The Story of the Bra

The Story of the Bra

It all started a long time ago. Men fell in love with breasts but at the same time were in awe of these visual indicators of femininity. Early bra-type garments were worn by women in ancient Crete in 2000 BC. Whilst archaic in design, the bra was used principally for display with the exposed breasts being aggressively thrust forward. Above all these breast supports were sexual in their purpose and worn by aggressive dominatrices.

In Roman times women wore a scarf called a "strophium" not only to support their breasts but also to identify themselves as civilised women. Bare breasts were taboo; it was the barbarians who went about bra-less; a look that would reappear from time to time, most recently as a result of radical feminists in the 1970s.

In the Middle Ages a writer of the time, Jan Hus, expressed the fear felt by obsessive moralisers and male onlookers of the 'bitch with breasts'. He raged at the cut of gowns that exposed fully half the breast "so that their bursting flesh may be seen anywhere and by all…and especially at home. The covered part of the breast is so emphasised, so artificially swelled…lifted high and artificially projected forward even when nature has not supplied women with such large endowments…"

And so it's clear that there is nothing new about a little fakery. The very term 'bosom friend' was in the late eighteenth century a term of speech used to describe a breast enhancement made of wadding and inserted into garments to give a little extra sex appeal. Two centuries later cotton wool was the favoured stuffing, whilst in the meantime there had been the falsies made of wax and India rubber.

During the nineteenth century fashion emphasised and accentuated the shape of the bottom, but the twentieth century was to be the century of the bust. Initially, designers attempted to turn the nineteenth century corset into a bra by creating the corset waist, a garment closer to a camisole and made of cotton, linen, lace, and ribbon. However, gradually the popularity of the corset waned.

Whilst corsets had supported breasts from below the bra provided support from above by using straps over the shoulders and the principles of suspension. A young and fashionable New York debutante, Mary Phelps Jacob, who was known as Caresse Crosby, is acknowledged to have designed one of the first modern bras. In 1914, at the height of the new tango dance craze, Crosby used two handkerchiefs, a piece of baby ribbon and help from her maid to create a boneless bra that left the midriff free. She then had the good business sense to sell the patent to the Warner Company.

Just as everyday wear became more decorative, so too did lingerie. Insets of lace, tucks, white-on-white embroidery and ruffles began appearing on the new brassieres, resulting in more and more ornate creations. At its most elegant was the lightest of bras created by Earrieros in 1920 comprised of tulle and ruched pink ribbon.

Such frivolous designs made women more aware of their femininity and urged them to pay more attention to their own individual beauty. By the early 1920s most women would not leave home without wearing a bra. But female emancipation created a 'boyish' look in fashion and so soft bras were designed as 'bust flatteners' in order to hide the wearer's shape.

This fashion didn't last long and by the end of the decade shape became a definite priority as the bra was designed to separate the breasts. Shaped cups were introduced.

Fashion of all kinds became an extension of personal freedom and innovations in the design of the bra allowed women to choose how they and others saw them. Cup busts, defined busts, uplifted and enhanced busts began to fill a new fashion niche. Perhaps surprisingly it wasn't until 1935 that Warner was the first to introduce cup sizes having realised that the measurement of the bust and the size of the breasts needed two different scales.

By the end of the Thirties the bust was dressed in an increasingly well-cut bra that was carefully seamed for different figure types. Boned or under-wired bras were worn to emphasise breast shape. Femininity was at a peak and designers created all types of variations. There were satin, lace, net, and batiste versions, some with stitched satin under-cups and the colours expanded to include the feminine peach, pink and apricot. Black, however, was reserved for strictly luxury bras.

The Second World War had a major impact on the fashion industry with military uniforms and their civilian imitations seen everywhere. Legs became more noticeable and breasts became objects of irresistible desire. Famously, Jayne Russell the Hollywood actress complained that conventional bras squashed her large breasts and Howard Hughes who was producing her film brought the principles of aerodynamics to bear in order to create the perfect shape for her. The effect was so successful that the film was banned for seven years until 1950!

The cultural construction of the big-bosomed dumb blond stereotype was aided by the invention in 1953 of Triumph's cone-shaped, circular stitched bra and by Berlei's original whirlpool bra. These bras were worn by stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot and Jayne Mansfield and gave perfectly rounded contours for separation and the newest forward look.

In the battle for fashion the Americans and the French took opposing views. The Americans added extra stiffening into the ends of the cup points which enhanced the breast- as-missile look. By contrast, the French went for the apple shape with bras softly padded with foam rubber. Within a few years, lingerie companies were selling bras with plastic inserts, padding, spiral stitching and other clever shaping tools to increase bust size and raise and separate the breasts. These intricately shaped bras were the ideal foundation for the sweater era that reached its peak in 1957.

The Fifties also saw the rise of the famous Frederick's of Hollywood. The firm, founded in 1946 by ex-G.I. Frederick Mellinger , started by asking fellow soldiers to describe their fantasy underwear for their girl back home. His findings led to a range of sexy underwear, with bras the best sellers. His philosophy was simple: "The company designs each undergarment, whether it is a baby-doll night gown or a push-up bra, to make a woman more alluring to a man and more attractive to herself when she looks in the mirror".

New men's magazines, such as Playboy, promoted the image of the sophisticated man about town with a well endowed girl on each arm and celebrated large breasts that defied gravity. And it was the bra designs that used advanced structural engineering techniques that had made this possible.

Inevitably there was a reaction against such manufactured ideals of female beauty and by the end of the 1950s the bra began to lose its importance as a fashion item and gained status as a political statement as a result of the early feminist movement. Many thought that the confining bra was a symbol of male oppression. The result was an era of individual expression that put nudity and semi-nudity into the spotlight.

Mary Quant, the British fashion designer, was one who found the normal Fifties bra a cause for complaint. "I know I am always seduced myself by the prettiest, frilliest, laciest bras that look so good when you are half undressed. But under a dress, they are nothing but unsightly lumps and bumps."

Whilst daring women went without bras, most wore a lightweight version like Rudi Gernreich, the avant-garde couturier's "no-bra" bra. The intention of this bra was to cover rather than mould the breasts into specific shapes. In 1965, Gernreich launched his Exquisite Form collection of sheer tricot nylon in white, black or, the most popular nude.

One of the important 'breast legacies' of the often controversial feminist ideas was the gradual acceptance of the nipple in mainstream women's fashion.

For those who chose not to 'display all', there were creative styles and ways to wear them. The Hippie Generation chose flower-power motifs on bras and panties and other popular styles included animal prints, spots and splashes of colour.

In 1964, the total control sportswear bra was introduced and three years later, Formfit launched the lightest bra to date, subtly shaped in nylon and elastic with straps that were adjustable from regular or halterneck. It was practically invisible under even the sleekest clothes.

The 1960s were full of contradictions and these included the world of lingerie. The 'ideal' figure being promoted in fashion was a tall, slim and boyish shape. It was often difficult to tell the boys from the girls, except for the lingerie. Many women continued to go braless as fashion became unisex and androgynous, but others who had abandoned the bra now turned back to it for support.

When Fredericks of Hollywood was under attack from feminists, Mellinger made the famous quote "the law of gravity will win out" and he was right. There has been an overall trend in the developed countries of the Western world for breast size to increase.

Partly this has been as a result of better diet but also the contraceptive pill has played its part.

The ranges of new bra styles were mostly in transparent fabrics that showed the breasts off in their natural shape. Whilst at the start of the 1970s bras were rarely rounded at the cups, by the middle of the decade the rounded cup was back, with wiring to hold the cut-away cups in place. Bras were light and transparent; sometimes cut in moulded jersey, satin and georgette.

Exercise in all forms became popular and required its own clothes. Bras became more flexible in form; even the cup edges were moulded with elastic, making lingerie ready for the action. This was made possible by technological advances which allowed curved parts of the bras to be moulded seamlessly from one piece of elastane.

This was just in time for the disco era which featured the return of clingy, sensual, satin dresses and the stretchy comfortable bra (technically a camisole with wide straps built into the design, darted in at the bust and edged with elastic to hold everything in place).

Satin lingerie was a hit and for the first time we saw bras and bodysuits worn on the dance floor. In the era of glam-rock, wearing a sexy bra that intentionally peeped out of designer clothes was the height of chic.

Perhaps as an antidote to all that glam-rock, the start of the 1980s saw more tranquil colours such as pinkish mauves and embroidery in contrasting shades. But it was not to last, as later in the decade there was an explosion of colour often used in erotic prints and exotic patterns.

The types of fabric increased, too. Silk and satin imitations and like Lycra silk, satin crepe de chine, and polyester, each convincing in appearance and feel, made soft lingerie more accessible and affordable. Lycra fashion in particular made its way into both dance clubs, where hip-hop and break-dancing moves were it, as party-wear, and onto the streets as biker-chick wear.

Leading fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, in her Buffalo Collection of Autumn/Winter 1982, featured a large pink matronly bra worn as outerwear. John Paul Gaultier made the bra visible in his slashed and layered looks of 1983 and then in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna showed off her bra straps and a million fans followed suit. Once again breasts and their silhouettes were a major fashion item.

Although in the world of high fashion in the 1990s the 'waif look' led by Kate Moss took hold; on the high street it was 'Bra Wars'. The first contender was Gossard with their Wonderbra, which was heavily featured in Vogue magazine in 1992, after which it sold 22,000 a week in Britain.

Then when Gossard's licence to produce Wonderbra ran out Playtex re-launched the Wonderbra using the supermodel Eva Herzigova. The famous strap line "Hello Boys" caused sales to soar with this vision of a confident, provocative woman using her sexuality to get what she wants.

Gossard hit back with the Ultrabra and in 1999, went even further with the Ultrabra Super Boost which claimed to give the biggest cleavage ever "or your money back."

By the late 1990s, women were involved in more sporting activities and the sports bra came of age. Today the sports bra is the ultimate in comfortable underwear, made of stretch fabric with racing backs and air vents and no fasteners so that it can be pulled directly over the head.

So, the choice facing today's women is huge. The bra is now the most complex garment in the underwear drawer. It is a masterpiece of engineering that can be composed of up to 43 separate parts.

Those women 4,000 years ago in ancient Crete would recognise the role of the bra today in displaying the exposed breasts and thrusting them forward, and nowhere is that more true than in the bedroom. Whether dressing for themselves or their "significant other" women adore sexy lingerie.