The Facts of the Matter

To fashion's delight and men's despair, women and foundation garments have been inseparable for years. Feast or famine, thick or thin (mostly thick) they have clung to each other, lending ironclad support here (with a corset), whaleboned comfort there (with a waist cincher), out-and-out camouflage (with a wire-braided bustle or a foam-rubber bust) as far as the eye could see. Trouble was, the eye could never see far enough to know for sure where the padding left off and the girl began. Now, at long last, it is all quite clear. Thanks to the Nude Look, there is barely an undergarment around that will fudge the facts of the matter, afford a torso in distress the hidden means by which private deficits have been passing, through the centuries, for assets in public.

For the game is up. No longer required to cinch, clinch, cushion or cover up, the new lightweight underwear makes only the slightest pretext at serious figure control, concentrates on "caressing" the body, rather than curtailing it, on "skimming" across the bosom, not shaping it, on "careening" around the bottom, not controlling it. Presumed at first to be gags, items like Rudi Gernreich's no-bra bra and Warner's body stockings instead have proved pacesetters for a rash of stretchable flesh-colored garments that look like a second skin, feel far silkier than the first.

Brassieres like Maidenform's nylon net ($4) and Vanity Fair's stretch band ($4) are every bit as rudimentary as Rudi's: they may get by splayed out on a department-store counter, but displayed--even on 100% synthetic mannequins--in show windows, they are likely to stop traffic, start riots, and end up as exhibits in night court. Even those with a bit more substance to them, like Bien Jolie's flowered-net version ($11) and Warner's "The Body" ($12.50), are sheer enough to read through, small print included. As for girdles, most, like Gossard's Lycra net ($4) and Formfit's hip-rider ($4), offer low-down control in only a seam or two: the rest is up to the customer.

Those who like their lingerie brief and to the point can slip into Warner's combination bra-slip ($11) or Olga's lace-trimmed romper ($6). Finally, Formfit/Rogers has something that occurs in one fell swoop: its so-called "Bathing Suit" ($12.50) is not only backless and practically frontless but scooped away at the midriff until there is almost nothing left. But that, of course, is the whole idea.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.