Bodysuit (garment)
A bodysuit (English for "body suit") or body for short (English for "body") is a mostly skin - tight one-piece piece of clothing consisting of a top and (mostly cut) panties .
The upper part of a body can be cut like a tank top , like a corsage or like a T-shirt with long or short sleeves. The sub area can take the form of different shapes of panties.
A simple women's body looks similar to a leotard , but usually differs by a closure in the crotch. This makes it easier to go to the toilet or to put them on over the head. Variants for men are mostly based on wrestling jerseys and only have a fly or button placket on the front. The lower part or the whole body, especially in the form of lingerie, is worn as underwear . Bodysuits are also widespread as children's clothing, especially for babies and toddlers.
history
The bodysuit, promoted by Claire McCardell , came into fashion in the United States after 1950. Against a blouse or T-shirt, it prevailed in the late 1980s and was launched by Donna Karan . The variants for men proposed in the 1990s did not establish themselves as fashion. After its function as shaping underwear or lingerie , at the end of the 2000s it was increasingly used again as a blouse body and classic turtleneck body as well as evening body.
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Structure of the bodysuit
Top
The upper part of a shirt or blouse body can have the shape of any item of clothing, the lower hem of which is also worn tucked into trousers, skirts or dresses. There are also tops that would hardly be possible without the hidden panty section, such as backless halter necks or corsets .
Panty part
Most of the time, the top is made of the same lengths of fabric and goes into the panties without any subdivision. For blouse bodies with a less tight-fitting top, the panties can be set off and cut more tightly. In lingerie bodies with bra cups, the panties and possible flaps are extended to under the breast. The leg lengths range from a high leg with a string in the back to a straight leg. In exceptional cases , models with two strings through the crotch can be crotchless , have cut legs or reach to the ankle cuffs. Models with individual cords in the crotch are called T-fronts and are mainly used as dance or sports underwear for acrobatics or acro yoga.
Crotch closure
The body is often closed between the pubic cleft and anus or in front of the pubic cleft. From the simplest to the highest quality, closures consist of the following solutions:
- Velcro fastener
- Small plastic snap fasteners
- Metal hooks that can be adjusted in several rows, usually three
- Lacquered metal snap fasteners with a fabric strip as reinforcement
At the turn of the millennium, models with a horizontal zipper above the mound were also offered. The manufacturer promised better hygiene. However, the offer was not continued. In some cases, the panties may be too tight in the crotch despite being the right size. In this case, there is the option of using an intermediate piece which has the matching counterpart for closing the body at both ends.
material
Stretchable, mostly knitted material is used. Often it is jersey or lycra .
Types of bodysuits
In addition to common names such as B. short-sleeved body are z. B. to find the following main categories:
- Shirt body , which like z. B. the muscle shirt fits snugly and highlights the figure. Its tops range from the high-necked turtleneck body to the large-cut strappy body . Here you can also find the sweetheart body as an evening body , the name-giving heart cutout of which is sometimes formed by visible bra cups and usually covered with transparent material made of tulle or lace .
- Underwear body that looks like a trouser corselet , but can also be made of transparent fabric. This type, which is usually only held by shoulder straps, is also completely hidden under the outerwear, like other underwear. There are also models with long sleeves and stand-up collars as thermal underwear.
- Peak body whose variant be worn as a shirt transparent body with a simple bra underneath or with clothes it, neckline, sleeves or abdomen can also bring out look. Be worn over z. B. Blazers, sleeveless vests, tank tops or dresses. As a lingerie body with an integrated bra, the front part is usually divided into different sections for decoration.
- Blouse body , the upper part of which has the appearance of a blouse and is therefore usually set apart from the elastic panty part. This also includes tops with a wrap-around look.
- The shaping corsage body with partially visible bra cups, decorated with gemstones, can be part of the evening bodysuit or worn with a deep neckline under a wedding dress.
Wearing habits
In addition to personal comfort and the type of body, wearing habits are also determined by the pragmatic purpose and current fashion. It is not uncommon to wear other underwear like bras , tights, or an extra pair of panties underneath.
- A brassiere provides additional support because of the lack of bra cups in shirt bodies and reduces the appearance of nipples. With transparent bodies, the breasts are simply covered or highlighted with a low-necked push-up bra .
- In addition to the main purpose of preventing the top from slipping, bodysuits also prevent tights worn underneath from sliding down and conceal their waistband or, if they are low-lying, conceal trousers or skirts. So bodies are also often represented in fashion photography to only show the uninterrupted leg part and at the same time cover other areas of the body. In this context, it is not uncommon for manufacturers of hosiery to offer seamless bodies.
- A cotton slip as laundry protection gives the additional option of boiling laundry or a better adhesive surface for panty liners . However, the leg cutouts and the waistband can uncomfortably overlap here.
The concept of the bodysuit also has other advantages and disadvantages. Since there is in principle no gap between the upper and the panty part, bodies are suitable for protecting the lumbar region from the cold . In contrast to panties or tights, no waistband can cut into the waist. With the belly covered compared to a bra, some lingerie bodies are also worn under jackets or even without them. One of the disadvantages is that the length has to be correct to prevent uncomfortable tightening in the crotch or slipping of the bra cups.
While the hot pants cover the transparent back of the body, the body conceals the waistband of the tights at the front
Shirt Body whose main part as worn underneath pantyhose on circular knitting machines manufactured
Coquetry with a lace body under a leather jacket in a discotheque
Stretching girl in T-front string body
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Ingrid Loschek : Reclams Mode and Costume Lexicon . 6th edition. Philipp Reclam jun. Stuttgart, 2011, ISBN 978-3-15-010818-5 , p. 130.
- ↑ a b What is a bodysuit (English). Conjecture Corporation, archived from the original on March 16, 2016 ; accessed on September 18, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Figure-flattering one-piece: the body is back. (No longer available online.) Dpa / tmn via Südkurier, archived from the original on January 1, 2019 ; accessed on October 14, 2014 .
- ↑ No way underneath: Underwear is now visible. (No longer available online.) Dpa via Süddeutsche Zeitung, archived from the original on May 30, 2017 ; accessed on January 1, 2019 .