Undies

Undergarments changed to suit the new fashions. Women discarded the confining corset, even though boned corsets continued to be readily available. Other undergarments, garters, and petticoats were no longer appropriate. Girls needed to be able to move, to dance, to swing and sway. Freedom from restrictive underwear gave women more mobility and more stamina. Now, they could run and eat without a shortness of breath caused by a corset. The chemise or camisole was often employed in place of the corset. During the early part of the decade, chemises paired with bloomers kept a woman decently covered beneath her outer garments, although a great many woman wore no undergarments at all. Bandeaus gained popularity later in the decade.