Women’s bra has long and very curious history

At the beginning the bra was not so popular with American women. In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacobs, a direct descendant of Robert Fulton (the inventor of a steamboat), told her maid to sew together two handkerchiefs and two pink ribbons to make a bra. In fact, the bra consisted of elastic bands 3-10 cm wide, whose number was variable depending on the circumference of the chest under the bust. Jacobs called the invention a “backless brassiere” and patented it in 1915. The bra did not sell well at the beginning. However, Jacob’s third husband happened to work for a corset company. The company owners showed a lot of interest in the novelty. Eventually, the company bought the invention for $15 thousand, a large sum of money at the time. The “original American bra” was valued at $15 million many years later.

The design of the bra has been gradually improved. Breast pads or “falsies” were invented in 1935. Breast pads are designed for wearing between the breast and the bra to give the appearance of larger breasts. The cup size measurement system given by a letter of the alphabet starting from A to D was adopted in the same period.

Adjustable shoulder straps came into being in 1942. The first museum of lingerie was opened in the U.S. in 1986. A push-up bra that is focused on shaping the bust and cleavage was developed in 1992-1994. The invention was dubbed Wonderbra by Vogue magazine.

A wide range of styles of brassieres now exists, to be worn in a variety of situations, and with a variety of outergarments. Fashion designers have come up with quite a few ideas over the last several years. Some of the latest novelties include a seamless bra covering the body like the second skin; an electrnic bra to be worn during mammography, and a maternity bra designed for facilitating access to the nipple.

Translated by Guerman Grachev
Pravda.ru