A black corset adorned with thousands of red Swarovski crystals that took 100 man hours to make. That was the finale piece for the Triumph "Passage of Dreams" show at the Audi Fashion Festival 2011 (AFF). The price tag for this dazzling rhinestone studded undergarment? A hefty $12,500.

 This, together with a corset adorned with delicious looking candy, marshmallows and chewy gummy bears, were some of the highlights of the fashion show from the lingerie brand which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.
 
Corset maker Johann Gottfried Spiesshoffer and businessman Micheal Braun started the brand in a barn in Germany back in 1886, with a staff of six. It has since grown to establish itself as one of the leading lingerie brands in the world.
 
To commemorate its 125th anniversary, a few historical pieces of undergarments from as early as 1890, were brought in to Singapore for the Triumph show.
 
"It is to see all the progress in the fashion and the engineering as well as the technology behind garments, from where we came, to how garments look today. It's a totally different thing," said Harald Hinderberger, Triumph International's head of brand management in Asia.
 
He also pointed out that many of the undergarments seeing a revival today were inspired by those very same historical pieces.