Despite the trend for women to be bra-less and girdle-less in the 70s, the luxury lingerie market was hot stuff. Intimate apparel was displayed in department stores front and center. The designs were light and airy camisoles, teddies, and step-ins made of silk or silk-like nylon trimmed in lace.
1978 teddy or step in lingerie
Bras, panties, and slips were so pretty that it seemed a shame to cover them up. Even practical cotton panties and bras were pretty when trimmed with lace.
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- 1970 lace and nylon panty shorts, bras and slips
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- 1970 Lace shapewear
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- 1979 teddies, panty sets
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- 1979 all-in-one shapewear and pantie set
Most women who toyed with going braless chose to wear bras anyways. Bras were designed to be minimal and non-accentuating. Protruding bullet bras were a thing of the past. Now women’s breasts could hang in comfort. And hang they did, with only a bit of fabric to keep jiggle at a minimum.
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- 1970 teen bra and lingerie sets
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- 1973 lace cup cone bra
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- 1978 bra and panties with lace insets
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- 1975 simple bras
High waisted granny panties were the underwear style of the early 1970s. Gradually the waistline lowered to hip hugger and bikini styles. Colorful cotton panties as well as silky nylon granny panties could be found in most department stores.
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- 1970 panties underwear
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- 1976 teen cotton panties
Shop retro lingerie here
Satin panties by Secrets in lace
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.
