Lingerie and underwear in the US. Lingerie, originally from the French word for linen, now comes in all sorts of styles, colors and materials. So you have come to the right place to help you tell your bustiers from your teddies (not the cute and fluffy variety, but also found in the bedroom) and your plain, white, cotton pants from your red, PVC thongs. See the Lingerie Guide for a rundown on the different styles available and the Glossary for terms used. Underwear has changed over the years to reflect fashions in women's shapes. In the Victorian era, women wore tightly-laced corsets to give them hourglass figures with tiny waists, whereas as in the 1920s women had to strap down their bust to give them a boyish figure. Curves came back into fashion in the 1950s when Marilyn Monroe was considered the ultimate sex symbol. Twiggy and the 1960s brought back the waif like look which became popular again the 1990s. Lingerie represents the hidden and intimate - corsets are representative of the repressions of the Victorian era when women did not have their freedom, these days they have a fetish appeal. In the 1960s women were supposed to burn their bras as a symbol of sisterhood and freeing themselves from repression, whereas in the 21st century women enjoy wearing sexy lingerie to spice up their relationships and boost their confidence. See the Buying Lingerie for Yourself page for advice on buying and wearing lingerie; the Bra-Measuring Guide, and the Size Charts can help you work out what size you are. The habit of wearing knickers began after 1800, originally these were adapted from men's trousers to keep out the cold. The word 'knickers' is an abbreviation of 'knickerbockers': trousers which are fastened at the knees. However, underwear has come a long way since then so browse through the site to get some tips on buying lingerie online. Lingerie makes a good gift from a lover; look at the Buying Lingerie as a Gift section. Good online lingerie stores are listed in the Directory. Lamentably the man who was responsible for inventing nylon (and nylons) did not live to see his endeavors come to full fruition. But the millions of women who have worn nylon stockings would like to thank Dr Wallace H Carothers for his work on polymerization. Dr Carothers died in 1937, a year before Du Pont announced the advent of its new wonder material. He also died before the start of the Second World War, which would delay nylon's spread into fashion while it made its own contribution to the war effort in the form of parachutes, tents and tarpaulins. Meanwhile, the stocking shortage meant tan many women had to walk around barelegged or with tan makeup and mock seams on their calves. The glamour for stockings after the war was exacerbated by the fact that clothes rationing continued until 1949. Thereafter, the new variety of leg apparel became so much more popular than silk or chiffon lisle versions that the word 'nylons' became used on its own. In the end though, stockings of all kinds were dealt a severe blow by the miniskirt. At first a few adventurous girls tried hoiking up their leg-wear as high as they could (to avoid exposing the unsightly ‘double line’), but they were fighting losing battle. Something else was needed, and that something was tights. They caught on in a big way, no doubt aided by a particularly chilly winter in 1969. However, stockings were neither gone, nor forgotten. Stockings remain arguably the most classic article of underwear, and even if you're the only one who's going to see them; they can make any occasion special. The ubiquity of nylons has given them an almost legendary cultural status, not least in the history of femininity. In fact, a pair of nylon stockings Marilyn Monroe wore on her honeymoon with Joe Dimaggio are on display in New York (alongside a white halter neck dresses and the jumper she wore on her last photo shoot).