gartier

Old French gartier (also jartier) meant a band worn around the leg, from Frankish *wrist (a band, a wrapping). The garter's function was simple: it held up stockings before elastic was invented. Stockings, being knitted tubes without inherent grip, slid down legs without something to hold them. The garter — a band tied or buckled around the thigh or below the knee — was the solution. The garment was purely functional until 1348.

In 1348, Edward III established the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in England. The founding legend says that at a court ball, the Countess of Salisbury's garter slipped from her leg. Courtiers snickered. Edward picked it up and tied it to his own leg, declaring 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' — 'Shame on him who thinks evil of it.' The legend may be apocryphal, but the motto is real and still appears on the Royal Coat of Arms.

Garters remained essential garments until the invention of elastic in the mid-nineteenth century and the development of elasticized stocking tops in the twentieth century. Before these innovations, everyone — men and women — wore garters. Benjamin Franklin wore garters. George Washington wore garters. The garment was as universal as socks and far less discussed.

The garter belt — a waistband with attached straps to hold up stockings — replaced the simple tied garter in the early twentieth century. When pantyhose arrived in the 1960s, garter belts became largely unnecessary for daily wear. The garter survived as lingerie, as part of wedding tradition (the garter toss), and as the name of England's highest honor. A leg band traveled from Frankish utility to royal chivalry to bridal custom.