Chemise Lingerie, Sleepwear, the Modern Day Chemise

Ahhh the Chemise.  Or Nightie, Slip….. or ‘Shimmy’ as my grandmother used to call it.
Did you know that in the old days a Chemise was originally designed as an undergarment to soak up sweat and the body’s natural oils thus preventing the staining of clothes?  How gross is that! But this was in a time when personal hygiene and soap and water weren’t high on the agenda.  Germs hadn’t been discovered yet and nobody washed anything, least of all their clothes.  Wearing a Chemise underneath to collect up all the gunk, meant they saved on the laundry and only had to give their Chemises a bit of a rinse every now and then… or possibly when the stench became too much to bear.
 
And did you also know that women and men BOTH wore a chemise in these stinky, pre-sanitary days.  Originally it was a long, plain, white-ish, loose-fitting cotton smock kind of thing that everyone just tucked into their pantaloons (yes that’s actually a word), popped their long flowing robes on over top and off you went.  How girlie!...I hear the boys of modern times roar.  Well yes I agree, and obviously so did the men of those times because the Chemise slowly evolved into a ‘women only’ garment, leaving the poor men wondering what to wear under their shirts on cold days.  Interesting to note however, is that the French word for shirt is Chemise.  So there you go boys - you’re still in on it!
 
Today there are many different styles of Chemise women can wear.  Some, similar to the original and made to fit loosely in plain, white cotton - are perfect for night wear.  These Chemises are lightweight and comfortable to just slip on at bedtime so are perfect to sleep in all year round.  Other styles of Chemises – also known as Slips, can be worn under dresses or skirts to keep static to a minimum and to let the garment fall nicely without clinging to your lumps and bumps.  These Chemises are made from modern man-made fabrics such as nylon and come in basic skin tone, or depending on what colour you wear over it, black or white. 
 
But the ultimate in the Chemise family has got to be what we now fondly class as Lingerie.  These sexy little numbers are usually sold as the Chemise Set and come with equally sexy matching panties.  Similar to a Babydoll (although not as flowy)… the Chemise set is a cute and intimate piece of lingerie that can make a woman feel sexy, playful and delicious!  Made from various types of material – silk, satin, mesh, plenty of lace or even leather… the sexy Chemise set has become a popular part of the modern woman’s lingerie repertoire.  As sensual and as glamorous as a B grade movie star…boys, if your partner shows up wearing a piece of delightful sexy Chemise lingerie, you can pretty much guarantee some sort of romantic encounter is going to come your way!