Middle Ages....
     as well, which only covered the legs.

    Tizian 081
    By the time of the Renaissance
    Renaissance

    The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
    , braies had become shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses. Chausses were also giving way to form-fitting hose
    Hose (clothing)

    Hose are any of various styles of men's clothing for the legs and lower body, worn from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century, when the term fell out of use in favor of breeches and stockings....
    , which covered the legs and feet. Fifteenth-century hose were often particolored, with each leg in a different-coloured fabric or even more than one colour on a leg. However, many types of braies, chausses and hose were not intended to be covered up by other clothing, so they were not actually underwear in the strict sense.

    Braies were usually fitted with a front flap that was buttoned or tied closed. This codpiece
    Codpiece

    A codpiece is a flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers to provide a covering for the genitals. It was held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods....
     allowed men to urinate
    Urination

    Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, and, more rarely, emiction, is the process of disposing urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body....
     without having to remove the braies completely. Codpieces were also worn with hose when very short doublets
    Doublet (clothing)

    A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that was worn in Western Europe from the Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The term also refers to a formal jacket worn with highland dress, a variation of which is called an Argyll jacket or Prince Charlie jacket ....
     – vest
    Vest

    A vest is a garment covering the upper body. The term has different meanings around the world:...
    -like garments tied together in the front and worn under other clothing – were in fashion, as early forms of hose were open at the crotch
    Crotch

    Crotch or crotch may refer to:*William Crotch, English composer, organist and artist.*Any region of an object where a Trunk splits into two or more branchs....
    . Henry VIII of England
    Henry VIII of England

    Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
     began padding his codpiece, which caused a spiralling trend of larger and larger codpieces that only ended by the end of the 16th century. It has been speculated that the King may have had the venereal disease syphilis
    Syphilis

    Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The route of transmission of syphilis is almost always through sexual contact, although there are examples of congenital syphilis via transmission from mother to child in utero....
    , and his large codpiece may have included a bandage soaked in medication to relieve its symptoms. Henry VIII also wanted a healthy son and may have thought that projecting himself in this way would portray fertility. Codpieces were sometimes used as a pocket for holding small items.

    Elizabeth Vernon Big
    Over the upper part of their bodies, both medieval men and women usually wore a close-fitting shirt-like garment called a chemise
    Chemise

    The term chemise or shift can refer to the classic smock, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses....
     in France, or a smock or shift in England. The forerunner of the modern-day shirt
    Shirt

    A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an item of Undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become in American English a catch-all term for almost any upper-body garment other than outerwear such as sweaters or Coat , or undergarments such as brassiere ....
    , men tucked long chemises into their braies and wore their outer clothing on top. Women wore them underneath their gown
    Gown

    A gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt....
    s or robe
    Robe

    A robe is a loose-fitting outer clothing. A robe is distinguished from a cape or cloak by the fact that it usually has sleeves. The English language word robe is loanword from French language....
    s, sometimes with petticoat
    Petticoat

    A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
    s over the chemise. Elaborately quilted
    Quilting

    Quilting is a sewing method done either by hand, by sewing machine, or by a Longarm Quilting system. The process uses a needle and thread to join two or more layers of material together to make a quilt....
     petticoats might be displayed by a cut-away dress, in which case they served a skirt rather than an undergarment. During the 16th century, the farthingale
    Farthingale

    Farthingale is a term applied to any of several structures used under Western European women's clothing in the late fifteenth century and sixteenth century to support the skirts into the desired shape....
     was popular. This was a petticoat stiffened with reed
    Phragmites

    Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial plant Poaceae found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world....
     or willow
    Willow

    Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere....
     rods so that it stood out from a woman's body like a cone extending from the waist.

    Corset
    Corset

    A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
    s also began to be worn about this time. At first they were called pairs of bodies, which refers to a stiffened decorative bodice
    Bodice

    A bodice is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist.The term comes from pair of bodies .In common usage, bodice refers to an upper garment that has removable sleeves or no sleeves, often low-cut, worn in Europe from the sixteenth century to the eighteenth century, either over a corset or in...
     worn on top of another bodice stiffened with buckram
    Buckram

    Buckram is a stiff cloth, made of cotton, and still occasionally linen, which is used to cover and protect books. Buckram can also be used to stiffen clothes....
    , reeds, cane
    Cane

    A cane is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, or some similar plant, mainly used as a support, such as a walking stick, or as an instrument of corporal punishment....
    s, whalebone
    Baleen

    Baleen or whalebone is the means by which baleen whales feed. These whales do not have teeth, but instead have rows of baleen plates in the upper jaw – flat, flexible plates with frayed edges, arranged in two Parallel rows, looking like combs of thick hair....
     or other materials. These were not the small-waisted, curved corsets familiar from the Victorian era
    Victorian era

    The Victorian Era of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the period of Victoria of the United Kingdom reign from June 1837 to January 1901....
    , but straight-lined corsets that flattened the bust.

    There is a myth that Crusaders
    Crusades

    The Crusades were a series of religious war waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents. Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, though campaigns were also directed against Paganism Slavic peoples, Jews, Eastern Orthodox Church, Mongols, Catharism, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemi...
    , worried about the fidelity
    Fidelity

    Fidelity is a notion that at its most abstract level implies a truthful connection to a source or sources. Its original meaning dealt with loyalty and attentiveness to one's duty to a lord or a monarch, in a broader sense than the related concept of fealty....
     of their wives, forced them to wear chastity belt
    Chastity belt

    A chastity belt is a locksmithing item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse and possibly masturbation. The purpose may also be to protect the wearer from rape or temptation....
    s. There is no reference, image, or surviving belt to support this story. Most historians of this period are of the view that a chastity belt was worn to prevent sexual assault and that the woman kept the key.

    Men's braies and hose were eventually replaced by simple cotton, silk or linen
    Linen

    Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
     drawers, which were usually knee-length trousers with a button flap in the front.

    Enlightenment and Industrial Age

    Tight Lacing
    The invention of the spinning jenny
    Spinning jenny

    The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning wheel. It was invented circa 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, near Blackburn, Lancashire in the northwest of England ....
     machines and the cotton gin
    Cotton gin

    A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates the cotton fibers from the seedpods and the sometimes sticky seeds, a job previously done by hand....
     in the second half of the 18th century made cotton fabrics widely available. This allowed factories to mass-produce
    Mass production

    Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. The concepts of mass production are applied to various kinds of products, from fluids and particulates handled in bulk to discrete solid parts to assemblies of such parts ....
     underwear, and for the first time, people began buying undergarments in stores rather than making them at home.

    Women's stays
    History of corsets

    A corset is a garment that girds the torso and shapes it according to the fashionable silhouette of the day. Most often it has been used for cinching the waist and supporting the breasts....
     of the 18th century were laced behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and erect posture. Coloured stays were popular. With the relaxed country styles of the end of the century, stays became shorter and were unboned
    Bone (corsetry)

    In corsetry, a bone is one of the rigid parts of a corset that forms its frame and gives it rigidity....
     or only lightly boned, and were now called corset
    Corset

    A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes . Both men and women are known to wear corsets, though women are more common wearers....
    s. Undue binding of a corset sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to the fainting room
    Fainting room

    A fainting room was a room, used during the Victorian era, where women could go to rest when feeling fainting. Fainting rooms often included couch where women would faint or recline without fearing bodily harm....
    . As tight waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was again boned and laced to form the figure. By the 1860s, a tiny ("wasp") waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty, and the corsets were stiffened with whalebone or steel to accomplish this. By the 1880s, the dress reform
    Victorian dress reform

    During the middle and late Victorian era, various reformers proposed, designed, and wore clothing supposedly more rational and comfortable than the Victorian fashion of the time....
     movement was campaigning against the pain and damage to internal organs and bones caused by tight lacing
    Tightlacing

    Tightlacing is the practice of wearing a tightly-laced corset to achieve extreme modifications to the figure and posture and experience the sensations of a very tight corset....
    . Inez Gaches-Sarraute invented the "health corset", with a straight-fronted bust made to help support the wearer's muscles.

    The corset was usually worn over a thin shirt-like shift of cotton or muslin
    Muslin

    Muslin is a type of finely-woven cotton textile, introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century. It became very popular at the end of the 18th century in France....
    . In the latter half of the 19th century, as skirt
    Skirt

    A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In European culture, skirts are usually considered woman clothing....
     styles became shorter, long drawers called pantalettes
    Pantalettes

    File:Culote antiguo1930 lou.jpgPantalettes are undergarments covering the legs worn by women, girls, and very young boys in the early- to mid-nineteenth century....
     or pantaloons often accompanied the shift to keep the legs out of sight.

    Perfect Health Corset
    As skirts became fuller from the 1830s, women wore a profusion of petticoats to achieve a fashionable bell shape. By the 1850s, stiffened crinoline
    Crinoline

    Crinoline was originally a stiff cloth with a weft of horse-hair and a Warp of cotton or linen yarn. The fabric first appeared around 1830, but by 1850 the word had come to mean a stiffened petticoat or rigid Dress -shaped structure of steel designed to support the skirts of a woman?s Dress into the required shape....
    s and later hoop skirt
    Hoop skirt

    A hoop skirt or hoopskirt is a women's undergarment worn in various periods to hold the skirt extended into a fashionable shape.Hoop skirts typically consist of a fabric petticoat with casings to hold a stiffening material, variously rope, willow, whalebone, steel or nylon....
    s allowed ever wider skirts to be worn. The bustle
    Bustle

    A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly between the mid- to late 1800s....
    , a frame or pad worn over the buttocks to enhance their shape, had been used off and on by women for two centuries, but reached the height of its popularity in the later 1880s, and went out of fashion for good in the 1890s. Women dressed in crinolines generally wore drawers under them for modesty and warmth.

    Another common undergarment of the late-19th century for men, women and children was the union suit
    Union suit

    A union suit is a type of one-piece long undergarment. Created in Utica, New York, United States, it originated as women's wear during the nineteenth-century United States Victorian dress reform, as an alternative to constricting garments, and soon gained popularity among men as well....
    . Invented in Utica, New York
    Utica, New York

    Utica is a city in the American state of New York, and the county seat of Oneida County, New York.The City of Utica is situated within the region referred to as the Mohawk Valley and the U.S....
    , and patented in 1868, this was a one-piece front-buttoning garment usually made of knitted material with sleeves extending to the wrists and legs down to the ankles. It had a buttoned flap (known colloquially as the "access hatch", "drop seat" or "fireman's flap") in the back to ease visits to the toilet. The union suit was the precursor of long johns
    Long underwear

    Long underwear, often called long johns, is a style of two-piece underwear with long sleeves and long legs that is normally worn during cold weather....
    , a two-piece garment consisting of a long-sleeved top and long pants possibly named after American boxer John L. Sullivan
    John L. Sullivan

    John Lawrence Sullivan was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of Boxing from February 7 1882 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules....
     who wore a similar garment in the ring.

    The jockstrap
    Jockstrap

    A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during the performance of sports or other vigorous physical activity....
     was invented in 1874 by C.F. Bennett of a Chicago
    Chicago

    Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
     sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, to provide comfort and support for bicycle jockeys riding the cobblestone
    Cobblestone

    Cobblestones are Rock s that were frequently used in the Pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size....
     streets of Boston, Massachusetts
    Boston, Massachusetts

    Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
    . In 1897 Bennett's newly-formed Bike Web Company patented and began mass-producing the Bike Jockey Strap.

    1900s to 1920s


    By the early 20th century, the mass-produced undergarment industry was booming, and competition forced producers to come up with all sorts of innovative and gimmicky designs to compete. The Hanes
    Hanes

    Hanes and Hanes Her Way are brands of apparel currently owned by the Hanesbrands, Inc Corporation . The Hanes brand is used by the company for marketing a broad range of apparel essentials:...
     company emerged from this boom and quickly established itself as a top manufacturer of union suits, which were common until the 1930s. Textile
    Textile

    A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by Spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn....
     technology continued to improve, and the time to make a single union suit dropped from days to minutes.

    Meanwhile, designers of women's undergarments relaxed the corset. The invention of new, flexible but supportive materials allowed whalebone and steel bones to be removed. The emancipation or liberty bodice
    Liberty bodice

    The liberty bodice , like the emancipation bodice or North American emancipation waist, was an undergarment for women and girls invented towards the end of the 19th century, as an innovative alternative to a corset....
     offered an alternative to constricting corsets, and in Australia and the UK the liberty bodice became a standard item for girls as well as women.

    Men's underwear was also on the rise. Benjamin Joseph Clark, a migrant to Louisiana
    Louisiana

    The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
     from New Jersey
    New Jersey

    New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
    , opened a venture capital
    Venture capital

    Venture capital is a type of private equity capital typically provided to early-stage, high-potential, Growth investing companies in the interest of generating a return through an eventual realization event such as an IPO or mergers and acquisitions of the company....
    ist firm named Bossier in Bossier Parish
    Bossier Parish, Louisiana

    Bossier Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Benton, Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 98,310....
    . One product manufactured by his firm was tightly-fitting boxers that resembled modern underwear. Though the company was bankrupt by the early 1900s, it had some impact on men's underwear design.

    The increase in the number of underwear manufacturers necessitated the birth of undergarment advertising
    Advertising

    Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
    . The first underwear print advertisement in the US ran in the Saturday Evening Post in 1911 and featured oil paintings by J.C. Leyendecker of the "Kenosha Klosed Krotch". Early underwear advertisements placed emphasis on durability and comfort; fashion was never a selling point.

    By the end of the 1910s, Chalmers Knitting Company split the union suit into upper and lower sections, effectively inventing the modern undershirt and drawers. Women wore lacier versions of this basic duo known as the camisole and drawers.

    In 1912, the US had its first professional underwear designer. Lindsay "Layneau" Boudreaux, a French immigrant, established the short-lived panty company Layneau. Though her company closed within one year, it had a significant impact on many levels. Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry. Boudreaux is possibly the reason why upscale underwear and panty stores exist today.

    In 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob
    Mary Phelps Jacob

    Mary Phelps Jacob was a poet, publisher, peace activist, and a New York socialite. She was instrumental in publishing some of the early works of important authors including James Joyce, Kay Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Hart Crane, D....
     changed women's fashion forever when she created the first brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent
    Patent

    A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a term of patent in exchange for a disclosure of an invention....
     for her design and was marketing it throughout the US. Although women had worn brassiere-like garments in years past, Jacob's was the first to be successfully marketed and widely adopted.

    By the end of the decade, trouser-like "bloomers
    Bloomers (clothing)

    Bloomers is a word which has been applied to several types of divided women's garments for the lower body at various times....
    ", which were popularized by Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894) but invented by Elizabeth Smith Miller, gained popularity with the so-called Gibson Girl
    Gibson Girl

    File:Gibson Girl.pngThe Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen and ink illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a twenty year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States....
    s who enjoyed pursuits such as cycling and tennis. This new female athleticism helped push the corset out of style. The other major factor in the corset's demise was the fact that metal was globally in short supply during the First World War. Steel-laced corsets were dropped in favour of the brassiere.

    Meanwhile, World War I soldiers were issued button-front shorts as underwear. The buttons attached to a separate piece of cloth, or "yoke", sewn to the front of the garment, and tightness of fit was adjusted by means of ties on the sides. This design proved so popular that it began to supplant the union suit in popularity by the end of the war. Rayon
    Rayon

    Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic fiber ....
     garments also became widely available in the post-war period.

    In the 1920s, manufacturers shifted emphasis from durability to comfort. Union suit advertisements raved about patented new designs that reduced the number of buttons and increased accessibility. Most of these experimental designs had to do with new ways to hold closed the crotch flap common on most union suits and drawers. A new woven cotton fabric called nainsook
    Nainsook

    Nainsook is a fine, soft muslin fabric, often to used to make babies' clothing.See also: Lawn cloth...
     gained popularity in the 1920s for its durability. Retailers also began selling preshrunk undergarments.

    Women's bloomers became much shorter and stockings covered the legs instead. The shorter bloomers became looser and less supportive as the boyish flapper
    Flapper

    The term flapper in the 1920s referred to a "new breed" of young women who wore short skirts, bob cut their hair, listened to Jazz#1920s and 1930s, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior....
     look came into fashion. By the end of the decade, they came to be known as "step-ins", very much like modern panties but with wider legs. They were worn for the increased flexibility they afforded.

    As dancing became a favourite pastime of young flappers, the garter belt
    Garter (stockings)

    Garters are articles of clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg, used to keep stockings up. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons....
     was invented to keep stockings from falling. The increased sexual awareness of the flapper also made underwear sexier than ever before. It was the flappers who ushered in the era of lingerie.

    A Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal
    Ida Rosenthal

    Ida Rosenthal was a Russia-born United States dressmaker and businesswoman who is often credited as the inventor of the brassiere. At the age of 18, she emigrated to the United States, following her fianc? William Rosenthal, and Americanization her name to Cohen....
     further developed the brassiere in this decade when she introduced modern cup sizes in 1928 for her company, Maidenform
    Maidenform

    Maidenform is a brand of women's underwear, founded in 1922 by seamstress Ida Rosenthal, her husband William Rosenthal, and Enid Bissett who owned the shop that employed her....
    .

    1930s and 1940s

    Maninboxers
    Modern men's underwear was largely an invention of the 1930s. On 19 January 1935, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first briefs in Chicago. Designed by an "apparel engineer" named Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly. The company dubbed the design the "Jockey" since it offered a degree of support that had previously only been available from the jockstrap. Jockey briefs proved so popular that over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers, having renamed the company Jockey
    Jockey International

    Jockey International, Inc. is a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of underwear, sleepwear, and socks for men, women, and children. The company is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin....
    , sent its "Mascul-line" plane to make special deliveries of "masculine support" briefs to retailers across the US. In 1938, when Jockeys were introduced in the UK, they sold at the rate of 3,000 a week.

    In this decade, companies also began selling buttonless drawers fitted with an elastic waistband. These were the first true boxer shorts, which were named for their resemblance to the shorts worn by professional fighters
    Boxing

    Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
    . Scovil Manufacturing introduced the snap fastener
    Snap fastener

    A snap fastener is a pair of interlocking discs commonly used in place of buttons to fasten clothing. A circular lip under one disc fits into a groove on the top of the other, holding them fast until a certain amount of force is applied....
     at this time, which became a popular addition to various kinds of undergarments.

    Women of the 1930s brought the corset back, now called the "girdle
    Girdle

    The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English the term "girdle" is most commonly used for a form of women's Foundation garment that replaced the corset in popularity....
    ". The garment lacked the whalebone and metal supports and usually came with a brassiere (now usually called a "bra") and attached garters.

    During World War II, elastic waistbands and metal snaps gave way once again to button fasteners due to rubber and metal shortages. Undergarments were harder to find as well, since soldiers abroad had priority to obtain them. By the end of the war, Jockey and Hanes remained the industry leaders in the US, but Cluett, Peabody and Company made a name for itself when it introduced a preshrinking process called "Sanforization
    Sanforization

    Sanforization is a process of treatment used for cotton fabrics mainly and most textiles made from natural or chemical fibres, invented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett in 1933....
    ", invented by Sanford Cluett in 1933, which came to be licensed by most major manufacturers.

    Meanwhile, some women adopted the corset once again, now called the "waspie
    Waist cincher

    A waist cincher is a belt worn around the waist to make the wearer's waist physically smaller, or to create the illusion of being smaller....
    " for the wasp
    WAsP

    WAsP is a PC program for predicting wind climates, wind resources, and power productions from wind turbines and wind farms. The predictions are based on wind data measured at stations in the same region....
    -shaped waistline it gave the wearer. Many women began wearing the strapless bra as well, which gained popularity for its ability to push the breasts up and enhance cleavage
    Cleavage enhancement

    Cleavage enhancement encompasses a range of techniques used temporarily to improve the appearance of a person's cleavage or to create the illusion of breast cleavage on a person who has no such cleavage....
    .

    1950s and 1960s

    In the 1950s, underwear manufacturers began marketing printed and coloured undergarments. What had once been a simple, white piece of clothing not to be shown in public suddenly became a fashion statement. Manufacturers also experimented with rayon and newer fabrics like Dacron, nylon
    Nylon

    Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont....
     and Spandex
    Spandex

    Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity . It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor....
    . By 1960, men's underwear was regularly printed in loud patterns, or with messages or images such as cartoon characters.

    Women's undergarments began to emphasize the breasts instead of the waist. The decade saw the introduction of the bullet bra pointed bust, inspired by Christian Dior
    Christian Dior

    Christian Dior , was an influential France fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses. He was born in Granville, Normandy, a seaside town on the coast of France....
    's "New Look
    Christian Dior

    Christian Dior , was an influential France fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses. He was born in Granville, Normandy, a seaside town on the coast of France....
    ", which featured pointed cups. The original Wonderbra
    Wonderbra

    The Wonderbra is a type of push-up brassiere that gained worldwide prominence in the 1990s. Although the Wonderbra name was first trademarked in the U.S....
     and push-up bra
    Brassiere designs

    There are many styles of brassieres, to be worn in a variety of situations and with a variety of outergarments. The degree of shaping and coverage of the breasts varies between styles, varying in both functionality and fashion, fabric, and colour, from purely utilitarian to sensual....
     by Frederick's of Hollywood
    Frederick's of Hollywood

    Frederick's of Hollywood is a well known retailer of lingerie in the United States, with stores in many modern shopping malls across the USA.The business was started by Frederick Mellinger in 1946....
     finally hit it big. Women's panties became more colourful and decorative, and by the mid-1960s were available in two abbreviated styles called the hip-hugger and the bikini
    Bikini

    File:Girl with red flowered bikini.jpgA bikini or two piece is a women's swimsuit with two parts, one covering the breasts , the other the groin , leaving an uncovered area between the two ....
     (named after the Pacific Ocean island
    Bikini Atoll

    Bikini Atoll is an atoll in one of the Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Marshall Islands. It consists of 36 islands surrounding a lagoon....
     of that name), frequently in sheer nylon fabric.

    Pantyhose
    Pantyhose

    Pantyhose are Sheer , close fitting coverings of the body from the waist to the feet. Traditionally considered a woman's garment, pantyhose appeared in the 1960s and provided a convenient alternative to stockings....
    , also called tights in British English, which combined panties and hose into one garment, made their first appearance in 1959, invented by Glen Raven Mills of North Carolina
    North Carolina

    North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
    . The company later introduced seamless pantyhose in 1965, spurred by the popularity of the miniskirt
    Miniskirt

    The miniskirt is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees . The mini was the defining fashion symbol of "Swinging London" in the 1960s.A minidress is a dress with a hemline significantly above the knees....
    . By the end of the decade, the girdle had fallen out of favour as women chose sexier and lighter alternatives.

    Lingerie Flickr

    1970s to the present day

    Underwear as fashion matured in the 1970s and 1980s, and underwear advertisers forgot about comfort and durability, at least in advertising. Sex appeal
    Sexual attraction

    Sexual attraction refers to a person's ability to Attractiveness in a sexual or erotic manner the interest of another person.Which aspects of sexual attraction have had greatest influence to humans at different points in time have differed between cultures and regions....
     became the main selling point, in swimwear as well, bringing to fruition a trend that had been building since at least the flapper era.

    The tank top, an undershirt named after the type of swimwear dating from the 1920s known as a tank suit or maillot
    Maillot

    The maillot is the fashion designer's name for a woman's one-piece swimsuit. A maillot swimsuit generally consists of a tank-style torso top with high-cut legs....
    , became popular warm-weather casual outerwear in the US in the 1980s. Performers such as Madonna
    Madonna (entertainer)

    Madonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance....
     and Cyndi Lauper
    Cyndi Lauper

    Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an Music of the United States Grammy- and Emmy award winning singer-songwriter and actress. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual, and became the first artist to have four top-five singles released from one album....
     were also often seen wearing their undergarments on top of other clothes.

    Although worn for decades by exotic dancer
    Exotic dancer

    The terms wiktionary:Exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context....
    s, in the 1980s the G-string
    G-string

    A G-string is a type of underwear, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the Hip , worn as swimsuit or underwear by both men and women....
     first gained popularity in South America, particularly in Brazil. Originally a style of swimsuit
    Swimsuit

    A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn while participating in List of water sports and activities such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing....
    , the back of the garment is so narrow that it disappears between the buttocks. By the 1990s the design had made its way to most of the Western world
    Western world

    The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
    , and thong underwear
    Thong (clothing)

    The thong is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by both sexes but more commonly women, in a style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment?s back designed to sit between the wearer?s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband....
     became popular. Today, the thong is one of the fastest-selling styles of underwear among women, and is also worn by men.

    While health and practicality had previously been emphasized, in the 1970s retailers of men's underpants began focusing on fashion and sex appeal. Designers such as Calvin Klein
    Calvin Klein

    Calvin Richard Klein is an United States fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc.In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of perfumes, including CK One and CK Be , now owned by Coty Inc....
     began featuring near-naked models in their advertisements. The increased wealth of the gay community
    Gay community

    Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture. Within the LGBT community there are many identifiable "sub-communities" - the leather subculture community, the Bear community, the Chub community, the lesbian community, the bisexuality community, the transgender communi...
     helped to promote a diversity of undergarment choices. In his book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
    The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

    The Philosophy of Andy Warhol is a 1975 book by the United States artist Andy Warhol . It was first published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich....
     (1975), Andy Warhol
    Andy Warhol

    Andrew Warhola , more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an United Statesn Painting, Printmaking, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the Art movement known as pop art....
     wrote:

    Warhol liked his Jockey briefs so much that he used a pair as a canvas for one of his dollar-sign paintings.

    In the UK in the 1970s, tight jeans
    Jeans

    Jeans are pants, or trousers, made from denim. Mainly designed for work, they became popular among teenagers starting in the 1950s. Historic brands include Levi's and Wrangler Jeans....
     gave briefs a temporary edge over boxer shorts, but a decade later boxers were given a boost by Nick Kamen
    Nick Kamen

    Nick Kamen is an English people male model , songwriter and musician, and brother of session musician guitarist Chester Kamen and artist Barry Kamen....
    's performance in Levi
    Levi Strauss & Co.

    Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Bavaria, Germany to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business....
    's "Launderette" TV commercial for its 501 jeans, during which he stripped down to a pair of white boxer shorts in a public laundromat
    Self-service laundry

    A self-service laundry is a facility where clothes are washed and dried. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the United States, Canada, and Australia as laundromats or washaterias....
    .

    The 1990s saw the introduction of boxer briefs
    Boxer briefs

    Boxer briefs are a type of men's underwear.They are long in the leg, like boxer shorts, but tighter-fitting, like briefs, a compromise between the two main types of male underwear in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada....
    , which take the longer shape of boxers but maintain the tightness of briefs. Hip hop
    Hip hop music

    Hip hop music is a music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rapping which is accompanied with backing beats. Hip hop music is part of hip hop culture, which began in the Bronx, in New York City in the 1970s, predominantly among African Americans and Latino Americans....
     stars popularized "sagging
    Sagging (fashion)

    Sagging is a manner of wearing pants or shorts below the waist, revealing some or all of the wearer's Undergarment....
    ", in which loosely fitting jeans or shorts
    Shorts

    Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
     were allowed to droop below the waist, exposing the waistband or a greater portion of boxer shorts worn underneath. The chiselled muscularity of Mark Wahlberg
    Mark Wahlberg

    Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA-winning American actor, former rapper and producer of film and television. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years and became famous in his 1991 debut as a rap musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch....
     (then known as Marky Mark) in a series of 1990s underwear advertisements for Calvin Klein led to his success as a white hip hop star and a Hollywood
    Cinema of the United States

    United States cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, Classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period ....
     actor.

    In January 2008 it was reported that, according to market research
    Market research

    Market research often refers to either primary or secondary. In secondary research, the company uses information compiled from various sources which appears applicable to a new or existing product....
     firm Mintel
    Mintel

    Mintel International Group Ltd is a privately owned, London-based Market Research firm. The corporation also maintains offices in Chicago, Belfast, Shanghai and Sydney....
    , the men's underwear market in the UK was worth £
    Pound sterling

    ----The pound sterling , subdivided into 100 pence , is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependency and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory....
    674 million, and volume sales of men's underpants rose by 24% between 2000 and 2005. British manufacturers and retailers claim that most British men prefer "trunks", or short boxer briefs. The director of menswear of major British retailer Marks & Spencer
    Marks & Spencer

    Marks & Spencer is a major United Kingdom retailer, with over 840 stores in Marks & Spencer#International stores around the world, over 600 domestic and 285 international....
     (M&S), which sells 40 million pairs of men's underpants a year, was quoted as saying that while boxer shorts were still the most popular at M&S, demand was easing off in favour of hipster trunks similar in design to the swimming trunks
    Swimsuit

    A swimsuit, bathing suit or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn while participating in List of water sports and activities such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing....
     worn by actor Daniel Craig
    Daniel Craig

    Daniel Wroughton Craig is an England actor. His early film roles included The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert....
     in the James Bond
    James Bond

    James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
     film Casino Royale
    Casino Royale (2006 film)

    Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond James Bond ; it is directed by Martin Campbell and the first to star Daniel Craig as Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond ....
     (2006).

    See also



    Further reading


    • First published in London by Michael Joseph in 1951.*


    External links