So, What Exactly Is Lingerie? A Designer Explains How It Differs From Your Everyday Underwear

Lingerie is a word you’ve probably heard a million times and, depending on who you ask, can mean slightly different things. But despite how often it gets associated with lace, fabrics that tend to be on the more sheer side, and pieces you wouldn’t necessarily wear every day, lingerie is a much broader term. Bras, underwear, slips, bodysuits, camisoles, and plenty of other intimates can all fall under the umbrella. So what actually makes something lingerie?

To get the full picture of what lingerie is and what counts as it, we’re breaking down the term, the pieces it typically includes, and how it differs from everyday underwear. Read on for a full explainer on lingerie, from the basics to the styles you’re most likely to come across.

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Meet the Expert

Kat Zarra is a New York-based designer who founded her namesake luxury apparel and accessories label in 2020. The brand produces small-batch collections using natural fibers and deadstock silks.

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What Is Considered Lingerie?

Lingerie is generally any intimate apparel designed with more emphasis on how it looks and makes you feel than on pure function. Bras and underwear can count, but so can slips, bodysuits, camisoles, corsets, garters, and other pieces that put just as much thought into appearance as practicality.

Fabric and construction often help draw the line. Zarra points to “silk, Chantilly lace” and strappy details (three things we’ll happily say yes to) as staples of lingerie, describing them as “beautiful and delicate materials designed to be seen and cherished.” In other words, the category isn’t limited to one specific garment. It’s more about the way the piece is designed, styled, and experienced.

Lingerie vs. Underwear

Underwear and lingerie can overlap, but they usually serve different purposes. “I think this is a personal perspective that can vary a lot from person to person,” Zarra says. That said, she views underwear as more functional: “It’s what you wear when you need to get things done and what’s under your gym leggings.”

Lingerie, on the other hand, has what she calls “this extra layer of fantasy and sensuality” and is often chosen because of how it makes you feel. “Lingerie is designed to make you feel sexy, beautiful, and confident,” she explains. “I think that feeling is really what separates the two.”

The Different Types of Lingerie

Bras and underwear are probably the first things that come to mind, but lingerie stretches well beyond the two. Slips and camisoles fall into the category, as do bodysuits, corsets, bralettes, garters, and other intimates designed to look just as good as they feel.

A lot of those pieces aren’t staying underneath clothes anymore, either (which makes getting dressed a lot more fun, if you ask us). “The line between lingerie and clothing is almost disappearing, which I love,” Zarra says. “A silk slip can be a dress, a bralette can be a top, a corset can go with jeans and heels.

“Women are much less interested in being told where or how something is supposed to be worn. A silk slip can be a dress, a bralette can be a top, a corset can go with jeans and heels,” she continues. “There’s something very sexy about taking an item that traditionally belonged underneath everything and just saying, ‘Actually, this is the outfit.'”