Lifestyle Fashion
Bustier History

Bustier History

A bustier is a form-fitting type of lingerie that resembles a basque. It’s a form-fitting, sleeveless one-piece that comes with cups and flexible boning to give the wearer a more flattering silhouette. Bustiers are worn by women who want their breasts to appear fuller. Bustiers lift the bust by tightening around the upper part of the stomach, pushing the breasts up while at the same time giving the waist a slimmer shape. Bustiers are best worn with low-back dresses as a substitute for a push-up bra. Today, they can even be worn as a camisole for outerwear, or pantyhose under tops if you don’t intend to expose your midriff.

The term bustier is based on the French word buste, which of course means bust. It was originally called a long-line bra in the 1950s because it is essentially a bra that extends down to the stomach area. Bustiers are said to have developed from the corset, just like basques. That is why many Basques would confuse them with bustiers. Fashion designers during this time focused on designing long-line bras that featured exaggeratedly soft, bullet-shaped breasts, achieved by taper-stitching the bra cups.

Bustiers are actually shorter compared to basques. This is the main difference between the two, although the two look almost exactly the same. Both bustiers and basques have their origins in trends that emerged during the 1980s and 1990s.

There are so many types of bustiers available in the market today that suit different types of occasions and would look good on different types of outerwear or clothing. If you are going to wear a backless dress, the best type to wear is a strapless bustier. For bedroom wear, sheer bustiers are extremely popular.

Modern fashion designers have also found a way to introduce bustiers into outerwear like dresses. Here, bustiers are attached or incorporated as a top of dresses or even as a top piece of outerwear. Apparently, what used to be underwear can now also be worn outside of the bedroom as a fashionable outerwear.

Modern bustiers are made with mesh panels instead of the traditional boning. To connect each end, hooks and eyes, laces, and ribbons are used, similar to common corsets. Almost all bustiers available on the market right now are strapless, making them a perfect undergarment when wearing low-cut or even backless dresses or upper outerwear.

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