A bustier (, alternatively bustiere) is a

form-fitting garment A form-fitting garment is an article of clothing that tightly follows the contours of the part of the body being covered. A feature of Western societies is the popularity of form-fitting clothing worn by women, compared to equivalent male garment ...

for

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

traditionally worn as

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

. Its primary purpose is to push up the

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

by tightening against the upper

midriff In fashion, the midriff is the human abdomen. The midriff is exposed when wearing a crop top or some forms of swimwear or underwear. Cholis worn by Indian women expose a section of midriff, usually . Etymology "Midriff" is a very old term in ...

and forcing the breasts up while gently shaping the waist. Nowadays, it might also be worn as a

push-up bra There are a great many brassiere designs that are suitable for a wide variety of business and social settings and suitable to wear with a variety of outer clothing. The bra's shape, coverage, functionality, fit, fashion, fabric, and colour can ...

under a low-backed dress or as a

camisole A camisole is a sleeveless undergarment or innerwear typically worn by women, normally extending to the waist. The camisole is usually made of satin, nylon, silk, or cotton. Historical definition Historically, ''camisole'' referred to jackets ...

for outerwear. The bustier can also be worn as a

half-slip A slip is a woman's undergarment worn beneath a dress or skirt. A full slip hangs from the shoulders, usually by means of narrow straps, and extends from the breast to the fashionable skirt length. A half slip (or ''waist slip'') hangs from the ...

under sheer upper garments if a bold display of the midriff is not desired. A bustier resembles a

basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

, but it is shorter. It reaches down only to the ribs or waist. Modern bustiers are often made with mesh panels rather than the traditional boning.

Origin

These delicate garments were representative and a symbol of nobility for women with power since 2000 BC. At the beginning these were not used as underwear, but were a complete, one-piece garment, like a dress, but in the 16th century, specifically in Italy, their design varied until they had the representative style that we can appreciate today.

References

1980s fashion Foundation garments Lingerie {{clothing-stub Women's clothing

Origin

See also

References