1914-1918: The outbreak of World War I forces women into the workforce.  Many women begin working in factories and wearing uniforms, making the use of daily corset wear a problem.

1917: The US War Industries Board requests women to stop buying corsets to reduce the consumption of metal.  Sources say up to 28,000 tons of metal was conserved through this effort - “enough to build two battleships”

1918: Corset-makers began making bras designed to flatten rather than enhance the breasts.

YIKES!!

1889: Corset-maker Herminie Cadolle invents a bra-like garment called “Bien-etre” (’well-being’).  The garment supports the breasts by the shoulders rather than squeezing them up from below like a traditional corset.

1893: Marie Tucek patents the “Breast Supporter”.  This garment is similar to modern-day bras in that it features a separate pocket for each breast, shoulder straps, and hook-and-eye closures.

1860’s:Corsets return to fashion.  Corset “training” becomes the norm - reducing waists to such unhealthy leves that ribs and internal organs become deformed.  This sparks controversy over the health risk of corseting.

1875: Designer Susan Taylor Converse creates a garment called the “Union Under-Flannel” from woolen fabric. The garment is different from previous items as it has no bones, eyelets, laces or pulleys.  The garment is patented by manufacturers George Frost and George Phelps.

1550’sAD: Catherine de Medicis, wife of King Henri II of France enforces a ban on “thick waists” at court functions through the introduction of the steel corset. The corset becomes the main undergarment of support and restraint for women.

1850’s: US patents are registered for the first known bra-like garments.  Corsets fall out of style for about 10 years.

Look how far we’ve come…the UpBra is on the way!!