Lace and linen undergarments dating back to the 15th century, before women's underwear was thought to have existed, have been found hidden in a vault beneath the floorboards of an Austrian castle
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Despite their state of decay, the knickers bear more than a passing resemblance to the string bikini briefs that are popular today, while the bra has the fitted cups and delicate straps of its modern-day counterparts.
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While it was known that medieval men wore undergarments that looked like modern-day shorts, it was thought that women simply wore a smock or chemise.
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Representational picture
Hilary Davidson, fashion curator at the Museum of London, said that the discovery “totally rewrites” fashion history, adding : “Nothing like this has ever come up before.”
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She believes that it was “entirely probable” that Britain’s medieval women had worn something similar.
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“These finds are a very exciting insight into the way people dressed in the Middle Ages,” the Daily Mail quoted Davidson as telling BBC History Magazine.
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“It’s rare that everyday garments of any kind survive from this period, let alone underwear,” she said.
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The undergarments were among almost 3,000 fragments of clothing and other detritus that had been found in Lengberg Castle in East Tyrol during recent renovations.
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It is thought that they had been buried when the building was extended in 1480 and that the exceptionally dry conditions stopped the fragile garments from disintegrating over the centuries.
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Beatrix Nutz, of Innsbruck University, who made the find, initially had faced scepticism but radiocarbon-dating tests confirmed her suspicions.
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The haul included four bras and two pairs of pants. Two of the bras resemble modern counterparts but the others have been described rather bluntly as “shirts with bags.”
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