New York ? The collective opinion of what’s sexy has risen and fallen with necklines and hemlines. Different figures — sometimes a curvy hourglass, sometimes a delicate waif — also turn up the heat at different points in history.

What’s consistent, though, is appreciation for the female body.

“Seduction,” a new exhibit at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, puts 19th century bustles next to Rudi Gernreich’s microminis of the 1960s as it explores how women have strategically covered their bodies in hopes that admirers will imagine what’s underneath.

The curator, Colleen Hill, says fashion has adopted three different muses to worship — one who is romantic, one who is sultry and the serious sexpot.

An opening vignette features three lingerie looks, equally alluring: Lace-trimmed camisole knickers in a pastel green silk that grazes the body would have been worn under a flapper dress in the 1920s; a naughty black lace girdle set from the 1950s creates the then-desired hourglass; and a peacock-print, no-wire bra and panties from the 1960s are all about natural beauty.

“The idea of ‘seduction’ isn’t always the what we typically think of as sexy,” says Hill. More important than how much skin is exposed or if a garment is made of stretch lace or patent leather is if you’re left wanting to see more, she says.

As an industry, fashion caught on to this early. A pale green evening gown from 1818 featured in the exhibit has an eye-attracting, low-cut neckline as well as an empire waist, which acted like an early push-up bra, while the bustles of the Victorian era, normally seen as a prudish period, actually helped define the shape of the leg.

Some key looks, depending on what catches your fancy:

Romantic is a style that embraces femininity with light, pretty colors, airy fabrics and probably a little bit of lace.

• Alternating light-colored panels on the bodice of an otherwise rust satin gown from 1785 created the illusion of bareness. It’s also very tightly formed to the body, with all the necessary foundations built in.

• The softness of the green velvet used for a 1830 Victorian is highly feminine — and the low decolletage, surrounded by lace, is an obvious reminder of a woman’s ample assets.

• A 1949 pale-pink blossom dress by Ceil Chapman is very girlie with petal-like ruffles, but it’s silhouette actually includes a tight strapless bodice. “It’s unfurling,” says Hill.

• The pink bow at the waist of a black Balenciaga cocktail dress from 1957 is what softens an otherwise lingerie-inspired look. It’s perfect for a femme fatale — sort of salty mixed with sweet.

• Olivier Theyskens’ wedding gown for Rochas from 2004 is the “ultimate fairytale gown” with its pouffy ballskirt, flower appliques and glittery fabric, Hill says, but the tease of the wedding night comes from its lingerie-inspired bodice.

Sultry is an unfussy style that embraces mystery and a sophisticated glamour.

• The peek-a-boo effect of lace at the neck and shoulders makes a salmon-colored dress from 1903 both socially acceptable and still sexy. The Edwardian times favored a statuesque women with an S-curve built into the foundation of the clothes, arching a woman’s back and pushing out both her bust and rear.

• In addition to the bold color, the suggestive fringe on a 1925 red satin flapper dress by Lenief forms a V from the hip to the hemline would be sure to grab attention, yet the garment provides full coverage without a glimpse of skin.

• A 1935 Muriel King yellow silk charmeuse dress is cut on the bias to reveal body shape like few other silhouettes. During the ’30s, flesh-tone fabrics also became quite popular, making you think you were seeing something you were not.

• Halston surely had the seductive starlet in mind for a 1972 ice-blue jersey goddess gown. She could cover up the plunging neckline with the slinky, self-tie belt — but probably wouldn’t.

Sexy is for the woman who’s got it — and wants to flaunt it.

• Sheer fabric at the neckline as well as pintucks on the bust of a 1865 off-the-shoulder gown immediately draws attention. There’s also tassels on the arm, which also get the wearer noticed while she’s moving through the ballroom, and the cage-style crinoline occasionally gives a glimpse of the ankle.

• “This is overtly sexy. He molded women into his perfect hourglass,” Hill says of Charles James’ 1952 navy satin evening dress. There’s a soft, draped peplum at the bottom of a corset-style top, while the bottom creates a slim cocoon around the legs.

• From the front and back, a 1968 black jersey trapeze-style miniskirt by Rudi Gernreich wasn’t the designer’s most obviously sexy look — he did the topless bathing suit in 1964 — but the sides of the dress are vinyl giving a clear view of everything underneath.

• A power suit with sex appeal by Theirry Mugler from 1987. A woman could show off her aerobicized body in the lace-up black corset with a softer draped skirt in a sheer green jersey.

• John Galliano’s 2000 black-leather evening gown for Christian Dior has a fetish effect, says Hill, not only because of it’s lace-up back but also because it appears slightly disheveled, as if the wearer has had a wild night.