During the nineteenth century, the extent and style of underwear worn by women reached extremes, and women's figures were completely exaggerated: vast full sleeves, a miniscule corseted waist, followed by whalebone hoops and crinolines covered with yards of fabric, flounces and trims. The bustle highlighted women's bottoms, and frilled chemise construction and multiple layers of petticoats created full skirts. So unobtainable did the female body become beneath the layers of underwear that taking it off created its own form of sexual anticipation and spawned the first striptease shows. Such piece of lingerie as the chemise is in no way a recent invention. Chemise history is long and eventful. Chemise can be defined as kind of undershirt shirt made of white linen. Chemise history tells, that members of the European nobility began to wear straightforward linen clothes under richly decorated and expensive outer dresses. This both protected these luxurious costumes from dirty bodies, and provided a layer of warmth for the wearer. Chemise construction allowed stopping body oils and sweat from ruining clothes. Roman robe tunica is believed to be the prototype of the modern chemise. Other languages such as French and Italian have in their vocabularies equivalents for the term of this garment, which speaks volumes about its popularity in these countries. Smock is a synonym for the chemise in English language.The centre of interest in lingerie during the 1990s was without doubt the bust. It was the decade of the supermodels and the contradiction between slim almost anorexic bodies and the well-endowed bosom. Lingerie companies responded to the needs to those with a larger bust, with a new line of "second skin" underwear in flesh colours, designed to expose and camouflage the breast at once. While looking into chemise history it can be seen that the chemise was particularly popular in the medieval times. Women wore it underneath their gowns and men underneath their outer garments. It is interesting to note, that at that particular time chemise was the only clothing piece, which was washed on a regular basis. Chemise history points out that advantages of this piece of lingerie were noticed not only in the Middle ages and the Renaissance, but also in later periods. Millions of ladies all over the world still cannot imagine their lives without it. It has long become an intrinsic part of their wardrobe. It is clear, that chemise construction was initially aimed at clothes protection. According to the chemise history, these lingerie items were originally sewn in domestic conditions. It could be sewn up from several pieces of cloth, thus eliminating every possibility of cloth waste. Several patterns of chemise construction have been passed on from one generation to another and are known today. When it comes to choosing a chemise, the preference is duly given to chemise brands, which are characterized by the best price and quality ratio. Taking into account the fact that the chemise is right next to your skin, the importance of natural materials used while manufacturing it can hardly be overestimated. Delicacy, pleasant touch and high quality of the chemise are its most significant characteristics. However, the softness shouldn't prevent the item from performing its main functions.