Bra fashion history began as far back as Cretan times, but 1907, was the year when the word brassiere was first reported in an American copy of Vogue.
In her bra history book 'Bras', Rosemary Hawthorne tells of her collection of brassières and of one that is stamped ' Brassiere. Model 441, British Made ', then of another 2-3 years older marked 'LA CYBELE' (No 18 British Made)'. By 1915 the magazine 'The Lady' recorded pretty bust bodices or brassieres as essential wear. Rosemary Hawthorne's bra history book is very informative and she often describes genuine examples of bras, corsets and girdles she has collected or has had donated to her.
Did movie industry really have any influence in the bra fashion and biz?
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Joan Crawford in
Our Dancing Daughers |
The 1928 musical Our Dancing Daughters featured Joan Crawford dance her way through in a little more than a very feminine bra and saucy costume. It was risqué, but no one was complaining. Tarts were ruling Tinseltown and everyone was cheering.
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| Fay Wray in King Kong |
With the nation in the grip of a paralyzing Depression, Americans sought escape in movie theaters in the form of the 1933 classic King Kong. The filmmakers had the hairy beast striped Fay Wray down to her lingerie. Although this was just an excuse to show the actress in scanty garb but the result was overwhelming. Lacy slips became the fashionable undergarment. Bras did not decline in popularity; they just got a new companion!
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| Jane Russell in The Outlaw |
In 1943, Howard Hughes, the famous part-time filmmaker tycoon and genuine lover of cleavage, incorporated his aerodynamic know-how into the cantilevered bra Jane Russell wore in the movie The Outlaw, allowing the lift to be higher than ever thought possible – so much so that her bosoms appeared to defy gravity!
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| Taylor in slip |
The popularity of Elizabeth Taylor was so immense at the time of the release of her film Butterfield 8 in 1960 which she wore a slinky slip in one scene, the bra sales dramatically slipped for two years as women opted to wear slips instead, just as the purple-eyed icon had done in the movie.
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| Demi Moore |
The most recent wave hit by Demi Moore on Striptease 1996, putting strippers on pedestal. Suddenly the occupation became not just acceptable but glamorous. In real life, young women idolized the stripper look and they were soon buying the same bras and lingerie.
The world has been reminding that a woman’s sexuality was a powerful weapon when Julia Roberts slinked through the tense drama Erin Brockovich 2000 with her signature look throughout the film, the push-up bra that was so effective, the demand for cleavage-enhancing bras became so enormous that Victoria’s Secret invented its Angel bra, and the Wonderbra Company saw sales spike.
White lingerie, which had for decades been thought of as pure and virginal, suddenly seemed kinky when Carmen Electra appeared in Scary Movie 2000 wearing a bra and underwear soaked by sprinklers. This led to a big box-office with college students for white lingerie.
Quote: The years teach us patience - that the shorter our time, the greater the capacity for waiting - Elizabeth Taylor
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