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Silk Drouget Brocade Stays, ca. 1750-60

#silk brocade #drouget brocade #stays #underpinnings #1750s #mid 18th century #18th century #18th century fashion #18th century underpinnings #fashion history #dress history

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Stays with Adjustable Straps, ca. 1785-90

via McCord Museum

#stays #1780s #late 18th century #adjustable straps #fashion history #18th century #underpinnings #dress history

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Silk Damask Stays, ca. 1770-90

via V&A

#silk damask #stays #1770s #1780s #18th century #18th century fashion #18th century underpinnings #18th century undergarments #georgian era #rococo #fashion history #dress history #berry #undergarments #underpinnings

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Embroidered Cotton Corset, ca. 1898

Part of Frances Glessner's trousseau for her marriage to Blewett Lee, February 9, 1898

via Chicago History Museum

#embroidered corset #cotton corset #trousseau #Frances Glessner #1890s fashion #undergarments #underpinnings #fashion history #dress history #wedding corset #cotton #late victorian fashion #victorian corset #victorian underpinnings

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Waist Cincher with Attached Garters, ca. 1900

Redfern

via The Red List

#waist cincher #corset with garters #redfern #early 1900s #1900s fashion #undergarments #underpinnings #fashion history #dress history

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We're almost at the weekend, so you know what that means- time for FRIDAY FASHION FACT! Today we're covering one of the most basic, practical, and common pieces of fashion history. Gather up your girls, because we are finally covering the history of bras. Love 'em or hate 'em, bras have been worn by about half the population for the past hundred years. They come in countless style, and arguably still have yet to be perfected. Whether worn to be seen, or intended for purely practical purposes, never to see the light of day, bras literally are the core that shapes modern fashion. So where did they come from? Women have been binding their breasts since the beginning of mankind. Anyone with an even moderately sizeable pair will tell you this was clearly not for style, but for practicality purposes. Throughout much of history, in many cultures, this was as simple as wrapping fabric around one's body. By the Renaissance, though, stays and corsets were the primary "tool" used in western cultures. I've written about the history of the corset before (here) so I won't go into that again, but the first bra-like garments first came into style during the late very late 18th century through early 19th century when corsets took a brief hiatus. This was the time after the French Revolution when the neoclassical style came into being. The stiff look of the corset did not fit with the soft, natural from of neoclassicism, and so were discarded. But, of course, some form of support and control was required. Many women wore a bodice piece much like a corset, but with minimal boning. Since the style was so figure hugging and women wished to show off all their curves, cup-like insets were put into these bodices. Yet with the popular empire waistline, there was no need for a cinched waist, and so the under-bust was reduced to essentially a band. Once more structured garments came back into fashion, bringing the corset along with it, those insets did not disappear completely. There were countless corset designs throughout the 19th century, and a couple do feature cup-like forms. By the end of the century, though, as it slowly became more acceptable for a woman to be more physically active, corsets commonly shortened to waist cinchers, which allowed for more movement. These were paired with a chemise-like upper bodice piece which had admittedly minimal support. Pair this with many critics of the corset emerging, and there were soon many predecessors to the bra being invented at this time, each with varying levels of success. The official title of "inventor of the bra" is often given to Herminie Cadolle (though there are others who claim the title), who in 1889 created a two-piece corset with a waist piece and upper bodice piece with shoulder straps. Later in her career, she would be the first to use elastic in a brassiere. Yet it was a 19 year old socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob who, in 1910, truly launched the modern bra. Frustrated that her corset could be seen poking through her delicate evening gown, she and her lady's maid fashioned a support garment out of two handkerchiefs and some ribbon. At the debutante ball that evening, everyone was fascinated by her creation and requested one for themselves. Though her business never became a big success, in 1914 she created the patent which all bra designs for the next several years were based upon. It was in 1917, during World War I, that the government asked women to stop wearing corsets and switch exclusively to bras, since the steel used to create corsets was needed for the war effort. They claimed that two battleships could be made out of the steel saved from the corset industry. From then on, the bra reigned supreme. Designers across the globe continued to develop and reshape the bra, always changing with the ideal body shape du jour or the newest advances in technology. And they still do to this day! Have a question about fashion history that you want answered in the next FRIDAY FASHION FACT? Just click the ASK button at the top of the page!