Italian Fashion: The Bra Turns Hundred This Year

One Hundred Years of Sexy

The history of the brassiere, or the bra, as it has come to be commonly known, is intimately tied to the history of women. The first bra as we know it emerged in 1907 and in 2007 this controversial piece of intimate wear has completed a journey of 100 years. During this journey it has not only seen changes in a woman's ideal physical shape, it has also been an indicator of the social rise of women in the last century.

The modern bra is thought of as an essential part of the female wardrobe, but the now ubiquitous bra has not always had it so good. From 1910 to almost 1930, Chanel-inspired boyish chests were in fashion, which meant that the fashion-conscious women were looking for garments that suppressed rather than enhanced the bust.

_{An old advertisement from 1908 about bustiere's. We know you've seen plenty of modern bras anyways!}

But by the 1930s, the buxom woman was in fashion again, and of course, the bra made a triumphant entry into the world of feminine must-haves. All major bra-making companies came up with simple cotton and net versions to accentuate the feminine form, and Warner made the first popular all-elastic bra. In the same decade, Lana Turner wore tight, figure hugging sweaters, which made full, firm, pointy breasts all the rage and bra-designers worked to accommodate the new trend. The 1940s showed a change in the sort and amount of fabric used for the bra, because during and after the war, good fabric was in short supply. At this time legs, and not breasts were the focal points of female fashion.

But apart from their utility as a supportive garment, bras were slowly beginning to become a definitive tool for seduction. The size and shape of the bras and the technology behind their making were all geared towards showcasing the female breasts as objects of desire, of seduction and glamour. In the 1950's women began to wear bras not only to support and augment their breasts but to even exaggerate them. This was in answer to the breast-obsessed times dominated by images of women like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne and Mamie. Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita bought this curvaceous ideal into Italy as well.

_{Many different types of bustieres, the predecessor to the bra from 1908}

But through the 1960's and 70's the bras faced a reversal, partly with the emergence of models like Twiggy who turned super-skinny into ultra-sexy for almost the next two decades. Bra-burning was a term that came to the fore in the 1970's with women looking upon bras as symbols of patriarchal dominance. Bras were for breasts, and feminists were trying to emphasize a woman's brains rather than her breasts.

By the 1980's, however, behind the facade of the high fashion Armani career woman, the bra was witnessing a slow re-emergence. Notably in the work of Jean Paul Gautier whose costumes included conical bras and were sported by Madonna, bras found a new life and made a big comeback in the 1990s. Girls in Europe and America and in some parts of Asia began to flash their bra-straps in the 90's: sometimes transparent, but often in cute or elegant designs as a fashion statement.

In its centennial year the bra has adapted itself to the notion that healthy is beautiful, placing emphasis on the importance of adequately supporting the weight of the feminine chest for the health of the back. Moreover, with women's lives becoming more active, sports bras have come up in a big way and have become a statement of good health and confidence since the turn of the century. Inner wear became outerwear thanks to Nike ads and Calvin Klein in the late 1990's. Bras had never had it so good.

_{Another last advertisement from a large magazine in 1908 from Italy}

Women are now comfortable in their own skin, and their bras. With the advent of technology, there is a wide array of types and sizes to choose from which would provide for the wide diversity of feminine forms and clothing. Plastic surgery can now dramatically augment a woman's assets, and there are just the right sort of bras available to support and display them. It is rather interesting to see older photos that show the changes in the amount of skin shown, as well as the focal points that were emphasized by the bra and other clothes in the past.

Loved and hated in similar amounts during its century-long journey, the bra today celebrates youthful exuberance, seductive sophistication and mature elegance in equal proportion. It is here to stay.

_{1950's Bra and swimsuit styling}

The bra has found its place, literally and figuratively, close to a woman's heart.

History of bra : By Damyanti Ghosh