History of Women’s Bras

• 200 to 400 Ancient Rome and Greece, women wore simple tunics with no shaping undergarments. This tradition continued on into the beginning of the 1200’s.
• 1200 to 1500 A stiff under bodice called a “cotte” was developed
• 1500 to 1600 it was named a “body” or more appropriately a “pair of bodies” since it was made in two pieces. In Spain, fashion took off and royalty added wire, steel, whalebone, and other forms of reinforcements. It was not a very comfortable garment to wear.
• 1700’s “iron maidens” became a little softer and more comfortable to wear, and they began to take the shape of corsets.
• 1850’s another item was added to the lady’s wardrobe. It was a corset cover. It is unclear whether this was designed to protect the corset from the dress or protect the dress from the corset. This item eventually became known as a ‘camisole’, from the Arabic Kamis, meaning under tunic.
• In 1875, manufacturers George Frost and George Phelps patented the ‘Union Under-Flannel’, a no bones, no eyelets, and no laces or pulleys under-outfit.
• In 1893, a woman named Marie Tucek patented the ‘breast supporter’; the device included separate pockets for the breasts and straps that went over the shoulder, fastened by hook-and-eye closures.
• In 1889, corset-maker Herminie Cadolle invented the ‘Well-Being’ or ‘Bien-être’, a bra-like device sold as a health aid. The corset’s support for the breasts squeezed up from below. Cadolle changed breast support to the shoulders down.
• 1907 Brassiere a term used in the U.S. By definition: “A woman’s under bodice worn to support the breasts”.
• 1914 November 3, U.S. patent for the “Backless Brassiere” was issued.
• 1917 World War I During the war effort the U.S. War Industries Board called on women to stop buying corsets. It freed up some 28,000 tons of metal!
• Steins originally called the FayeMiss Lingerie Company, founded 1927 Bali Brassiere Company. The company’s best-known product has been the Wonder Bra, “The One And Only Wonder Bra.”
• 1928, Ida Rosenthal, a Russian immigrant founded Maidenform. Ida was responsible for grouping women into bust-size categories (cup sizes).
• 1943 Howard Hughes designed a bra for Jane Russell’s cleavage. (The bra, which lifts and separates the breasts, helped Russell to become a legend.).
• 1963 Louise Poirier a Canadian designer developed the “Wonder Bra – Push Up Plunge Bra”.
• 2008 Today, several bras are coming on the market and just about everything is being developed even the backless bra, (No Band) for plus size women. Several of the ideas are a big hit in the fashion industry, however are not recommended for wearing long periods of time.