How the bra was invented | Moments of Vision 1 - Jessica Oreck

In a Moment of Vision...

It's the 1920s.

Flapper fashion prevails.

Woman conceal their figures in straight-sided gowns

and restrictive bandeaus.

A dressmaker named Ida Rosenthal is frustrated by the way

falsely flat chests look beneath her structured dresses

so she, her husband William, and business partner Enid Bissett

develop a line of intimate apparel that accentuates the curves.

The design consists of two cups,

shoulder straps,

and a chest band that clasps in back.

At first, the bras are included with the sale of a dress,

but the popularity of the undergarment soon outstrips that of the garment itself.

The three establish a business selling exclusively bras

and call it Maidenform.

William, in a moment of vision,

invents a graduated, standardized cup-sizing system

that accommodates women of all ages and all shapes.

During the female liberation bra-burning era of the 1960s,

Ida Rosenthal is asked to comment on the downfall of the brassiere industry.

She answers simply,

"After age 35, a woman hasn't got the figure to wear no support.

Time is on my side."