Lingerie Terminology

Men are often confused by all the different terminology used in the lingerie business. But you know what? Many women are, also. Let's fix that problem, right now:
 
  • Baby Doll: Sexy short gown with matching panties. It's fitted at the bust, but flares toward hemline.
     
  • Bikini Underwear. Don't think in terms of string bikinis. This is a much more "full" cut. It fully covers the front and back, with little or no butt cheek hanging out on either side.
     
  • Bodystocking (aka, catsuit or bodusuit). This is a one-piece garment that covers the torso and bottom. It may or may not have a thong design in the bottom, and it may or may not have a deep cleavage cut. The sexiest ones are made of stretch material. It's typically worn as underwear in public, but outerwear in private.
     
  • Boning. This is a noun, not a verb. Boning consists of hard strips sewn into the garment to give it a shape--sometimes for body contouring. At one time, boning was made from actual bone, or sometimes other materials such as wood. Today's boning is almost always plastic.
     
  • Boxer short. As the name implies, these look like the shorts boxers wear in the ring. It's a loose-fitting style of underwear that covers from the waist to the upper thigh. Some people find these very comfortable, and others find them very annoying. Men tend to favor either briefs or boxers, and typically never have a mix of the two in their possession. Women often have a mix of boxers, briefs, and thongs to accommodate different moods, settings, and outfits.
     
  •  Bra type. There are three types: Demi-up (aka, half-cup), Shelf bra, and Open cup. Most women will select a bra to match a given set of outfits. Some outfits simply look better with a particular bra type worn underneath.
     
  • Burn Out. This is a type of material. It is rather sheer, and its use results in a provocatively sexy item that hides just enough to be tantalizing while revealing just enough to whet the sexual appetite.
     
  • Bustier. Prounounced "boosty-ay." Tight fitting often strapless garment worn as a brassiere. It provides extra lift to breasts and it may shape the waist. It is often worn with garters and stocking.
     
  • Camisole. Typically worn in place of a bra, this short sleeveless undergarment allows free movement of the breasts while also offering a touch of modesty.
     
  • Charmeuse. This is a lustrous crepe material with a fine texture in a satin weave. It is machine washable.
     
  • Chemise. This is a waistless, loose-fitting dress or gown meant for the bedroom. It has a short hem line and spaghetti straps.
     
  • Chenille. This is a soft yarn with a protruding pile, which means it feels soft and warm to the touch--much like the fur of an animal. Chenille slippers feel very luxurious, as do chenille bathrobes.
     
  • Chiffon. This is a sheer fabric, normally made of silk. If you are going to buy something made of chiffon, be prepared to spend some money.
     
  • Corset. Of all the garments or undergarments a woman can wear, the corset is widely considered the sexiest. It's also the least comfortable. Its primary purpose is to cinch the waist, making the waist appear to shrink. Women in the height of the corset era often touted waistlines of 19 inches or less, due to a lifetime of wearing corsets that were tightly cinched. It's a strapless affair with heavy boning. It extends from just under the bust (and may have some bust support in it to push the breasts up) down to the hip. To achieve extreme cinching, a second person will tighten the laces from the rear.
     
  • Demi-cup bra (aka Half-cup). As the name implies, this bra cup doesn't cover the whole "end" of the breast. It covers the the nipple and typically the areole as well. More of the breast is exposed above and below the demi-cup than is exposed in a full cup.
     
  • Denier. This is a unit of measurement. What is being measured is the  thickness of the fibers a fabric is composed of. The thicker the fibers are, the higher the denier number is. A fabric with a very low denier number is likely tlo be a sheer fabric.
  • Faux. Fake. Faux fur, for example, is an imitation fur that looks and feels like real fur. Leather and silk are two other materials commonly imitated by faus products. Faux leather is typically vinyl plastic, and faux silk is typically polyester.
     
  • Fishnet . This is a pattern for a fabric style. As the name implies, it looks like fishnet--string in a diamond pattern. When someone refers to buying "fishnets," that reference means fishnet stockings. But other types of lingerie are also available in fishnet styles.
     
  • Garter. A device for holding up thigh-high stockings. It may be made of leather, string, or elastic. Most garters today are elastic bands with plastic eyes. These eyse connect to hooks in the garter belt.
     
  • Garter belt. A belt that has hooks over which the wearer places garter eyes.
     
  • G-string. Also called "butt floss" (as opposed to the "crotch floss" a thong is often referred to as) this is a panty with a small front patch of cloth and a string that runs around the hips (or waist) and up between the butt cheeks.
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  • Gown. Think of a gown as a "long dress." A formal gown may extend to the ground, whereas a dress will not. A bedroom gown is typically sheer or semi-sheer.
     
  • Halter. In reference to garments, this is a top that has no sleeves but does cover the neck and shoulders. In that case, it's a "halter top." Some people use "halter" in reference to jewelry. This is not a recognized usage in the jewelry business; the correct term for what people are referring to is "choker."
     
  • Hosiery. This term refers to stockings and panty hose, but only those worn to produce a look of color, silkiness, or smoothness.
     
  • Kimono. A traditional Japanese long robe with very wide sleeves.
     
  • Lace. This is a fabric used to accent garments worn in public. But garments made for the bedroom may be entirely composed of lace. Lace is a fabric with a very open weave--open enough, for example, to allow a nipple to protrude between the fibers. Lingerie made from lace says one thing, and one thing only. And if someone has to tell you what the lace is saying, you'll never understand....
     
  • Lame. Pronounced "Lah-May" (the "e" in "lame" is supposed to have an accent mark on it). This material, often gold-colored, is shiny and stretchy. This material has its origin in garments made for fencing.
     
  • Latex. This is a brand name (owned by DuPont). Latex is a shiny plastic that stretches. Latex garments can be very form-fitting and look like they are painted on. The latex fetish is most often associated with the domination fetish. Latex is supposed to look like leather, and often does.
     
  • Lycra. This is a brand name (owned by DuPont). It's a fabric that stretches and conforms to the body.
     
  • Negligee. This is a long, loose-fitting gown. It usually has extra fabric to create a flowing look. And it's almost always sheer. For some reason, many people confuse a negligee with a teddy.
     
  • Opaque. If it's opaque, you can't see through it. Opaque does not mean "almost sheer." It's the opposite of sheer. Note to men: remember this by thinking of the hood of your car as opaque, and your windshield as sheer.
     
  • Open cup bra. A favorite among men, this style allows the breast to sit on a shallow cup, thus exposing nearly all of it. Some of these are underwired for added support, and some are even push-up style.
     
  • Panne. This is a type of fabric, and it's similar to velvet.
     
  • Patent. This term is normally used in conjunction with "leather," thus "patent leather. Patent is actually polyvinylchloride (PVC). The material is shiny, like highly polished leather. But, it doesn't smell like leather or breathe like leather--which limits its appeal and comfort. On the plus side, it's not as absorbent of body fluids as leather is, and it costs less than leather.
     
  • Peignoir set. This is a sheer robe, combined with a loose-fitting gown.
     
  • Sarong. This is a body wrap consisting of a long (and fairly wide) cloth strip that wraps around the woman to form a skirt or dress. Perhaps because the two words rhyme, men often confuse this item name with a thong.
     
  • Satin. This is a shiny polyester fabric intended to imitate silk.
     
  • Sheer. If it's sheer, you can see through it. Something that's sheer is almost, but not quite, transparent.
     
  • Shelf bra. As the name implies, this bra forms a shelf for the breast to sit on. It's similar to a half-up, but flatter. It has an underwire for support and uplift, which means the bottom of the breast isn't exposed. However, the top of the breast--including the areole and nipple--is. So, it's racier than the half-cup bra.
     
  • Spandex. This is a brand name (owned by DuPont). It's a fabric that stretches and conforms to the body.
     
  • Strapless. Straps in a garment will use the shoulders as a basis for supporting or hanging the garment on the body. Straps are often very narrow.
     
  • Surplice. This is a type of garment introduced by the Catholic Church for wear by the clergy. It was originally a wide-sleeved tunic or robe of half-length (meaning down to the knees). Traditionally, it's made of fine linen or cotton, and worn by all the clergy. Some people like to wear such garments as intimate apparel.
     
  • Tap pants. These are just a feminine variation of the boxer short. Tap pants are likely to be silk or satin, rather than cotton.
     
  • Tapestry. This is a heavy fabric used to make corsets. It's often elaborately printed.
     
  • Teddy. This garment is a one-piece affair that, like the typical bodysuit, snaps at the crotch. Teddies come in many varieties. For bedroom play, the maid uniform teddy is a common variation.
     
  • Teddyette. Also called a teddiette, this is basically a teddy with garters. You wear it with thigh-high hose or stockings.
     
  • Thong. Also called crotch floss (as opposed to merely being the "butt floss" that a g-string is. That's because a thong tends to pull against the front, thus pulling the string into the pudenda. It does this because the back of the thong is normally a V-shape that rides high above the hips. The strings hang down from this V-shape, so there is pressure pulling them up. With a g-string, the pressure is more evenly distributed between the horizontal and vertical planes, so there is much less pulling. As with the g-string, the butt is completely exposed--with the rear strip of fabric running between the butt cheeks. There are male and female thong swimsuits available. The present fashion opinion is that physically fit women look really hot in thongs, while any man who who wears one simply looks like an idiot.
     
  • Velvet. This is a soft fabric made of short, dense pile. It feels smooth to the touch. People with sensitive fingers are said to have "the velvet touch." In love-making, soft caresses are also called "velvet touches." This fabric brings about that same sensation when lightly stroked.

 
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