Bridal Garters |

GartersPosted by admin on August 6th, 2008

Garters are articles of clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg, used to keep stockings up. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons. In the 18th to 20th centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg was slenderest, to keep the stocking from slipping. The advent of elastic has made them unnecessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion.

A garter is often worn by newlywed brides. It is the groom's privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous. Historically, this tradition also relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride's clothing would bring good luck. As this often resulted in the destruction of the bride's dress, the tradition arose for the bride to toss articles of clothing to the guests, including the garter. Another superstition that has circulated is the male equivalent of the bride throwing her bouquet to the unmarried ladies, i.e., the unmarried male wedding guest who successfully caught the garter was believed to be the next man to be headed to the altar from the group of single men at that wedding. Traditionally, the man who caught the garter and the lady who caught the bouquet will share the next dance.

At some American high schools, it is traditional for girls to wear garters to their prom. At the end of the evening, her partner removes the garter and keeps it as a souvenir. In some cases, the girls exchange their garters for their partners' bow ties.

In Elizabethan fashions, men wore garters with their hose, and colorful garters were an object of display. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, "cross braced" garters are an object of some derision. In male fashion, a type of garter for holding up socks has continued as a part of male dress up to the present (although its use may be considered somewhat stodgy).

Garter belt is a woman's undergarment consisting of an elastic piece of cloth worn around the waist to which garters are attached to hold up stockings. In British English they are known as suspender belts.

The garter belt was the vintage precursor to pantyhose (tights in British English). A return to retro styled garter belts and stockings has become especially popular due to the ultra feminine iconization of pin up girls of the past. Once a forgotten and overlooked undergarment from the past, the popularity of garter belts and matching stockings have made a terrific comeback with most modern department stores selling a wide assortment.

Garter belts continue to be sold for practical purposes, as some individuals may find this option more comfortable than pantyhose. There is also an element of sex appeal that may be one's primary motivation for the usage of garter belts, and these are often featured as sexual fetish clothing in popular culture and porn. Variations of the garter belt include underwear with garter attachments reminiscent of images featured in men's magazines in the early 1960s. Garter belts today are available in a variety of colors and materials; the most popular are red or black satin. They are also available in six- or and four-garter variation. Many garter belts today are made of a mixture of nylon and spandex. It is a wedding tradition for the bride to wear a white or ivory garter around one leg. The garter is often decorated with a blue bow or embellishment to symbolize 'something blue' which is said to bring luck.

Being sexy and also throwing your garter to the grooms men to find out which one will marry next.. so buy an extra.... ...
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