The Ultimate A-Z Lingerie Glossary

Here is our ultimate lingerie glossary:

Babydoll, a short nightgown, or negligee intended as nightwear for women. A shorter style, it is often worn with panties. Babydolls are typically loose-fitting with an empire waist and thin straps.

Basque, a tight, form-fitting bodice or coat.

Bedjacket, worn over a nightgown or negligee for warmth and modesty.

Bikini, a two piece consisting of a bra and panties, G-string or thong.

Bloomers, baggy underwear that extends to just below or above the knee. Bloomers were worn for several decades during the first part of the 20th century, but are not widely worn today. Also a nickname for cheerleading briefs.

Bodystocking, a unitard. Bodystockings may be worn over the torso, or they may be worn over the thighs and abdomen. They are typically used by women in order to appear slimmer.

Bodysuit, a leotard-like undergarment, usually skintight or formfitting. Another form of shapewear.

Bodice, covers the body from the neck to the waist. Bodices are often low cut in the front and high in the back, and is often connected with laces or hooks. Bodices may also be reinforced with steel or bone to provide greater breast support.

Boy shorts, a style of panties, so named for their resemblance to male shorts.

Brassiere, more commonly referred to as a bra, a close-fitting garment that is worn to help lift and support a woman’s breasts

Bustier, a form fitting garment used to push up the bust and to shape the waist.

Camisole, sleeveless and covering the top part of the body. Camisoles are typically constructed of light materials and feature thin “spaghetti straps.”

Camiknickers, camisole and knickers joined as one garment. Most commonly referred to as a teddy and, most recently, as a “romper.”

Cheeky, a term used to denote that the garment exposes the bottom part of the buttocks.

Chemise, a one-piece undergarment that is the same in shape as a straight-hanging sleeveless dress. It is similar to the babydoll, but it is fitted more closely around the hips.

Corset, a bodice worn to mould and shape the torso. This effect is typically achieved through boning, either of bone or steel.

Corselet, or merry widow, combined brassiere and girdle. The corselet is considered to be a type of foundation garment, and the modern corselet is most commonly known as a shaping slip.

Corsage, similar to a corset. While corsets are commonly constructed of bone or steel, the corsage utilizes elastic.

Drawers, a pant-like garment worn during the 19th century for modesty and warmth. Some drawers were split-leg, in that the crotch seam was left open.

French maid, a form of ladies’ fantasywear. One of many popular costumes used as lingerie.

G-string, or thong, a type of panty, characterized by a narrow piece of cloth that passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips. A G-string or thong may be worn as a bikini bottom or as underwear by both men and women.

Garter/Garter belt/Suspender belt (British), used to keep stockings up.

Girdle, a type of foundation garment. Historically, the girdle extended from the waist to the upper thigh, though modern styles more closely resemble a tight pair of athletic shorts.

Granny panties, a nickname for panties that are high waisted and cover the buttocks considerably.

Hosiery, close-fitting, elastic garments that cover the feet and legs.

Jersey nightshirt, a long, loose T-shirt made of cotton, polyester, nylon, or diaphanous chiffon. Another name for a babydoll or camisole.

Kimono, is a T-shaped, straight-lined robes worn so that the hem falls to the ankle, with attached collars and long, wide sleeves.

Knickers, an alternative word for panties.

Negligee, a dressing gown. It is usually floor length, though it can be knee length as well.

Nightgown, or nightie, a loosely hanging item of nightwear, may vary from hip-length (babydoll) to floor-length (peignoir).

Nightshirt, a shirt meant to be worn while sleeping. It is usually longer and looser than the average T-shirt, and it is typically made of softer material.

Panties, underwear that come in all shapes, fabrics and colours, allowing you to have lots of coverage or barely any coverage at all.

Peignoir, a long outer garment which is frequently sheer and made of chiffon or another translucent fabric

Petticoat, an underskirt. Petticoats were prominent throughout the 16th to 20th centuries. Today, petticoats are typically worn to add fullness to skirts in the Gothic and Lolita subcultures.

Pettipants, a type of bloomer featuring ruffles, resembling petticoats. Pettipants are most commonly worn by square dancers and people participating in historical reenactment.

Robe, a garment worn to cover the body. A robe may be floor-length, knee-length, or shorter, and it is commonly worn over and as lingerie.

Slip, typically worn underneath clothing. Originally, slips were worn to prevent underwear from showing through thin clothing and to help clothing to hang properly on the body. Slips are found in both full and half styles, and are typically made of smooth fabric like silk or satin.

Spanky-pants, Spankies, or Spanks, a type of shapewear most commonly worn by cheerleaders. Spanks help to create the illusion of a slimmer figure; they are often worn as shorts, tanks, or girdle-like bodices.

Stockings, another term for hosiery.

Stringbody (sv), a tight, benlöst full body garment whose lower tail consists of a narrow piece that goes between the buttocks. The garment has been developed from the much older bodysuits.

Tanga, a type of panty featuring full back and front coverage, but string-like sides that are typically thicker than those found on a string bikini.

Tap pants, a type of short typically made of lace, silk, or satin.

Teddy, an undergarment that resembles the shape of a one-piece bathing suit because it is typically sleeveless, and sometimes even strapless.

Torsolette, a shorter version of the corselette. It is very similar to the Basque, and is sometimes called a merry widow. The Torsolette may also feature detachable garters.

Trunks, a type of briefs, usually color-coordinated, most commonly worn by gymnasts under their leotards.

Undergarment, a garment which one wears underneath clothes. Also known as “underwear.”

Unitard, a one piece, skin tight garment. Though not typically worn as lingerie, a unitard is considered a type of shapewear.

Lingerie Guide for Men

Lingerie Guide to Buying By Hadley Freeman, writing in The Guardian. @hadleyfreeman

It’s my girlfriend’s 30th birthday next week and she has said she’d like some proper posh lingerie. Where should I, as your average, useless 32-year-old bloke, go that won’t make me look or feel too pervy or weird?

Ahh, the awkward man in the lingerie shop: there are few shopping cliches I enjoy more upon encountering them in the flesh.

As a frequent consumer of lingerie myself (in the sense that I am fond of buying the stuff, not eating it: just thought I needed to clarify that), many’s the time I have seen your ilk, Name withheld, furtively ducking into the shop, lurking about the babydoll nightdress section, pretending not to stare at the shop assistants trussed up like strip-o-grams, stumbling over the straddling mannequins only to have to clutch onto the rail of G-strings for support: oh yes, I know ye.

And, of course, as is so often the case, the more you try to avoid the danger, the more you run towards it, in this case, looking like a thigh-rubbing lech.

All that stealthy creeping, those embarrassed side-glances, the blushes when confronted by a sales assistant. To paraphrase Tammy Wynette, sometimes it’s hard to be a man – in a lingerie shop.

Then there is the issue of the lingerie itself. You do not clarify, Name withheld, whether your fears of looking or feeling “too pervy” are in relation to the shop, or the lingerie itself – and the latter is an equally legitimate concern. Without wishing to presume too much, I assume from your email that you are a neophyte to the world of lingerie shopping and are therefore concerned that you might end up, in your panic, purchasing something for your girlfriend that says less, “You are a gorgeous, irresistible goddess – grrrr!”, and more, “I LIKE PORN.”

Fortunately, dear boy, you have come to the right place. Come, shelter under my chiffon-clad arm as I walk you through the basics, like Great Aunt Alicia tutoring her grand niece in the ways of femininity in the film Gigi, albeit with fewer lessons about how to eat ortolans. But don’t walk too fast, OK? I’m wearing my marabou high-heeled slippers.

First, you need to know her size. Forgive me if this statement of the obvious comes across as condescension but ever since I was once in a lingerie shop and a gentleman shopper described his lady partner’s size as “I dunno – a handful?” I have learned to take nothing for granted in this department.

Next, I often hear lingerie salesladies asking the gentleman whether their female friend prefers “girly or sexy things”. This, in my opinion, is something of a canard – and a confusing and distracting one at that. First, rare is the man, I suspect, who can tell the difference, particularly under the brutal, pressured spotlight in a lingerie shop.

Second, can’t a gal like both? So don’t worry too much about style. Unless your lady love has specifically asked for rotating nipple tassels, just get something that is, quite simply, beautiful. So now we can get to the nub of the matter: where to find the beautiful things?

I used to love Agent Provocateur but it’s gone a bit La Senza of late and, while I appreciate that probably won’t mean much to my correspondent, I suspect his partner would understand and will appreciate the warning. Now, Myla is my favourite lingerie brand, selling things that are girly, sexy, beautiful and all these combined. It’s not cheap, although heaven knows it’s cheaper than some labels out there (Carine Gilson, I’m looking at you), but it really is worth it: great quality and gorgeous. Plus, you can order it over the web to save yourself Store Unpleasantness, but it’s not a bad idea to go to the shop to see the bits in person before getting them for your girlfriend.

Stella McCartney is another good bet (and I can guarantee your girlfriend will be almost as delighted to see a Stella McCartney box as she will be to see what’s in the box), as is the somewhat lesser known 3.1 by Philip Lim, and you can order both from netaporter.com (see aforementioned Store Unpleasantness avoidance). On the high street, the best bet is probably Cos for chic, non-itchy, non-scratchy things.

So there you go, noble soldier. Consider yourself armed to the teeth with lingerie guidance and, if you choose well, as you surely will with such advice, you shall soon be taking the lingerie off with your teeth. Sorry, I totally did not just write that.

Ballerina Hosiery “Hush Hush” Video

Ballerina Hosiery

We’re delighted to offer the latest stockings, hold ups and tights from the fabulous Hush Hush collection from Ballerina Hosiery.

We thought you might like to see the Ballerina Hosiery promotional video for the Hush Hush Collection.

 

Ballerina Hosiery established in 1989, it’s one of the fastest growing companies in the hosiery industry in Europe. Since the beginning, we have specialized in design and manufacture of lingerie and hosiery products for women and children.

Ballerina Hosiery experience and expertise in creating unique collections of high quality tights and stockings are the result of teamwork of skilled designers, qualified technologists and people who directly supervise and support the production process. Thanks to specialized, modern machinery, we are the manufacturer and creator of fashion hosiery with unique capabilities, including more than 150 different models divided into several lines.

We fully understand our customers and their sensitivity to beauty and aesthetics. We always listen to their needs. That’s why two times a year Ballerina® designers develop new designs and solutions, embedded with the latest fashion trends and tailored to customer needs.

Our products are present at the largest trade events in Europe. Every year we take part in trade fairs in Paris, Lyon, Moscow.

Ballerina’s® hosiery products focus on comfort, elegance and high quality. The attention to precision and control at every stage of production on our modern machinery guarantees the highest  quality of our products.

We use the best grade raw materials and the latest technologies. Have a look at our collections of  tights, stockings, leggings for women.

Until next time … be fabulous.

Mark