UNDERSTANDING WOMEN’S LINGERIE STYLES

An Explanation of Types of Lingerie and the Differences Among Lingerie Styles

This brief article about women’s lingerie styles is intended to help men understand the terms used when buying lingerie for your significant other.  Best of all, it’s written by a guy who’s been in the lingerie business for over ten years.

I remember my first time walking into a Victoria’s Secret many years ago when I was a much younger man.  I was overwhelmed with confusion looking at all these different types of lingerie, that I had no idea what they were called nor their purpose.  They all looked the same, shades of white, pink and red, some sheer, some not.  Why did women need all this stuff?

Well, I’m older and wiser now, as many of us are, however, I believe my unique position as a lingerie store owner and operator has provided me unique insight into the reason for so many types of women’s lingerie, bras and intimate apparel.  I’ll cut to the point; most of it is really for the man to enjoy.  Okay, I know what some of you are thinking.  Let’s not go down that road.  This is a PG article to help men understand the differences between lingerie styles, since most of the sexier lingerie styles available are really intended for men’s visual enjoyment.

 Most of the confusion, hence where I’ll start, surrounds the negligee (whoa, does anyone use that term anymore), or more common term of gown or nightgown.  If you’d like to see photos of the different lingerie styles I’m about to mention, please visit our lingerie glossary page.  There are several types of nightgowns, which vary in length and likely covers roughly eighty-percent (80%) of the confusion men have about women’s lingerie.

Our explanation of lingerie terms, within the negligee and nightgown arena, will start from longest to shortest in length and is as follows:

• Long Gown, Nightgowns and Sleeping Gowns are ankle to floor length, traditionally sweeping, elegant and beautiful as well as smooth, silky and comfortable enough for sleep.  While not necessary, nightgowns typically have a matching robe to compliment and complete a beautiful evening ensemble.  Men… when it comes to gift giving, this is not the area to be cheap.  If you’re going for a beautiful nightgown, go the extra mile for the matching robe.  There’s a synergy when it comes to matching nightgown and robe sets, together they are much more beautiful and appreciated than their separate parts.

• Mid-Length Gowns and Chemises, this is typically where confusion begins to enter.  Somewhere between a length of around mid-calf to just around the knees we see a change in the lingerie lingo from “I want a nightgown” to “I want a chemise”.  So, nightgowns will vary in length from long (ankle-length) to somewhere below the knees.  If the clerk asks and you want something shorter than a long nightgown (or, rather, your significant other tells you she wants something shorter), simply ask for a mid-length nightgown. Just below the knees to about somewhere below mid-thigh, we’re now in Chemise country. 

• Chemises, corset chemise and moving into the shorter versions called babydolls or the lingerie babydoll, as the name implies it’s short and perky.  For now, let’s understand the purpose of a chemise.  As mentioned, a nightgown tends to be perceived, traditionally, as longer, flowing and more elegant, which is not to say that sexy nightgowns don’t exist, of course they do, however, that really takes us off our discussion of types of lingerie and leads us into themes of lingerie, which is not the purpose of this article.  The chemise is a shorter, lighter alternative to the long nightgown.  Chemises are typically cooler and more comfortable because there is less fabric.  Additionally, as we move into chemise length negligees, there seems to be an understanding of greater freedom and flexibility not only in terms of the physical comfort, but also in terms of the level of sex appeal.  Both men and women begin to expect more sex appeal and sexier styles within chemises, then gowns. 

• Babydolls, or the lingerie babydoll, are shorter than a chemise, which if you recall, are from just below the knee to around mid-thigh.  A lingerie babydoll starts in length at about mid-thigh up to below the waist.  Different manufacturers and cultural differences account for much of the confusion that arises around what the difference is between a chemise and a babydoll.  The lengths can overlap; however, babydolls tend to be shorter than the lingerie chemise.  A further distinction, babydolls tend to flair out at the bottom or have a skirted bottom.  Again, some chemises may have these attributes, but a flaring or ruffled bottom is predominantly more for babydolls.

• Camisoles, camis and camisoles tops traditionally do not have sleeves and are waist to ribcage in length.  The most traditional camisole style has either thin spaghetti styled straps or features wider straps and covers the torso comfortably.  Camisoles are multi-functional as they may be worn as an undergarment, an under-layer or as a top onto itself.  One primary difference in camisole tops, beyond whether it has a v-neck or traditional front, is whether or not the camisole has a built in shelf bra.  Why is this important?  Well, shelf bra camisoles, as the name implies, have an additional smooth bandeau style bra sewn, or built, into the top, thereby, providing women additional support and coverage.  Some women do not prefer the shelf bra camisole as they prefer the greater freedom, look and movement of only one smooth layer of fabric. 

I hope this article has been of some help for both men and women toward better understanding why there are so many styles of lingerie.