Shaping the modern woman; a brief history of the bra

Women from all cultures and across millennia have used different forms of clothing to cover and support their breasts. From bandage wraps in Asia to boned corsets in Europe, the evolution of the modern bra has been a gradual one. But how did an American socialite with an eye on what a woman really needed create the iconic undergarment we wear today?

The bra has been an ‘invention’, a fashion item, a forgotten garment and a symbol of female independence and empowerment. It may be a small garment, but it has played a big part in more ways than one.

What is a bra?

A bra, or brassiere is an undergarment, worn by women to support their breasts and define their shape. Before the modern-day bra as we know it, the corset was a popular undergarment to shape. However, the official patent for the bra as we know it was granted in 1914 to an American woman, Mary Phelps Jacobs.

The turning point

Over 100 years later, the features and benefits of the bra have remained unchanged. Even the attention to detail and the attention to a woman’s size and shape formed part of the 1914 patent. For the first time, the focus was on the woman, her needs and comfort. This came at a time when the role of women was changing, when they were taking part in previously male dominated activites such as sport, driving, cycling and even working outside the home. The restrictions and not to mention the discomfort of the whale boned corsets were no longer fashionable nor practical.

Purpose

The patent document submitted on behalf of Mary Jacobs claimed the ‘bra’ would,

“provide a garment in which a number of features of novelty and utility are combined, among which are the provision of a garment which has no back and therefore does not interfere with any design of evening gown that may be chosen…”

Fit

The fit was and still is of great importance. Without a good fit, the bra will not support, enhance shape or feel comfortable.

“The necessity of a snug fit has also made it necessary that the brassiere be made with special regard to the size and shape of the wearer in order proper fit.”

Comfort

Even today, many women cite one of the reasons they dislike wearing a bra is because it is not comfortable. And as much today as in the 1900s, comfort is key.

The 1914 patent claimed that the bra should be characterised by,

“extreme simplicity by freedom from bones so that it may be finished with laces or embroideries for wear beneath a sheer waist or diaphanous gown, and which when worn is both comfortable and cool and so efficient that it may be worn even by\ persons engaged in violent exercise such as tennis,”

Even women in the 1900s required a ‘sports bra’!

So let’s embrace the bra as an item to be loved, worn for pleasure as well as practicality. Every woman should wear a bra that she feels and looks good in and that fits her specific requirements.

If you would like to make your own bit of history and have a bespoke bra made just for you then get in touch.

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