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Girdle

1960s (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)

Girdle of nylon and Lycra.

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Object details

Categories
Womenswear
Underwear
Europeana Fashion Project
Object type
Girdle
Materials and techniques
Nylon and Lycra
Nylon
Lycra
Brief description
Girdle, nylon and Lycra, Great Britain, 1960s.
Physical description
Girdle of nylon and Lycra.
Dimensions
  • Waist circumference: 52.5cm (unstretched) (Note: Measured by Conservation)
  • Lower hip circumference: 63cm (unstretched) (Note: Measured by Conservation)
  • Waist hem (front) length: 21.5cm (Note: Measured by Conservation)
  • Waist hem (back) length: 29cm (Note: Measured by Conservation)
Gallery label
(16/04/2016-12/03/2017)
'Xhilarating!'

The 'Little X' girdle, designed by Anne-Marie Lobbenberg for Silhouette in 1958, proved very popular with young women. The all-elastic girlde provided light control and two-way stretch.

Advertisements for the girdle focused on its functionality and the freedom of movement it allowed, promising that it, 'Won't wrinkle, roll over or ride up'.

The corset incorporates Lycra, which is a brand name for elastane (spandex), a synthetic stretch fibre produced from polyurethane. Lycra became available in 1959.

Girdle, 'Little X'
Silhouette (Salop) Ltd.
Britain, Shropshire, early 1960s
LYCRA, nylon, lurex trim with metal suspender clips
V&A: T.291-1993
(2013-2015)
Before the mid-1950s, rubber and latex girdles only stretched horizontally and constantly rode up. The 'Little X' was one of the first garments to incorporate Lycra, introduced in 1959. Lycra is the brand name for elastane (spandex). It is a completely synthetic, multi-directional stretch fabric, three times more powerful than previous elastics with twice the recovery power. It became increasingly popular throughout the 1960s and is the staple underwear textile today.

'Little X' girdle
Silhouette
Britain, early 1960s
Lycra and nylon, lurex trim, with metal suspender clasps
V&A: T.291-1993
Object history
Purchased. Registered File number 1993/916.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.291-1993

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O352487/girdle-unknown/
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