Did you know that the American arms industry in 1917 on the savings from the metal parts of corsets was able to build two warships? It is from this period no alternative long history corset ended and began the modern history of the bra.Today you can buy a bra of any color and style, but European women with this subject toilets became acquainted only at the end of the nineteenth century.
Ancient civilizations (Greece and Rome) were familiar with the "grudederzhatelyami", and for their names, there were various terms, one of which was strophium. Example of this is the image on a Greek amphora (middle of V century BC), the stage dressing of Aphrodite, where the goddess of winged creatures to help tighten the back covered with patterns, strafion.
Ancient Roman women under the coat, and tunics worn leather belts - stanza - a prototype of a bra that emphasizes the chest and waist. And even then Roman women classified the subject toilets, and instead present size (S, M, L, etc.) for different forms of breast had various names. «Fascia» restrain the growth of the bust of young girls, «mamillare» pulls together a large breasts mature women, as mentioned above bandage «strophium» only supports the breast from below. There were also the size «capitium» and «toenia».
On the medieval period in the history of the bra should also be mentioned, because in those days was considered a woman's breasts a priori "scaffolding of lust." Therefore, on the chest of the younger girls (to slow its growth) consolidate the lead plates.
But with the advent of the French king Charles VII of the female breast has been rehabilitated and from decollete could not resist even the nuns.
And when, in the early nineteenth century society ladies addicted antiquity, talking about the problems of the corset. It was during this period corset recognized not only detrimental to health, but also the subject of oppression of women. However, it did not last for long time - over thirty years, the ladies are back to the corset. Only towards the end of the century bra recognized, but then it was still part of the corset.
Although there is evidence on patents for invention of the modern bra (France in 1889, Germany in 1891 and 1895, GG, USA 1914, etc.), yet there is accurate information that in 1899 the Dresden seamstress Christina Hardt presented the expert committee of the local Chamber of Crafts "feminine sweater with straps with reinforced cups for the breasts." The letter accompanying Ms. Hardt wrote: "This product supports a ladies' breasts, does not constraining its natural form." From this moment begins the historic German-French struggle for priority in the invention bra.In 1913, the American Mary Phelps Jacob, acquiring evening gown fabric, said that the details of the corset stick out of the neck and well discern through the thin fabric. And at this point, "inspiration" Mary has become the salvation for the beautiful half of humanity: the lady of the two silk handkerchiefs and ribbon segments came up prototype of the modern bra. Being a true American, she realized that this can make good money, and November 3, 1914, Mary Phelps Jacob was granted a patent by Caresse Crosby (besspinny bra).
In 1922, an immigrant from Russia Ida Rosenthal founded with her husband company Maidenform, where he first began to make bras with cups of different sizes with elastic straps. This company has come up bras for nursing mothers, and by the time (in 1935), and bras with special tabs for giving additional breast volume (push-up). In 1942 he was awarded a patent on the bra clasp, adjustable in length.
Today, thanks to modern technology, there were models of bras with a corrective effect. Industry is already moving in the direction of "smart" - the speaker's underwear (have samples). There is already a bra that changes color at the time of ovulation. Superobemny invented a bra that can be inflated with a special button. There is a "medical" bra with a microchip that measures heart rate and blood pressure. Bra with the radio warning of the attack, bra, equipped with alarm button in case of danger emanating from heaven bra made of titanium, memory foam chest on the ground equipped; bra that makes unbearable smell of cigarettes. There is even a bra made out of eco-fur, a helium-filled: it is placed for a few seconds in the microwave, so you can not be afraid of the cold. On the 200th anniversary of Mozart's music company Triumph has released a bra, performing one of the tunes of the composer. And in the early 90's was made bra weighing 24 carats, consisting entirely of gold.
Well, let's wait for the new notions of a strong half of mankind. And for his beautiful half as long as the main criteria for a good bra is comfort, and of course, beauty.
