1907 : The ever-hip Vogue mazazine first uses the term “brassiere” in its haloed pages.  The term comes from the old French word for ‘upper arm’.  Prior to this, bra-like devices were know by the French term “soutien-gorge”, which means “throat support” or “breast support”.

1912: The term “brassiere” first appears in the Oxford English Dictionary.  The garment maker Otto Titzling is said to have developed a bra for buxom singer Swanhilda Olafson.  Swanhilda lived in the same New York boarding house as Otto, and needed a supporting garment.  She was the inspiration for Otto’s breakthrough design, but Otto neglected to patent his creating, and therefore lost his chance to be the inventor of the bra!!

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!!

The bra has enjoyed a colorful history.  They were allegedly invented by an American named Otto Totzling (wrong!) and burned by feminists in the 1960’s.

The “over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder” is a necessary evil in many women’s lives…but who do we have to blame for this often uncomfortable, but ever-so-sexy piece of clothing?

2500 BC Women on the island of Crete begin using bra-like garments to lift their bare breasts out of their clothing.

450BC-285AD Roman and Greek women preferred to play down their chests, using a band strapped around their breasts to reduce their bust size.