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Women's underwear Made in France

There is an art of living that cannot be seen but can be felt. Under dresses, pants, and coats, there are hands that sew, fabrics that breathe, and lace that dances. In France, underwear is not just an accessory, it is a heritage that is worn with elegance.

A wealth of expertise

French women's underwear, as we know it, was born in the 18th century with court corsets, silk culottes, and lace lingerie. 

But it was in the 19th century that lingerie became an art form in its own right and several workshops became the cradles of this French expertise.
 
At that time, France mastered various specializations:
  • Lyon was renowned for its expertise in silk and lace, with several establishments known for their corsets, nightgowns, and luxury lingerie for the bourgeoisie.
  • Calais was the capital of machine-made lace, producing high-quality lace used for bras, panties, and bathrobes.
  • Finally, Saint-Étienne was the cradle of industrial lingerie, with workshops in the city producing mass-produced underwear with great attention to detail to meet the demand of all social classes.

When the hand makes the difference

French underwear also has a long history of manual expertise, which the fashion capital is particularly well endowed with: lace makers, weavers (for silk or organic cotton), embroiderers specializing in adding floral or geometric patterns, seamstresses skilled in assembly and finishing (hems, edging, fastenings, buttons, invisible seams, etc.).

These are all preserved crafts that are useful for making French-made women's underwear such as bathrobes, nightgowns, bras, and panties.

It should be noted that although today this term panties refers to briefs, its name evokes a key episode in French history: the Revolution of 1789 and the “sans-culottes,” opponents of the monarchy who wore simple long canvas trousers, unlike the nobility and bourgeoisie, who wore silk breeches. Initially pejorative, the revolutionaries reclaimed the term as a symbol of identity and pride.

A discreet but elegant heritage

Other revolutionaries, but only in fashion, several French personalities with international appeal have illustrated the fact that wearing French underwear means choosing to live elegantly, even under your clothes:  

  • Coco Chanel, who, after liberating women from corsets, always valued intimate beauty.
  • Brigitte Bardot, who wore lace underwear and turned it into an art of seduction.
  • Inès de la Fressange, who asserted that “true luxury is feeling good about yourself and your underwear.”

Because yes, wearing quality lingerie is an experience of comfort, self-confidence, and discreet sensuality. It is investing in a delicate but deeply French luxury.

Valérie from Comme des Français

 

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