Garter Belt: Lingerie, Satin, Sexy, Leather, Lace, Stockings

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Published: July 30, 2007

For a woman who wants to add spice to her intimate apparel wardrobe, a garter belt would be quite an exciting and sexy addition. Garter belts go beyond the ordinary slips and stockings, adding an element of seductiveness mixed with Victorian-style elegance.
Garter belts are worn primarily by women. In a garter belt, a stretchable piece of cloth is made to fit around the waist, and garters are attached to it in order to secure stockings or pantyhose.

Garter belts are known in Britain as 'suspender belts.'
A garter itself is a strip of material, usually made from cloth or leather, which was worn below the knee by women in past eras to hold their stockings in place. The invention of elastic has since made them unnecessary, but they are still popular as fashion and accessory items.
Many people today erroneously think garter belts are worn only by "ladies of the night" or by women of loose morals, or never on occasions other than one's wedding day. But garter belts were actually a forerunner of modern pantyhose. From the 1930s through the 1960s, they were popularly worn by young women in place of girdles, as they were worn only to secure the stockings, and hence more simple and functional. They were also more comfortable, and men enjoyed their look; many men's magazines of the period portray models wearing garter belts along with their stockings. Garter belts were considered a beautiful and welcome addition to the fashion scene after the boyish-figure trends of the 1920s were over. Once more, the glorification and glamorization of femininity influenced popular fashion.
This classic women's undergarment actually has quite a long and venerable history behind it. Garters have been worn with belts since the Middle Ages. Many people will have known this because of the famous legend behind the establishment of the Order of the Garter. King Edward III of England, after seeing a lady's embarrassment when her garter slipped off of her leg during a dance, graciously put it back on for her, reprimanding those who frowned upon his doing so. The Order of the Garter is now the highest order in the British knighthood.
Garters and garter belts are now a traditional fixture in bridal attire. Everyone has heard of the "garter toss" which takes place at most contemporary weddings; there was even a similar practice at wedding celebrations during the Middle Ages. Many lingerie and wedding attire manufacturers add blue ribbons to their garters and garter belts, to ensure that there will be "something blue" in the wedding.
Since garter belts are sometimes difficult to find in most ordinary clothing stores, there are specialty stores in which one can find these, including Frederick's of Hollywood and the world-famous Victoria's Secret, along with many other unusual lingerie items. It is also easy to find garter belts and other lingerie in the very many specialty online boutiques.
Garter belts today are available in a much wider variety of materials, styles and colors than they were in times past. Now they are typically made out of spandex or nylon, but sometimes include "prettier" fabrics like satin or silk. Belts come with either four or six garters, but most people choose the six-gartered belts.
Wearing a garter belt in these freer-thinking times does not make a woman "loose" or vulgar, so anyone wishing to wear one before or after getting married should not feel any hesitation to do so. They are fun to wear for dress-up occasions or romantic getaways. Or, naturally, if one's stockings should need tightening!

Sources:
"Garter Belts." Wikipedia. 2 July 2007. The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 14 July 2007.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_belts
"Garter (Stockings)." Wikipedia. 14 July 2007. The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 14 July 2007.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_%28stocki ngs%29
"Lingerie History." Serge-Lingerie. 14 July 2007. http://www.serge-lingerie.com/lingerie_history.htm l
Wedding Garters/Garter Belts. wedding-garter.com. Wedding-Garter.com, Ltd. 15 July 2007.http://www.wedding-garter.com/garters.htm

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