Day Of The Underwear, New York City, United States

• 1950s and 1960s
In the 1950s, underwear manufacturers began marketing printed and coloured undergarments. What had once been a simple, white piece of clothing not to be shown in public suddenly became a fashion statement. Manufacturers also experimented with rayon and newer fabrics like Dacron, nylon and Spandex. By 1960, men's underwear was regularly printed in loud patterns, or with messages or images such as cartoon characters.
Women's undergarments began to emphasize the breasts instead of the waist. The decade saw the introduction of the bullet bra pointed bust, inspired by Christian Dior's "New Look", which featured pointed cups. The original Wonderbra and push-up bra by Frederick's of Hollywood finally hit it big. Women's panties became more colourful and decorative, and by the mid-1960s were available in two abbreviated styles called the hip-hugger and the bikini (named after the Pacific Ocean island of that name), frequently in sheer nylon fabric.
Pantyhose, also called tights in British English, which combined panties and hose into one garment, made their first appearance in 1959, invented by Glen Raven Mills of North Carolina. The company later introduced seamless pantyhose in 1965, spurred by the popularity of the miniskirt. By the end of the decade, the girdle had fallen out of favour as women chose sexier and lighter alternatives.