History of Bras

Bra Fitting

Long before the sophisticated bra styles of today there was a simple first bra that started it all.

Since the beginning of time exotic bras, and lingerie have always been closely entwined with the social and economic status of the era - a barometer or sign of the times.

As values and attitudes towards women's bodies have changed, so too has the evolution of fashion and womens lingerie.

The precursor to modern bras and thong first appeared circa 3000 B.C., on a small Greek statuette of a female athlete.

Womans lingerie suggests that Grecian and Roman women began wearing a crude kind of wool girdle used to bind their breasts close to the body...a precursor to the modern day corset.

As history progressed, brassieres, lingerie undergarment and intimate apparel styles began to take on a more prominent role in society.

With the rich, artistic backdrop of the Renaissance, womans lingerie blossomed; night gowns, bustiers, corsets, camisoles and cami sets and chemises became more a fashion statement and less mere functionality.

European women of the late 13th century began to celebrate and embrace their natural curves. Abandoning the traditional loose fitting chemise sleepwear of the era, they began to wear tight-fitting lace detailed garments or lingerie bra cinchers that enhanced the feminine shape.

A social phenomenon blossomed... the era of the "tiny waist" was born...

History of Bras - Part II

By the 15th century the bra had morphed yet again... Women's measurements and the size of the waist ("tinier" equals better) became a barometer of a woman's beauty, social status, and wealth.

The smaller the waist, the more interested a man became in a woman sexually. Tinier = better became the mantra.

Catherine de Medici, the clothes horse of her era decreed the ideal waist measurement for a woman was a stunning thirteen inches!

This was all much to the detriment of a woman's health....

Lush hand stitched corset and bustiers and lingerie in silks, lace, and embroidered satins became tighter and heavier than ever...with lingerie foundations made primarily of steel, or pieces of wood glued together.

Flexible whalebone eventually replaced steel as the construction material of choice.

Women were literally imprisoned in heavy control shapewear lingerie undergarments, that were often compared to chastity belts.

Not able to move about freely while wearing corsets, women often became short of breath, nauseous and experienced severe abdominal pain.

Fainting was a common occurrence. With perpetual corset and bustiers tightening and rarely any time in between, women's rib cages often became severely deformed...livers were pierced...and in extreme cases women died!

After the French revolution of 1789 and towards the late 19th century, womans lingerie and undergarments became more relaxed and less binding.

The heavy corset became obsolete. A well rounded and healthy hourglass female physique became the norm...women were finally able to breathe...

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