The Low Down on Garter Belts
A garter belt is simply a band of fabric worn around the wearer’s waist, with garters to attach to the tops of stockings. The functional purpose of a garter belt is to hold up a pair of stockings. Stockings, way back when lacked the ability to stay up on their own because they did not contain any of those lovely modern materials like rubber or lycra, so garters, included on many foundation garments were a necessity. Garter belts were traditionally constructed from satin, silk or cotton, and today may also include rayon, polyester blends, PVC or leather.
The garters themselves are those little clips that are sewn into corsets, girdles, garter belts and other foundation garments to hold up a pair of stockings. In England and other parts of the U.K they are known as suspenders. They have an interesting little history of their own. These little pieces of hardware are more than decorative baubles, they have the tough job of holding onto a moving, twisting, sheer piece of fabric (the stocking) which is constantly in motion on a woman’s body. Various configurations of garters on foundation garments were marketed and indeed popular. Front only, side only, and paired garters on each leg were very common. If you go back and read many of the advertisements of the 1940s and 1950s you’ll see that the threat of a malfunctioning garter or an errant stocking was of great concern. So marketers dreamed up endless new ways to sell the same basic garment and hardware.
The garters themselves are essentially a metal or plastic hook and eye fastener sewn onto a strip of elastic or adjustable fabric. When fastened, the garter traps the stocking between the two pieces and holds it in place. Little strips of satin or silk called “flashes” are usually sewn onto the garter to cover the hook and eye pieces. The purpose of this little embellishment is actually the source of some debate. Is the flash there to protect the skin from direct contact with the metal or plastic hardware? Or is it there to smooth out the “garter bump” which appears when wearing tight outerwear over the garter? Or is it simply an extra fancy embellishment on an otherwise simple garment? The answer is probably all of these things!
From the distant past, right up to 1970, most women, when they did not wear pants wore stockings. Day-to-day dress for women was more formal than today’s ultra casual attire. Up until 1910 corsets were the ubiquitous foundation garment for most women whose many functions included holding up the often heavy knitted stockings. Things began to change though around 1910 when rather quickly, younger women began to demand lighter weight foundation garments which would also hold up their stockings. Enter the girdle. The girdle in its various forms with it’s gentler, shape altering control became the dominant foundation garment for almost 50 years. These too had garters in various configurations.
So when did the garter belt become popular? Well, American society changed quite rapidly in the 1920s. The youth of the day were caught up in the Zeitgeist of the era as jazz music became immensely popular, films became a major source of entertainment and alcohol consumption (illegal from 1920-1933) was driven underground. Young women adopted short bob haircuts, shorter, knee length hemlines and a new sense of independence. The dresses of that day were very loosely fitted, straight waisted and scandalously short for the time. Foundation garments were not exactly a priority for partying and dancing, so many women didn’t wear stockings or simply rolled them down their legs until they grabbed and stayed in place.This style was mostly evening wear but it naturally had an effect on day wear. Hemlines remained short. Women still wore stockings but wanted foundation garments which were minimal and yet could still function with garters. So, the garter belt came into popular use. During the 1940s through the 1960′s garter belts remained very popular among teens and young women because of their simplicity and comfort which allowed for a more natural freedom of movement.
Today, garter belts have been mostly relegated to the bedroom. What once was simply a day-to-day foundation garment for so many women became much less practical with the invention of thigh-high stockings and pantyhose in the 1960s. But as with many things in art and fashion, there is now a renewed interest in classic undergarments and the sense of fantasy and eroticism they invoke. Women are rediscovering this simple yet elegant piece of fashion history.
About the Author
Patrick Bergert is a blogger and freelance writer living in Austin Texas.
He writes about lingerie, fashion, hosiery and history for Kuhmillion.com
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