Slim was in; bulk was out back in 14th century Europe. Unlike today’s head-to-toe anorexic silhouettes, however, the fashionable folk of that era preferred tiny waists atop flared bottoms reinforced by flounces, petticoats, and layers upon layers of voluminous chemises. This Elizabethan body image was brought about by a preference for lacing and all manner of whale-boning that, if it were made to stand on its own, would do so like another body. Hence the bodies or “bodice” as it soon came to be known, became the prototype for achieving the figure of the day, and later gave way to stays in the 1600s, and the corsets of the late 1700s.

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Believe it or not, what we now call knickers or undies or tighty whities were once considered outerwear in ancient Egypt! These were called schenti or loincloths, and were worn as basic clothing by men. Or I really should say, they were the only clothing worn by dudes back then. This is to distinguish the men form the kids and the servants, because the latter went around stark naked with their privates hanging out for all to see. Of course those with a higher ranking had robes draped on their esteemed persons, but back then, underwear were basically unheard of.

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