A Guide to Lingerie Fabrics and Styles
The Pêches Guide to Understanding What You're Wearing and Why it Matters.
Clothing doesn't really get more personal or intimate than lingerie. It lives closest to your body, shapes how you feel in your own skin, and can be both practical and fashionable. But walk into any lingerie boutique and the sheer range of fabrics, cuts, and constructions can feel overwhelming.
This guide is here to change that. Once you understand what each fabric offers and which styles it lends itself to, choosing lingerie becomes less about guesswork and more about knowing exactly what you want and why.
Fabrics Commonly Used in Lingerie
Silk
Silk is the original luxury lingerie fabric and has long held that position for good reason. It's naturally temperature-regulating, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. It's also breathable, hypoallergenic, and has a weight and drape that nothing else quite replicates.
Silk's defining quality, though, is the way it moves against your body: fluid, soft, and oh so elegant. Silk suits styles with generous cut and flow: slips, chemises, robes, and tap shorts and is is less common in structured pieces like bras (though silk satin is sometimes used for the cup lining or outer shell of more luxurious designs).
The trade-off is care. Silk is sensitive to heat, sunlight, and harsh detergents, and it requires hand-washing or dry cleaning. But for those who love it, that care feels less like a burden and more like a ritual.
Satin
Satin is often confused with and even mislabeled as silk, but satin is a weave, not a fiber. That distinction matters because it explains why satin can be found at such different price points and with such different qualities.
Silk satin is cool, fluid, and has a particular reflective quality that comes from the natural protein structure of silk. Polyester satin is warmer, slightly stiffer, and more durable, but can look flat in comparison.
In lingerie, satin appears most often in slips, chemises, bralettes, and sleep sets. It has a quiet glamour to it, an old-Hollywood ease. Satin in rich, deep colors or classic ivory is a wardrobe foundation that never feels dated.
Lace
Lace is not one fabric but a family of them, each with its own character and history defined by its open, decorative structure: threads looped, twisted, or braided into patterns rather than woven flat.
Chantilly lace is the most delicate and romantic, with fine silk or nylon threads forming intricate floral motifs on a sheer ground. It has a softness and intricacy that makes it a favorite for bridal and occasion lingerie.
Guipure lace (also called Venetian lace) has a heavier, more defined quality. The motifs are connected directly rather than sitting on a net ground, giving it a bolder, more sculptural look.
Stretch lace blends lace construction with spandex, making it comfortable enough for everyday wear. It's the most commonly used lace in modern lingerie and can be found in everything from everyday panties to elaborate bra sets.
Lace is used across almost every lingerie style, as a primary fabric, a trim, or an overlay on mesh or satin. Lace is delicate and pretty, perfect for providing a more romantic look to your intimates.
Mesh
Mesh has had a design moment in recent years, and for good reason. It's lightweight, breathable, and has a sheer quality that can be delicate or deliberately bold depending on how it is used.
Fine mesh is often layered under or over other fabrics as a sheer detail. Larger-gauge mesh, sometimes called fishnet or power mesh, has a more distinct character and is used in statement pieces designed to be seen.
Power mesh, in particular, is worth knowing about. It has a firm, compressive quality that gives structure without underwire. It is widely used in bralettes and wire-free bras for this reason.
Mesh suits those who enjoy lingerie as something expressive: pieces that play with visibility, layering, and contrast.
Velvet
Velvet in lingerie occupies a very particular aesthetic space. It's rich, tactile, and deeply sensory. The pile catches light differently from every angle, shifting between matte and sheen as you move.
In lingerie and loungewear, velvet is typically a stretch velvet: a woven velvet fabric with spandex added so it moves with the body. This makes it viable for bralettes, shorts, robes, and slip dresses in a way that rigid velvet would not be.
Velvet tends toward the dramatic, an especially popular fabric for corsets. It makes a statement, and is a fabric for evenings or moments when you want to feel genuinely dressed, even beneath your clothes.
Cotton
Cotton does not always get the credit it deserves in lingerie. It's breathable, hypoallergenic, soft against the skin, and exceptionally easy to care for. For everyday wear, particularly for those with sensitive skin, cotton is often the most comfortable choice.
The quality range in cotton lingerie is wide. Finely combed Egyptian or Pima cotton has a softness that rivals modal. Organic cotton avoids the pesticide residues that can be present in conventionally grown cotton, which especially matters in lingerie when the fabric is in constant contact with your skin.
Cotton is most commonly used in everyday underwear, soft bralettes, and sleep sets. It is truly the fabric of real life: reliable, relaxed, and cozy.
Bamboo
Bamboo fabric is processed from bamboo pulp into a fiber, most often bamboo viscose or bamboo modal. The result is a fabric of exceptional softness, often described as feeling like cashmere against the skin.
Bamboo is naturally moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, and tends to be gentle on sensitive or reactive skin. It has a beautiful drape and a subtle sheen without the delicacy of silk.
In lingerie, bamboo is increasingly used in everyday and sleep styles where comfort is the primary consideration. If you have ever worn bamboo undergarments, you will understand immediately why it has become so popular.
Modal and Microfiber
Modal is a type of rayon made from beech tree pulp. It is incredibly soft, lightweight, and maintains its shape well through repeated washing. Microfiber is a generic term for very finely woven synthetic fabrics, typically nylon or polyester, that have a smooth, second-skin quality.
Both fabrics are workhorses of the modern lingerie industry. They are used in everyday bras, panties, loungewear, and shapewear because they are soft, durable, and easy to care for. They may not the most glamorous fabrics in the drawer, but they are often the ones you reach for first.
Nylon and Spandex
Almost all modern lingerie contains some spandex (also sold as Lycra or elastane), usually blended with nylon. This combination is responsible for the stretch and shape-recovery that makes lingerie comfortable to wear and resilient over time.
The proportion matters: higher elastane content means more stretch and a closer, more compressive fit, while a lower proportion gives more structure. Most labels list the fiber content so you can get a sense of what to expect.
Styles of Lingerie & Intimates
Bras
The bra is the most technically complex piece of lingerie. It has to support, shape, and fit a part of the body that varies enormously between people, and it (ideally) has to do all of that comfortably across a full day of wear.
Underwire bras use a shaped wire sewn into the base of each cup to lift and define. A well-fitted underwire bra should sit flat against the sternum and ribcage, with the wire fully encasing the breast tissue. When an underwire fits correctly, it disappears.
Wire-free bras rely on fabric construction and cut to provide support without a wire. Modern wire-free bras, particularly those using power mesh or molded foam, offer genuine support for a wide range of sizes and are increasingly the preferred choice for everyday wear.
Bralettes are unlined, wire-free, and generally simpler in construction. They prioritise comfort and aesthetics over structured support, and are most suited to smaller cup sizes or those who prefer a softer silhouette. They may have an adjustable closure in the back or be a pullover style.
Balconette bras have a lower, more horizontal cup cut that creates a lifted, rounded shape and works well under lower-cut necklines.
Plunge bras dip low at the center front for wear under V-necks and wrap styles.
T-shirt bras are smooth, seamless, and molded for an invisible finish under fitted tops. They are often the least exciting bra in the drawer but one of the most useful and frequently worn.
Longline bras extend further down the torso, offering additional support and a sleek, structured silhouette under fitted clothing.
Underwear and Panties
If the bra is the most technical piece of lingerie, underwear is the most personal. Your underwear has to balance comfort, coverage, and confidence in equal measure. The right pair feels like nothing at all; the wrong pair is all you can think about. Unlike bras, underwear rarely requires a fitting, but understanding the different cuts and what they offer makes it much easier to build a drawer that actually works for your life.
Full briefs offer full coverage at the front and back, with a waistband that sits at or near the natural waist. They are comfortable, secure, and have been quietly fashionable for years.
Bikini briefs sit lower on the hip with less coverage than a full brief. They are the most commonly worn style globally.
Thongs provide minimal rear coverage and are designed to be invisible under fitted clothing. They work best in smooth fabrics like microfiber or thin cotton.
Brazilian briefs fall between a bikini and a thong, with moderate rear coverage and a slightly higher leg cut.
High-waist briefs sit at or above the natural waist. They have a vintage-inspired silhouette and pair beautifully with high-waisted pants or skirts.
Shorties and boyshorts sit across the hip with short-leg coverage. They are comfortable and relaxed in silhouette.
French knickers and tap shorts are cut with a loose, flowing leg that skims rather than clings. They have a relaxed, vintage glamor to them and are typically made in silk, satin, lace, or modal. They sit somewhere between underwear and loungewear and are one of the most flattering and under-appreciated cuts available.
Bodysuits and Teddies
Bodysuits are inherently versatile: worn as lingerie but also perfect as outerwear, tucked into trousers as a sleek top, or layered under a blazer. Their appeal lies in the clean, unbroken line they create through the torso. The bodysuit typically fastens at the gusset and extends from the chest to the hip in a single piece. It can range from a simple soft-cup style to a structured underwire design with lace detailing.
A teddy is the softer, more romantic cousin of the bodysuit. Where a bodysuit tends toward sleek and structured, a teddy is typically cut from delicate fabrics like lace, chiffon, or mesh, with a looser fit through the body and a more lingerie-forward aesthetic.
Both styles are inherently versatile and create a clean, unbroken line through the torso. The bodysuit works as hard outside the bedroom as in it. The teddy is more purely an indulgence, and all the better for it.
Slips and Chemises
A slip is a straight, loose-fitting garment that falls from a narrow shoulder strap, typically in satin, silk, or modal.
A chemise is similar but often shorter and with a more relaxed fit.
Both exist at the intersection of lingerie and loungewear. They are worn to bed, worn around the home, and in many cases worn out. Satin bias-cut slips in particular have had a significant fashion moment and show no sign of retreating.
Babydolls
The babydoll is one of the most playful and romantic pieces of lingerie. It is a short, loose-fitting style that typically falls to the upper thigh, with a fitted or underwired top that flows out into a fuller skirt. That flared silhouette is its defining characteristic and what separates it from a chemise, which hangs straight, or a teddy, which follows the body closely.
Babydolls are most commonly made in sheer fabrics like chiffon, mesh, or lace, often layered for a soft, dreamy effect. They frequently come as a set with a matching thong or brief. The overall mood is unabashedly feminine, light, and effortless.
Corsets and Bustiers
A corset uses boning and lacing to cinch the waist and lift the bust. Traditional corsets are structured and require some effort to put on. Modern corset-inspired lingerie often uses softer construction for everyday wearability. They can also be available in both over and under-bust styles.
A bustier is similar in silhouette but typically less structured, focusing on shaping the torso from bust to waist or hip without the dramatic waist reduction of a true corset.
Both styles are inherently architectural. They change the silhouette in a way that most lingerie does not, and wearing one tends to shift your posture and presence along with it.
Robes and Loungewear
Lingerie does not end with intimates. Robes, dressing gowns, and lounge sets are part of the same language and the same mindset in regards to enjoying what you wear and feeling comfortable while remaining fashionable.
A silk or satin robe is one of the most enduring lingerie investments you can make. A velvet robe in winter. A lightweight cotton or bamboo set for summer. These pieces that make your private life feel considered.
Shapewear
Modern shapewear is designed to smooth and support without sacrificing comfort, and at its best it is something you forget you are wearing entirely. Today's shapewear relies on technical nylon and elastane blends that compress gently and move with the body rather than against it. Seamless construction means no lines under fitted clothing, and breathable panels keep things comfortable across a full day of wear.
Shapewear can range from briefs and shorts to bodysuits or tank tops and waist cinchers. The best shapewear does not change your body. It simply gives your clothing a cleaner foundation to fall from, and it lets you move through your day without distraction.
Accessories
The finishing touches of a lingerie wardrobe are easy to overlook, but they are what transform individual pieces into something complete. Garter belts, stockings, and hosiery have a long history in lingerie and remain some of the most elegant accessories a wardrobe can include.
Garter belts sit at the waist or hip and are designed to hold up stockings via four to six adjustable straps with clips at the ends. They are typically made from lace, satin, or mesh and are as much a decorative piece as a functional one. A garter belt worn with a matching bra and knicker set is one of the most classic lingerie combinations there is.
Garters are the individual straps or clips that attach stockings to a garter belt, though the term is also used for standalone elasticated bands worn around the thigh to hold stockings up independently. The latter is a simpler option that requires no belt and works well for occasional wear.
Stockings are sheer hosiery that cover the foot and leg to the thigh, designed to be worn with a garter belt or garter. They come in a range of deniers, from barely-there sheer to more opaque styles, and with various finishes including matte, glossy, and seamed. Seamed stockings in particular have an undeniable vintage glamour.
Hold-ups are stockings with a silicone band at the top that keeps them in place without a garter belt. They offer the look of stockings with considerably less effort and are a practical everyday alternative.
Tights complete the picture at the more practical end of the spectrum. Fine denier tights in a nude tone or black are a wardrobe staple, but fashion tights in lace, patterned, or opaque styles can be just as much a part of a considered lingerie wardrobe as anything else in the drawer.
Nipple covers and pasties are a small but genuinely useful addition to any lingerie wardrobe. Nipple covers are typically discreet, reusable silicone discs designed to smooth the appearance of the nipple under fitted or sheer clothing. Pasties are their more decorative counterpart, often made from fabric, lace, or embellished materials and worn as a standalone alternative to a bra.
Finding Your Lingerie Starting Point
The best lingerie wardrobes are not necessarily the largest or most expensive ones; they're the most intentional ones. Start with a few pieces in fabrics you love, cut in styles that work for your body and your life, that are cared for properly and rotated regularly.
Begin with what you actually wear, then build from there.
At Peches, we are always happy to help you find your way in. Whether you know exactly what you are looking for or you are starting from scratch, we would love to be part of the conversation.
Shop online or in-person to find pieces that are right for you.