lingerie & lace glossary

by Naked Princess

At Naked Princess we swoon over the wonderful world of lingerie & lace, a world that is vast with various designs, history, and delights. To help you live, love, and reign this world, we have put together the following lingerie & lace definitions for you.

Boudoirwear: Naked Princess uses this term to mean lingerie and loungewear worn in one's boudoir or when one is in a boudoir state of mind. Boudoirwear is meant to help a woman live passionately, love deeply, and reign joyfully.

Bodysuit: The lingerie body suit is extremely versatile. Bodysuits are form-fitting one pieces that cover the torso with various possibilities of leg cuts and styles, including the g-string. In the case of Naked Princess, bodysuits are made of the finest laces from France, cashmere blends, and cotton Micro Modal from Austria.

Brief: Also known as a panty, briefs can be high-waisted, medium or low-waisted depending on the hip shape.

Boy Short: A very fitted sexy short or panty, usually made of stretch lace, cotton blends, or silk charmeuse. Boy shorts completely cover the hips and the buttocks or the upper part of the thigh.

Baby Doll: A short gown that is fitted around the bust and flares out toward the hemline.

Basque: The term, of French origin, refers to a type of bodice or jacket, and in modern usage a long corset, characterized by a close, contoured fit and extending past the waistline over the hips.

Bustier: Usually a strapless elongated bra that provides extra lift of the breasts with custom support and boning. Also helps to visually and physically reduce one’s waist measurement.

Chemise: A short gown or longer camisole cut on a bias of the fabric to flatter and slim the body. In some countries it is known as a slip, sleep dress, or night gown. As is the case with Naked Princess chemises, they may sometimes be worn as outerwear or prêt-a-porter.

Camisole: A sleeveless top usually extending to the waist with thin straps that can be paired with matching panty, thong or French knickers. May or may not have built-in breast support. Originally, an undergarment; today, camisoles are used as loungewear, sleep wear, and outerwear.

Darquer Lace: Darquer is the oldest Leavers lace manufacturer in activity in Calais, France, producing the finest laces since 1840. The Darquer brand is recognized and celebrated by the biggest couturiers and trendsetters in the lingerie and outerfashion world. Darquer lace shows up in the work of Chanel, Chantal Thomass, Gucci, Nina Ricci, and Naked Princess.

G-string: A type of underwear (can also refer to a type of bathing suit bottom) similar to a thong but skimpier with only a thin strap in the back and very little material covering the front.

Lace: True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric. In other words, lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric.

Leavers Lace: Intricate and artisanal lace that is created on a machine known as a "Leavers" loom. Because of the intense and costly manufacturing process involved, Leavers looms have not been re-produced since the early 1900’s and are now highly coveted. Leavers looms are the only machines capable of producing the intricate work of hand made lace that is created in artisan lace-manufacturing regions such as Calais, France.

MicroModal: A trademarked fabric, MicroModal is known for being feather-light and a natural skin hugger, which makes it suitable for blending with cashmere or use in lingerie designs, such as Naked Princess boudoir robes. MicroModal fiber is made from beech wood, a natural raw material. The pulp used for fiber production is made by Lenzing to guarantee consistent and reliable quality. The natural softener makes MicroModal fabrics pleasant to the touch even after repeated washing. This natural raw material guarantees ideal wear properties since the fiber is gentle to the skin.

Negligee: A loose garment, usually a sheer gown similar to a long chemise, but more flowing and flirty.

Pizval: One of Italy's premiere lace makers. Pizval lace includes valencienne lace, raschel lace and bobbinet tulle and is used in Naked Princess lingerie. Established in 1965 by Luciano Pedroni as PIZVAL Sas, it became a limited liability company owned exclusively by the Pedroni family.

Peignoir Set: A negligee that includes a matching sheer robe.

Soft Bra: Bras do not have wire support and are fashioned with ultimate comfort in mind. Naked Princess soft bras are sewn in a manner that provides more than usual support compared to other soft bras on the market.

Separated Bra: Separated bras have a half-inch or so band where the cups meet that help to separate the breasts, making for a beautiful cup line and sexy exposure of decolletage.

Solstiss lace: After dressing Grace Kelly for her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, Solstiss, the French lace makers based in Caudry, had the privilege of contributing to Kate Middleton's wedding gown, with other factories from the north of France. Precisely 25 meters of lace was provided to the Alexander McQueen studio for the princess’s dress.

Here is interesting historical background on Solstiss lace makers: “In 1974, four previously established lace manufacturers decided to join forces by uniting their activities within a sole company, which was named Solstiss. The aim was to join their savoir-faire to maintain a tradition, and provide the means for larger and more efficient production. The four included Maison Ledieu Beauvillain, specialised in twelve-stitch lace, Victor Machu and AEG Joël Machu, well known for their vast range of colours, and Robert Belot, renowned for their Chantilly lace, and Maison Edouard Beauvillain, well-known for the diversity and richness of their lace patterns. Lace was, at that stage, undergoing a crisis due to significant social changes taking place at that time. Bras were being discarded, the Vatican no longer required the use of a mantilla for attending mass, and miniskirts were openly showing off bodies which revealed the best kept secrets of lace. This serious crisis was the occasion for Solstiss to show that it could quickly adapt in an exemplary fashion. Their extreme will to preserve a craft saved Solstiss and saw the company resuscitate itself, while other companies saw no other option but to leave their wonderful lace trade behind. Solstiss lace is showcased in the Naked Princess 2012 collections.

Teddy: An unstructured one-piece garment, similar to a bodysuit, but not as fitted as a bodysuit.

Tap Pants: An American term for the English named French knickers which are a very short short usually made of silk or satin or softer blends with movement.

Thong: Similar to a bikini but with less fabric in the back usually fitted to minimize panty lines.

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