Drawers

Drawers, Pantalettes or Pantaloons – women’s underwear, underpants. We had a separate post about men’s underpants “Braies”.

Before the 19th century, women did not have underpants. We will not claim that women all over the world did not have panties before the 19th century, but it was local. For example, in the 16th – 17th century, in Venice, courtesans wore men’s shirts and underpants – “Le Braghesse” or “I mutandoni della cortigiana”. Courtesans considered it seductive. They even lifted their outer dress so that they were visible. These were the underpants that Venetian courtesans wanted to show off. But can this be considered underwear? Among noble women, wearing underpants was considered indecent.

The fashion for underpants for women appeared in the 1810s. It comes from the children’s fashion for Pantalettes. These are panties that were visible from under a short children’s dress. In English, underpants are called “Drawers”, “Open Drawers”, but any other name is fair for underpants. Some countries have different words for underwear and panties that are visible. fr. Pantalettes, de. Brunzhose, fr. Culotte fendue, ru. Pantaloons, da. Splitbukser, it. Mutandoni. Women’s panties differed from men’s in that they were open in the crotch – Open Drawers. The two legs of the Drawers were not sewn together, but only fastened with a belt at the waist. This cut allowed you to go to the toilet only by lifting your skirt, and without taking off numerous underwear. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, pantaloons began to be sewn between the legs, and a flap was left at the back for convenience. In the 1920s, with the fashion for short and tight skirts, pantaloons shortened, gradually becoming panties.