Andrea Schewe Design
  • Home
  • Costumes
    • Reader's Gallery
    • Fantasy Costumes
    • Theatrical
    • Historic >
      • Easier to make
    • International
    • Costumes for Kid's and Babies
  • Crafts
    • Home Decor >
      • Pillows
    • Fashion Accessories
    • Doll Clothes
    • For Kids and Babies
  • Blog
    • Past Blogs by subject >
      • My patterns by number
      • Sewing basics
      • Personal sewing Projects
      • Fashion History
      • Fun and funny stuff
      • Guest Bloggers
      • Crafts and Home Dec
  • Links
  • Contact

The history of bras

3/20/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Writing about the corset, no surprise, brought me right into the development of the bra.  In the 1910's the front of the corset became so low, it no longer supported the breasts so this is when almost all women started wearing bras.  But the history of the bra goes back farther than you would think.
Picture
Picture
Many 2000 year old Roman mosaics can be found of woman athletes wearing something very much like a modern strapless bra.
Picture
And, just two years ago, this undergarment was found in Austria.  It has been determined to be 600 years old and a huge surprise to fashion historians. No one thought any woman had worn a supportive garment with separate pouches for each breast before the 20th Century.
Picture
This is a modern reproduction.   
Picture
There is a patent for a breast supporting device from 1859, but the garment was never made up.  The first usable bra was developed and patented in 1887 in Britain and then 1889 in France which is this illustration above.
Picture
Picture
The pigeon shaped bodice was in fashion in the first decade of the 20th Century and women were wearing these mono-bosom bras under their clothing. Quite a protective garment, I would say.  


I started off this series of blogs asking the question "does the foundation garment industry drive fashion, or the other way around?" I need to dig more to figure that one out.
Picture
This bra is from 1917. At this time, the U.S. War Industries Board called on women to stop buying corsets to reduce the consumption of metal.

It conserved up to 28,000 tons of metal! Enough to build two battleships.

Picture
After the war, fashions changed dramatically along with the ideal shape for a woman's body and woman's role in society.  Flat chests were "in" and so was the underwear meant to achieve that shape.

After creating the first bra in 1902 Warners Bras introduced a tight, chest-flattening bra to keep with the flapper lifestyle.
Picture
Here is a photo of a woman wearing one of those flattening bras.

By the end of the 1920s the "cup size" was created and women could by bras that actually fit them. 

Picture
Picture
A bra and an advertisement from the 30's ... I find this interesting because in Bali in the 30's woman weren't wearing anything to cover their chests.  Read my blog on that topic.
Picture
The 1940's brought all sorts of bras that were meant to improve a woman's shape. There are loads and loads of before and after photos from this time.  The age of underwear as a piece of engineering is in full swing.
Picture
I think the 1950's bring "bullet bras" to mind for many people, and for good reason.
Picture
They were a real thing, I even had a little circular stitched training bra in the mid-60's.  This was the desired shape!  But, I'm not sure every women fill those pointy cups all the way to the end.  Breasts just aren't shaped that way.
Picture
Women have been padding their bosom ... probably since the dawn of time, but now the padding was getting high-tech.  What is a bra-O-matic anyway?? Can't find a thing about it.
Picture
There were even inflatable bras!  You could correct any unevenness, if necessary.
Picture
So I found this ad that claims the first push up bra to be in 1963 by the Wonder Bra company. The name was trademarked in the 60's but the company came into prominence in the early 90's.
Picture
Well then the woman's movement comes into the conversation again.  Women were symbolically burning their bras to declare their freedom.  And, some women did stop wearing bras for a while.  But these were very young women, for the most part women kept wearing bras.
Picture
1980's bra ... You know, to my eye, bras haven't changed all that much in the last 30 years or so.
Picture
1990's bra ... I think bras are starting to get very pretty.
Picture
We can buy sport's bras now that women have become athletic.
Picture
And, when did minimizing bras come on the scene?  That's quite a change from the bullet bras of the 50's.  A never ending story ...

Just look at how the fashionable shape of women has changed over little more than 100 years.  Crazy! A woman's body is a woman's body ... 

If you want more actual facts and dates, go to this website, Bust'n'Lace . It is filled with really interesting information.
2 Comments
Liz link
4/7/2014 10:33:48 am

Great article! As for the minimizer bra, I love mine because it helps button-up shirts fit. Otherwise, the buttons pull unmercifully and I've had more than one wardrobe malfunction! I think the fashion for minimizers stems from two things: body ideal (of course) and modern, mass-produced clothing with standardized measurements. The modern body ideal is shifting back to the 1960s/1970s youthful and slim look, so being a top heavy woman isn't trendy anymore. Most off the rack clothing is designed for a B/C cup, so if a woman had a large cup size, but a small band size, she will either be bursting the buttons open at her chest or swimming in a shirt that fits her bust. The minimizer helps lessen that a bit. It's like the halfway point between a traditional full-coverage bra and a sports bra.

Reply
HIGG er ` link
6/14/2017 10:29:35 pm

Well this was Info for ME because yes ... . .

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    From Andrea 

    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
    The water is fine!!

    Archives

    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Archives by Subject

    To search for blog posts in specific categories, use the drop down menu above by hovering over the word "Blog"

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Andrea Schewe participates in Amazon's associates program.