A provocative and entertaining look at the history, iconography and appeal of women's underwear, from bloomers to things and from petticoats to wonderbras. Throughout history, lingerie has always been part practical, part icon, part turn-on and part social indicator - the ultimate symbol of the feminine mystique. The book studies periods of history one by one as the story unfolds: - Very early years - Coreseted and Caged - Crinoline - Chemises - Pantaloons - Bloomers - - Underdrawers - The 1920s - The 1930s - The 1940s - The 1950s - The 1960s - The 1970s - - The 1980s - The 1990s - Into the Millennium - Lingerie Must-haves - Changing Shape of Women - * Lingerie comes out of the closet in this fascinating journey through the history, meaning and pleasures of the most intimate apparel. * Illustrated in full colour throughout, with over 120 colour photographs, prints and drawings. * 9-page, 100-entry glossary of fashion terminology relating to lingerie.