This film is part of Free

The Look of Lingerie at Castle Drogo

Lingerie models dress for a titillating chase around Castle Drogo.

News 1980 5 mins Not rated

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

Castle Drogo near Drewsteignton in Devon opens its drawers and finds a host of treasured chests in the form of models in lingerie. Luxury lingerie in silk, satin and lace was popular in the 1980s and it was no longer taboo to talk sexy underwear. The latest lingerie fashion is juxtaposed to the nightshirt of old, replete with head-to-toe modesty and a Benny Hill inspired comic chase around the Grade II star listed parks and gardens.

Sixties Feminism demanded an undergarment rethink to encompass new freedoms and new fashions. The miniskirt and pantyhose highlighted the impracticality of the panty girdle and by the 1970s rules on partial nudity on television were relaxed and the push-up bra was firmly in development. By 1980 advances in design, fabric and manufacturing turned lingerie into a fashion statement and the bra came to cater for all dress types; with cleavage or open-backed; off-the-shoulder or shoulderless. In 1981 the boutique Ann Summers successfully introduced lingerie marketing through franchised private party organisers and lingerie found new outlets of expression on the high street and in the home.