In the long arc of lingerie history, the corset was once the ultimate symbol of restraint - a garment that dictated form, function, and even breath. Today, a new generation is rejecting that kind of sartorial control in favor of something far more liberating: the intentional wardrobe. Enter Last Minute California, a ready-to-wear label founded by Gen Z entrepreneur Lauren Lawson, which launched this Monday with a monthly capsule model that feels less like a trend cycle and more like a quiet revolution.
Lawson, who began sketching sweatshirts in her Villanova dorm room, saw a market gap that mirrors a shift we've observed in intimate apparel: the move from shapewear as correction to shapewear as choice. Just as the 1920s saw the rise of the bandeau as a rejection of the restrictive corset, Last Minute California's debut collection - four denim-centric pieces including a miniskirt, tailored trouser-inspired jean, oversized bomber, and heavyweight T-shirt - embodies a philosophy of buying less and keeping longer. "My generation craves quality capsule pieces, individuality, and emotional connection over constant consumption," Lawson explains, echoing the sentiment that drove early 20th-century lingerie reformers to champion soft, breathable fabrics over whalebone and steel.
Manufactured in Los Angeles and priced from $115 to $265, the line is shot in New York with a spontaneity that recalls the 1960s lingerie counterculture, when brands like Maidenform dared to show women in bras outside the bedroom. Last Minute California isn't selling lingerie, but its ethos - optimism, authenticity, and the belief that it's never too late to dress for the life you want - is pure lingerie history in a bomber jacket.
Originally reported by WWD