Many questions are often asked about lingerie names, terminology and general language when it comes to lingerie. Whether it is confusion around the difference between lingerie and underwear, or "do I choose a babydoll or chemise" we are here to lend a hand!
It can be a little confusing, so we have prepared some helpful definitions to support your quest for those special items. Even if you think you already know the difference between a bikini and a brief, read through our glossary to be sure you have every detail figured out.
The RubyV Guide To Lingerie Terminology:
Babydoll: A shorter, loose-fitting lingerie top that covers the torso and upper thighs, fitted at the bust and floating loosely through the middle and bottom of the garment, often made in sheer or wispy fabrics like chiffon or lightweight lace.
Balconette/Balcony Bra: An underwire bra style with wider straps that lift from the bottom of the cup creating a boosting effect. Often cut straighter across the front of the cups, with a higher center, they are often used to create a lifting effect, or “push-up.
Bandeau: A bra style that has a band of fabric across the entire front.
Basque: A shapewear garment designed to smooth the silhouette and support the bust, covering the entire torso. Unlike a corset, a Basque is usually made of stretch fabrics and contains plastic boning (not steel). It will not reduce the waist or dramatically alter the body's shape, but rather simply provide a smoothing effect to the silhouette.
Bias-Cut Gown: A slip that covers the entire torso and upper legs, usually with a V-neck cut that is structured like a lightweight dress and worn under your clothes or for loungewear or nightwear. The bias-cut style label refers to how the pattern is placed and cut at a 45-degree angle to the natural flow of the fabric, which allows for flexible, curve-hugging stretch throughout the garment, and which molds itself to compliment a variety of body types.
Bikini briefs: A classic underwear shape with a waistband sitting along the hip, and moderate coverage both front and back. There are various styles with low-rise bikini briefs and high-waisted versions are a popular and standard wardrobe item for many.
Bloomers: Loose, often silk material with an edge frill, this style usually fitted at the waist and gathered around the legs. Popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, popularised and named after feminist Amelia Bloomer.
Bodysuit: A close-fitting, stretch garment that covers the torso, including the bust, waist, and hips, as an all-in-one cut. Bodysuits are often made of sheer mesh and stretch lace and can feature a variety of different necklines and leg cuts, often incorporating closures in the gusset (crotch area) for ease of access.
Bralette: A bra that doesn't have an underwire or boning, either for style or comfort. Also known as a soft cup or wireless bra.
Brassiere/Bra: A general term for an undergarment that covers and supports the breasts, taking many shapes and forms in both comfort and style. Usually falling into two main categories, wired or unwired, there are then numerous sub-categories from t-shirt style to sports bras.
Briefs: Generic term for any style of underwear providing coverage across the lower abdomen, that has the classic brief shape, although often used to refer to a style with moderate to full coverage from the abdomen, across the waist, hips, and bottom.
Brazilian Briefs: Also known as cheeky briefs or tanga's, this form of underwear has full coverage across the front, but a skimpier back than a bikini or brief. Tangas reveal most of the butt-cheeks, with a wider fabric band across the top of the derrière.
Bustier: A torso-shaping garment, designed to smooth the silhouette and support the bust, like a girdle and bra combined. Unlike a true corset, a bustier is usually made of stretch fabrics and contains plastic boning rather than a metal option. The bustier will not necessarily reduce the waist or alter the body's shape, but rather simply smooth it while often providing a push-up effect for the breasts. Often strapless with underwires and hook and eye closures at the back, bustiers are sometimes worn as outerwear.
Camisole/Cami: A loungewear top that covers the torso, usually with spaghetti straps. Camisoles are often layered under blouses or sweaters for an extra layer of warmth, and modesty, or to provide a lace under a low neckline. Camisoles can also be worn as loungewear and sleepwear.
Corset: A defined and structured undergarment covering the torso, usually made from strong, non-stretch fabric, with multiple panels within the design for the contouring and reshaping of the bust and waist. Genuine corsets are handcrafted by specialty artisans, boned with steel, and usually have a front closure called a busk (the metal studs that allow for easier dressing) and a back closure that laces with 2-part metal grommets. Unlike bustiers or basques, corsets are not designed as much for comfort as they are for reshaping and style, without the ability to stretch. Corsets can be worn as lingerie, outerwear, or as part of a themed costumes or outfit.
Demi-Cup Bra: A revealing underwire bra with a low profile, featuring a plunging neckline at the front and half coverage of the breasts.
Dressing gown: A decorative and practical robe, often warm with full coverage, that is layered over lounge or sleepwear.
French Knickers: Also called tap pants, French knickers are a loose-fitting type of underwear that is similar to shorts. They have a fitted waist and looser fabric over the leg lines, without leg elastics like more fitted briefs would have. French knickers are often worn for sleep or lounging, but can also be worn as practical underwear beneath fuller dresses and skirts.
Full Slip: A loosely fitted undergarment that covers the entire torso and upper legs, structured like a lightweight dress and worn under your clothes or for loungewear or nightwear. This is different from a half-slip which only covers the lower half of the body.
Fully-Fashioned Stockings: A traditional-style pair of legwear, fully fashioned stockings featuring that quintessential back seam, a keyhole shape along the top welt, a reinforced heel and toe, and tiny picot lines (stitch marks from the knitting machines where the garment is shaped).
Garters: Not to be confused with garter belts, individual thigh garters are elasticated bands that are worn encircling the upper leg, either for decoration or to hold up stockings.
Garter Belt: The same garment as a suspender belt, consisting of a waistband with 4-6 straps that connect to the top of your stockings. Garter belts are often part of a full 3-piece lingerie set. They're a great way to transition a lingerie set from day into sexy nightwear, as well as being practical in themselves. Read our full guide to garter belts to learn more about how to wear and style them.
Girdle: A retro shapewear garment designed to smooth the abdomen and hips, made of firm stretch materials and generally with a hook and eye closure along the back. Traditional girdles usually feature suspender or garter straps at the bottom edge to clip to your stockings.
G-String: A skimpy style of thong underwear that rests between the cheeks, with only a thin "string" of elastic at the back.
Gusset: The crotch area of your underwear, usually lined with an extra layer for practical support.
Half-Slip: A loosely fitted undergarment that covers the lower abdomen and thighs, structured like a lightweight skirt and worn under your clothes or for loungewear or nightwear. This is item covers the bottom half of the torso in a skirt-like manner, differing from the full slip which also covers the chest.
High-Waisted Knickers: An underwear style that extends up to around the navel, affecting the body at the waistline. (The waistline is usually the narrower part of the midsection, or where your body creases when you bend side to side.)
Hosiery: A general term for any legwear, including tights, pantyhose, stockings, thigh-highs, and even socks.
Knickers: A slang term for any form of panties or lower-body underwear.
Lingerie: A general term for any undergarments. The word lingerie comes from the French word for linen wear due to original European female undergarments produced from linen textiles. Nowadays, lingerie can include garments of any fiber, with the most desirable being silk or satin.
Longline Bra: A brassiere that extends below the under-bust to cover part of the upper ribs. These items can have either soft cup bralettes or underwires and boning for structure, similar to a bustier. They can also incorporate a “push-up” style within the cup to enhance the natural shape.
Loungewear/Sleepwear/Nightwear: Soft, comfortable undergarments that are worn at home for relaxing or sleep. These can include bralettes and tap pants, camisoles, slips and night dresses, robes and dressing gowns, pyjamas, and more.
Low-Rise Knickers: Any briefs or underwear style that is cut lower across the tummy, revealing more of the abdomen. Low-rise knickers are skimpier than full briefs and are best worn with any low-rise pants, trousers, or skirts to avoid unwanted display of the undergarment waistband.
Molded Cup Bra: A brassiere whose cups are each formed out of a single piece of foam that mimics a rounded breast shape. They are seamless across the cups and are often also called t-shirt bras because they don't show under-fitted tops.
Negligée: A general term for any nightwear, generally decorative with lace and trimmings with the intent to be seen as sexy and often close fitting or sheer. A negligee can be a single or two-piece set including a top (like a babydoll), and bottom (like French knickers).
Nightgown/Nightdress/Nightie: A loosely fitted undergarment that covers the entire torso and upper legs, structured like a lightweight dress and worn for loungewear or nightwear.
Nursing Bra: A specialty brassiere intended for breastfeeding infants, with adjustable clasps above each cup that allow the fabric to be lowered for easy feeding access. Nursing bras can be structured underwire bras or soft cup bralettes.
Nylons: Any legwear made in nylon fabric, but generally referring to the sort that come as a pair of 2 separate pieces, unlike pantyhose which are combined.
Ouverte / Crotchless Knickers: Underwear that features a peek-a-boo opening through the derrière, the gusset, and/or the front of the panty. Sometimes also features a tab or button feature at the crotch, allowing for sexy removal.
Overbust Corset: A boned, structured corset that covers the entire torso, including the bust, waist, and upper hips. An overbust corset does cover the chest, so it does not need to be worn with a bra.
Panties: Any form of underwear or knickers, of any style.
Pantyhose: Combination legwear that includes both a panty and hose (stockings), created together all in one.
Pyjamas/Pajamas/ PJs: Soft, comfortable undergarments that are worn at home for relaxing or sleep. These can include camisoles and tap pants, slips and night dresses, robes and dressing gowns, and more. Learn more about styling loungewear for working from home.
Pasties: Adhesive nipple covers, either worn for the functionality of masking the nipple when going bra-less or for decorative purposes such as for a strip tease or burlesque performance.
Peignoir Set: A 2-piece set consisting of a robe and nightgown, made in sheer, floaty fabrics like chiffon.
Plunge Bra: A brassiere that has a low neckline at the center front, revealing most of the sternum and cleavage.
Push-up Bra: A brassiere that is engineered to push the breasts together and upwards. Push-up bras are heavily structured and include underwires, side boning, strong straps, and often pads to enhance the effect.
Quarter-Cup Bra: A highly revealing bra that features the band and cradle of a traditional underwire bra, but with only 1/4 the amount of cup coverage. Quarter-cup bras generally reveal the nipple and most breast tissue and are used more as a style item rather that a supportive function as they add very little support to the bustline.
Robe: A loungewear outer garment covering the arms and torso, which may be any length from thigh length to the floor. Robes are also called dressing gowns, and they can be made of any textile from silk to sheer tulle to terrycloth to towelling to thick velvet. They provide an extra warm layer on cold nights, a nice in-between outfit while styling your hair, or a sultry reveal for a strip tease.
Romper: Similar to teddies or playsuits, rompers are 1-piece loungewear garments that cover the bust, abdomen, and bikini line. Usually made of soft, loose fabric, sometimes cinched in at the waist. Rompers can be worn for lounging around or as sleepwear.
Shapewear: Any lingerie item that compresses, smooths, and shapes the silhouette. Shapewear includes stretch bustiers and corsets, vintage style girdles, control top pantyhose, and waist trainers or cinchers. They can be made of soft stretch fabrics like mesh, firm and more rigid ones like corsetry coutil or power mesh, and even rubberized materials and latex.
Slip: A loosely-fitted undergarment that covers the entire torso and upper legs, structured like a lightweight dress and worn under your clothes or for loungewear or nightwear.
Soft Cup Bra: A bra that doesn't have an underwire or boning, either for style or comfort. Also known as a bralette, a wireless bra, a wire-free bra, or a comfort bra.
Stay-Ups: Pairs of legwear that have bands of elastic and sticky silicone grips along the top of the thigh, so that they remain in place on their own, without requiring suspender straps to hold them up.
Stockings: A hosiery term referring to pairs of individual leg coverings. Stockings are generally made of nylon but can also be other fibers like luxurious silk. They may have bands of elastic and sticky silicone grips along the top so that they stay up on their own, or they may be plain at the top and require a garter belt to hold them up. In some countries the term can also refer to pantyhose or stay-ups.
String Briefs: A underwear style with narrow sides extending around the waist or upper hips. The "strings" refer to the narrow elastic bands, as opposed to briefs that have full coverage around the sides of the body.
Suspender Belt: The same garment as a garter belt, consisting of a waistband with 4-6 straps that connect to the top of your stockings. Suspender belts are often part of a full 3-piece lingerie set and are a great way to transition from day to nightwear, adding a powerful sexy image, while also being practical in themselves.
Tanga: Also known as Brazilian or Cheeky briefs, this form of underwear has small to full coverage across the front and gusset, but a skimpier back than a bikini or brief. Tangas reveal most of the cheeks, with a wider fabric band across the top of the derrière.
Tap Pants: Also called French knickers, tap pants are a loose-fitting type of underwear that is similar to shorts. They have a fitted waist and looser fabric over the leg lines, without leg elastics like more fitted briefs would have. Tap pants are often worn for sleep or lounging but can also be worn as practical underwear beneath fuller dresses and skirts.
Teddy: Similar to rompers, teddies are 1-piece lingerie items that cover the bust, abdomen, and bikini line. They're usually made of soft, loose fabric, often with low necklines and high leg lines. These are most often worn for sexy, nightwear use, rather than as day wear.
Thigh-Highs: Legwear that comes in a pair of two, with each piece reaching to mid-thigh height. They can either be stockings (which are loose at the top and require garter or suspender straps to hold them up) or stay-ups (which are elasticated at the top with a silicone grip, so that they stay in place on their own).
Thong: A pair of underwear with a narrow back resting between the cheeks. Thongs may be high-waisted or low-rise, so long as the back is cut to reveal most of the derrière. A variation on the thong is the G-string, which has only a thin "string" of elastic at the back.
Triangle Bra: A bralette that has 2 triangle-shaped cups that plunge low in the center front, generally unstructured and wire-free.
Trousseau: An assortment of undergarments purchased specifically for a wedding. In modern usage, it often refers to the collections of lingerie worn under a wedding gown, for the wedding night, and for the honeymoon. But the original French term also included items such as linens, sheets, towels, and handkerchiefs that a bride would bring into a marriage.
T-shirt Bra: A molded-cup brassiere providing a defined, full shape, crafted of a single piece of shaped foam that seamlessly contours over the bust, especially popular for casual and everyday wear, usually in neutral colors.
Underbust Corset: A boned, structured corset that covers the entire abdomen from the ribs down over the upper hips. An underbust corset begins at the underbust, meaning that it does not cover the chest and is often worn with a bra.
Underwear/Undergarments/Undies: Any undergarments worn on the lower half of the body, including knickers, panties, briefs, thongs, etc. Underwear is also a general term for any garments worn directly against the skin.
Waist Cincher/Waspie Corset: A boned, structured corset that only covers a small portion of the abdomen to cinch the waist. Waspie corsets are often worn as a part of a lingerie look or worn over a dress for a retro, innerwear-as-outerwear style.
Wedding Garter Set: A special pair of garters (or single garter) worn around the brides leg as part of a bridal ensemble. Garters are decorative elastic bands, often covered in fancy silk or lace materials, that encircle the thigh. Sometimes one of them (a toss garter) will be removed and given away or tossed by the groom to the single men attending a wedding to bring good luck, fortune, or future romance, while the other (a keepsake garter) is kept by the bride.
Wireless Bra / Wire-Free Bra: A bra that doesn't have an underwire, either for style or comfort. Also known as a bralette, a soft cup bra, or a comfort bra.
All of these items can be found at RubyV Lingerie, so go on, Indulge Yourself.
