Underwear was first created to govern the body - to shape its irregularities and bulges. Over time, it has begun to look quite nice on its own. King Henry VIII started a century-long spiralling trend of increasing codpiece sizes. This extravagance shows no signs of stopping, with the US underwear market alone worth $13 billion a year. A new exhibition documents those shifts, and Louise Black went down to the Fashion and Textile Museum to explore it.

Undercover... is a gorgeous collection of lingerie that traces the evolution of female underwear during the 20th century from its days as stern-looking ‘health garment’ right through to ‘Hello Boys’ glamour and beyond. The exhibition begins with the first patented bra, fashioned from a pair of hankerchiefs by a New York socialite looking to cover the whalebones poking out of her corset. It goes on to chart the relationship between women’s changing role in society and the changing trends in their underwear draws.

Underlying this exhibition is an examination of the way women see their bodies, and want their bodies to be seen. What is overwhelming about most of the pieces is the demand for underwear that changes the female body, or changes the way women feel about their bodies. From the earliest pieces, like the Merry Widow corset of the 1950s (about which film star Lana Tuner was rumored to have remarked, "I'm telling you - the 'Merry Widow' was designed by a man. A woman would never do that to another woman"), to the newest technology, such as the celebrity-fa voured Spanx, the exhibition seems to be all about pushing it up or squashing it down; controlling one area or enhancing another.

The beautifully made designer pieces from La Perla and Myla show how underwear can change a woman’s mood, even if it isn’t changing much about their body shape. Luxurious fabrics stretched across the body or layered up in decadent frills bring a slice of sumptuous glamour to an otherwise functional wardrobe staple.

A corset belonging to burlesque star Immodesty Blaize is one of the centerpieces - testament to the importance of underwear in modern ideals of femininity. Aside from being a truly beautiful item, this corset provokes some of the most interesting questions of the exhibition; questions of body image, sexuality and power that are left titillatingly unanswered.

Undercover: The Evolution of Underwear runs until 27 Sept at the Fashion and Textile Museum. More details at www.ftmlondon.org

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