U.S., 1941
This 1941 garment displays an unusual design feature: removable leg bands, intended to permit wearing on casual occasions without hosiery. An inescapable fact about open-bottomed control garments is that they tend to ride up without gartered hose to anchor them down.
During the 1920s and 30s, all-in-one garments were most often of the open-bottom design. They were considered a more formal garment than the separate girdle, and tended to be of more substantial construction.
After the war, panty (legged) and brief (legless) styles became more common, but the separate bra and girdle supplanted the all-in-one in popularity. Women looking for midriff control were more likely to combine a high-waisted girdle with a long-line bra.
Nearly all one-piece controllers sold today are of the brief style, labelled as "shapesuits," "body briefers," "slimsuits," and so on.
Back to A Short History of the Girdle
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Updated January 2003