The text below is the excerpt of the book The Story of Lingerie, written by Muriel Barbier and Shazia Boucher, published by Parkstone International. During the development of western clothing, lingerie and corsetry have had a fundamental role. It allows one to structure one’s shape, modify the figure and change following the flights of fashion. Underwear itself follows constantly changes with the latest fashion. It is designed using shapes, materials and colours which correspond to the tastes of the time: even if we can say that women’s underwear is created in the image of fashion, it is not actually that simple, and shapes, types of undergarments, and the choice of materials and colours very often…