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Concept
Skin-tight garment
Summary
A skin-tight garment is a garment that is held to the skin usually by elastic tension using some type of stretch fabric. Commercial stretch fabrics ('elastomerics') such as spandex or elastane (widely branded as 'Lycra') came onto the market in 1962, and revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry. A wide variety of clothing may be made to be skin-tight, and it is common for clothing to be skin-tight for some uses, such as in stockings, bodystockings, swimsuits and women's bras.
In 1886, the name leotard was given to a one-piece skin-tight garment that covers the torso including the crotch, but not the legs or arms. The garment was named after French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870), many years after his death, who wore the garment in his acrobatic act. In the early 20th century, use of leotards was mainly confined to circus and acrobatic shows, but were also worn by professional dancers, such as the showgirls of Broadway. Leotards on the stage were typically worn with stockings or tights.
In the 1950s, traditionally-styled leotards continued to be worn mainly by stage performers and circus actors, but leotards began to be used as simple and functional exercise garments, often in institutional settings like schools and in fitness training. These were almost always black and worn together with thick tights. Between 1950 and 1970, leotards remained as such in appearance until a style change in the 1970s, when more colorful leotards appeared on the scene, most often in ballet and exercise.
The 1920s and 1930s saw leotards influencing swimsuit styles, with women's one-piece swimsuits today still being similar in appearance to leotards. The most common type of one-piece swimsuit is the maillot or tank suit, which resembles a sleeveless leotard or bodysuit. In early years the one-piece swimsuit would have a narrow skirt slip or micro-shorts, for modesty considerations, but these were beginning to disappear in the 1940s. A recent innovation in one-piece swimsuits is the bodyskin, which superficially resembles a unitard or wetsuit.
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