Fashion
A Complete History Of The Bra Top: From The Early 1900s To Today
The slinky item has a rich history.
A quick scroll through Instagram will confirm: the bra is now a statement piece. One ‘fit after another, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, and several other tastemakers are proving that the once-hidden lingerie item is now worth flaunting.
But bra-forward fashion has existed way before the likes of SKIMS, Savage X Fenty, and Victoria’s Secret. It actually has roots in ancient Greece, with evidence of women wrapping bands of fabric around their breasts. Meanwhile, in the early 1900s, exotic dancers were already performing in bra-like covers. Famed spy Mata Hari, for example, frequently wore bedazzled ones.
It wasn’t until 1913, however, that the first bra as we know it would be created by a woman named Caresse Crosby. While at a party in 1913, Crosby fashioned one out of two pocket handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon to avoid the fashion faux pas of her corset showing. Abandoning the era’s constrictive corsets, women soon flocked to the smaller lingerie item and started paying Crosby $1 per pair. A year later, she sold the patent for $1,500 (a hefty sum, back then).
Bras were still very much taboo in the mid-20th century so it caused a stir when the likes of Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft showed theirs on the big screen. In the ’80s, the undergarment became more of a controversial costume thanks to Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, followed by Madonna, who embraced cone bras in the ’90s.
By the early aughts, bras were an accessory people showed off. The boldest stars, like Destiny’s Child, wore the underpinnings alone to red-carpet events and in music videos. Meanwhile, others chose to expose the garment’s straps or a bit of cup, a style that’s made a comeback in recent months.
These days, the chicest are even more nonchalant towards exposing the undergarment, often wearing stylish versions as tops. Ahead, the complete history of the bra top and its many evolutions. Enjoy!
1900: Mata Hari Wears A Bra For Her Performances
The famed Dutch spy and exotic dancer Mata Hari often wore bedazzled revealing ‘fits at the turn of the 20th century. In fact, she was one of the first to wear a bra in the early 1900s — though hers was more ornamentation than anything.
1949: Ads For Bras Begin To Saturate The Media
Decades after the first bra was invented and patented, ads for the lingerie item started to populate media in the ’40s.
1956: Marilyn Monroe Wears A Bra
Old Hollywood’s favorite vixen Marilyn Monroe had several iconic looks. (Kim Kardashian even revived one.) While most of her famed ensembles weren’t too risqué, she also showed her bra in some projects and portraits. One included this photo, taken in 1956, with the boudoir-item peering out of a robe.
1967: Jane Fonda Strips To Her Undies On Screen
In the late ’60s, it was Jane Fonda who stripped down to her brassiere in several films, including Barefoot in the Park in 1967 and Barbarella a year later.
1983: Carrie Fisher Wears The Bra Of Star Wars Infamy
Even non-sci-fi aficionados would recognize this as one of the most iconic bras in cinematic history: Carrie Fisher’s costume as Princess Leia in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It was so iconic, in fact, that Fisher recreated the look in the above photo shoot that same year.
The ensemble has since been referenced in several shows and films since, including a Friends episode where Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) rocks the same gilded costume.
1990: Jean Paul Gaultier Debuts The Cone Bra
In 1990, provocative designer Jean Paul Gaultier debuted his infamous cone bra, an exaggerated, pointy brassiere meant to make a statement.
1991: Madonna Embraces Gaultier’s Creation
Gaultier found a muse in Madonna, who embraced the cone-shaped creations as her signature style. She first rocked a bodysuit iteration bearing the pointy breasts in 1990 and, a year later, attended the Cannes Film Festival in a brassiere iteration.
1995: Victoria’s Secret Hosts Its First Annual Show
In 1995, Victoria’s Secret launched the first of its highly-anticipated fashion shows. In the years following, the annual event grew into a massive production that included lingerie models being serenaded by A-list artists. Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Rih, and Taylor Swift have all performed on the VS stage.
While the event was canceled in 2019 after the company was embroiled in several controversies (one of which centered on the show’s lack of diverse casting), being cast in the show as an “Angel” used to be a barometer of success for models. Supermodels like Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Gigi Hadid, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima have all been given “wings.”
2000: Destiny’s Child Wears Bedazzled Bras At The 2000 Source Hip Hop Music Awards
At the turn of the millennium, stylish brassieres became the focal point of stars’ ensembles. Pop stars especially loved the look, wearing the lingerie piece in music videos and on red carpets. Here’s Destiny’s Child rocking matching crystal-encrusted bras on the 2000 Source Hip Hop Music Awards red carpet.
2019: Lady Gaga Brings The Bra To The Met Gala
Since her early pop star days, Lady Gaga has fanned controversy with her risqué looks, including quite a few lingerie-forward ‘fits. But the “Applause” singer took the bra to high-fashion territory when she (literally) stripped down to nothing but the undergarment at the 2019 Met Gala.
2023: Camila Cabello Stuns In A Pearl Bra At The Grammys
Bras have since evolved from something practical to something more akin to jewelry. For example, Camila Cabello wore one made from pearls at the 2023 Grammys. It was a moment the fashion industry won’t soon forget.
2023: Hunter Schafer Rocks A Feather For A Bra At The Oscars After-Party
Exposing bras has been a buzzy trend in 2023, with several style savants rocking the style on red carpets and events. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer took the look to a whole other level when she wore a feather as a bra to attend the 2023 Oscars after-party.
2023: Dua Lipa Wears The Bra As A Top
Bras don’t have to be bejeweled to be flaunted. Any regular one will do the trick, just ask Dua Lipa. To celebrate her birthday, Lipa wore nothing but a slinky mesh Gucci bra, found in the label’s intimates section. Kendall Jenner is also a fan of this particular Gucci design.
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