What is “the perfect feminine silhouette?” 

If you ask ten people, you’re likely to get ten different answers. Even so, the garter belt was once invented to help women adopt one particular standard of beauty – and to hold their stockings up! Today, they are mostly used as a playful, vintage form of lingerie that might help you mix things up in the bedroom! 

Learning how to wear garter belts can be a tricky prospect for the modern woman! How are you supposed to manage all of the buckles and clips when you can’t even adjust your bra straps? Is that hint of retro sensuality worth all of the effort? 

We think so! That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to wear lingerie! Keep reading to learn the best way to shimmy into your sexiest vintage garter belt and learn how to put on lingerie like you were born in the roaring ’20s! 

A Brief History of the Garter Belt 

If you’ve ever read a steamy Victorian novel, then you’re aware of exactly how much underwear women used to wear. Corsets were constrictive and restrictive and even led to women developing health problems. Entire pieces of furniture were designed to give women places to faint after walking up flights of stairs!

In contrast, the girdle was a revolution, allowing women to maintain a conventionally attractive shape without all of the struggles. In the 1930s, girdles came with garters attached to hold up thigh-high stockings.

By the 1940s, the girdle had evolved, but they didn’t change much after that. For many years women were more or less socially required to wear stockings. As a result, the girdle (and garter belts) remained purely functional. 

By the 1970s, stockings evolved, and the garter belt finally evolved along with them! Now that they were a choice and not a necessity, lingerie companies began to make garter belts with all sorts of frills and lace. Today, garter belts are all about delicate and sexy details that make everyone look like a perfectly primped pinup!  

Types of Garter Belts Today

Today, if you’re looking to shop for romantic lingerie, you will be able to take your pick from a range of sexy and flirty garter belts! If you haven’t shopped for novelty lingerie before, however, the options can be overwhelming. 

If you’re looking to ease into this style, you might want to start with a high-waisted garter belt. These show off a little less skin, but often feature mesh fabrics and thin straps that are just as exciting. 

A strappy garter belt is a compromise. Rather than covering up, it mimics coverage using a variety of dainty, form-fitting straps. 

Edgy options exist that lean into the BDSM aesthetic, featuring leather, metallic fixings, and plenty of lace. Likewise, you can find dainty, feminine garters full of lace, bows, and the most delicate straps. Some come in flesh tones, providing an attractive, barely-there look that many people love! 

Overall, modern garters vary widely in their style and materials. If you have a style in mind, chances are good that you’ll be able to find it! While they all will have a different number of straps and clasps, they are usually all attached similarly. 

How to Attach a Garter Belt

Learning how to adjust a garter belt is the first step toward putting together you’re incredible new look. It might take a little bit of practice, but once you get it right, you will love the way your sexy style comes together. The first step, of course, is to purchase a garter belt that fits properly so that it flatters your body. 

After putting the garter belt around your waist, flip it so the belt is in front and sits on your natural waist. Ideally, straps should run anywhere from a quarter to a third of the way down your thigh. Adjust the straps like you would adjust a bra strap.

Next, put on your stockings. You will want to do this one at a time. Pull your stocking up until it hits your upper thigh. 

You want to be careful during this process. Thigh-high stockings can be thin and delicate and it’s easy to tear them by accident. 

From there, open the clip at the end of your garter strap. You will start with the piece with the button. It should be able to slide out of the hook at the very top. 

Then, insert the top edge of your stocking into the open clip and snap it shut. Slide the part with the button back into place. You will repeat this with all of the straps until the stocking is in place.

You will repeat this exact process on the other side so that both legs are symmetrical. You will need to attach them, at a minimum, in the front and the back. 

It shouldn’t feel uncomfortable. If you don’t feel your best, you might need to adjust your straps or your clip placement until you get it right. This can take a little bit of time, but once you know what’s comfortable, you can default to that placement! 

How to Wear Garter Belts and Look Sexy 

In the past, women deftly handled the belts and clips on their garter belts on a daily basis. Surely you can put in the effort to learn how to wear garter belts in special situations! By the time you’re dressed and ready, you will feel like the sexiest pin-up girl, and you may not want to take yours off! 

Looking for more ways to turn heads? Check out the rest of the blog for more practical posts on how to dress to impress – from the bedroom to the boardroom!

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