The history of underwear can help you choose INTERESTING Valentine's Day boudoir outfits

From medieval chemises to vintage lingerie and garter belts, the history of underwear is full of great ideas for your Valentines' boudoir outfits-- even if you wear modern lingerie and you're only dressing up for yourself! Thank you Birch Living for sponsoring! Click here https://birchliving.com/SnappyDragon to get 20% off your Birch mattress (plus two free Eco-Rest pillows!) during the early access to their President’s Day sale. Offers subject to change. #birchliving

Boudoir outfits and lingerie have changed a lot through the history of fashion. So what makes for the best Valentine's Day lingerie, in any era? I dove into the history of underwear to find out, and it turns out that whether you're in loose, shapeless Medieval shifts, Victorian corsets, delicate Edwardian undergarments, or modern lingerie, it's the same things that make for the best romantic outfits. Historical underwear was a lot simpler in the Medieval and baroque periods, but there was still subtle variation. Medieval undergarments was usually made of linen, and finely woven bright white linen was the most attractive because it was costly, high-quality, and a little see-through! Noble ladies sometimes wore silk nightgowns too, which were considered attractive for the same reasons, Medieval romances talk about how beautiful these shifts and chemises are, so it's easy to see how these are a staple of the historty of romance. Moving onwards, we start to see a little more decoration, like the lace or blackwork embroidery on Elizabethan shirts, but this is usually at the collar and cuffs where it can be seen when you're fully dressed.

But the history of lingerie takes a turn when it comes to baroque clothing. A huge number of English court ladies were painted by the famous artist Peter Lely in what look like romantic fantasy costumes, but they're actually bedroom outfits! These ladies wear chemises and robes, a staple of baroque clothing worn only in private, when getting ready for bed. Having their portraits painted in fancy silk boudoir outfits was like a modern celebrity doing a photoshoot in fancy lingerie! Everything from stockings to garters was a subject of the vintage romantic imagination in the 18th century, and we have plenty of folk songs and cartoons about people describing how attractive these underpinnings are.

It wasn't just seeing someone in their underwear that was exciting, though. In the 19th century, as fashion became more ornate and more affordable, some corsets became so colorful they'd put modern lingerie to shame! Lingerie design had a huge amount of variation, and antique corset history is full of decorative designs to contrast with plain cotton lingerie for everyday wear. Even the chemise, the most basic of Victorian undergarments, got more and more decorated, with lace and ribbons available. It's like the reverse of how we see garter belts : Today, they're decorative and very exciting, but vintage garter belts could actually be as boring as granny panties! Vintage garters were everyday items, not necessarily made to be attractive, even though plenty of vintage lingerie could be romantic and decorative.

So what can fashion history teach us, from looking at all these foundation garments? A few things have stayed true about lingerie through fashion's evolution. The most attractive lingerie is what stands out, whether it's because of being high-quality or expensive, because it's colorful or decorative, or simply because it's an outfit only seen in the boudoir. So whether you like your underwear colorful or plain, bustiers or chemises or garter belts, vintage lingerie or modern, historical costuming is happy to help you choose your outfit for Valentine's Day.

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