Leotard

A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso and body but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1839-1870), about whom the song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" was written.

Related Topics:
Skin-tight - One-piece garment - Jules Léotard - 1839 - 1870

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first known use of the name leotard came only in 1886, many years after Léotard's death. Léotard himself called the garment a maillot, which in French has now come to mean a swimsuit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leotards are worn by acrobats, gymnasts, dancers and circus performers both as practice garments and performance costumes. They are often worn together with tights.

Related Topics:
Acrobats - Gymnast - Dancer - Circus - Costume - Tights

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leotards are entered through the neck. (Constrast with bodysuits, which generally have snaps at the crotch, allowing the garment to be pulled on over the head.) Scoop-necked leotards have wide neck openings and are held in place by the elasticity of the garment. Others are crew-necked or turtle-necked and close at the back of the neck with a zipper or snaps.

Related Topics:
Bodysuit - Snaps - Zipper

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are sleeveless, short-sleeved and long-sleeved leotards. A variation is the unitard, which also covers the legs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leotards can also be worn as lingerie and are eroticised by some people, often as part of a wider spandex fetishism.

Related Topics:
Lingerie - Spandex fetish

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~