Bra: A thousand years of style, support and seduction review

This is a terrific little book and I loved it from the very first page. It covers so many genres and interests linked to the history of the brassiere that there is genuinely something in there for everyone.

I’d never thought much about my bras before – for me they tend to be functional items to help me look perkier than I would naturally, with the occasional splash of glamour thrown in for good measure. However this book examines society’s obsession with the now ubiquitous boulder holder throughout the ages, presenting a historical, lavishly illustrated look back at the bra’s humble beginnings from ancient times right up until recent memory.

Positioned somewhere between chronological biography, visual documentary and fact-filled fashion diary, Bra: A Thousand Years of Style, Support and Seduction also focuses on popular celebrities of the last millennium. Memorable singers, actresses, strippers, dancers, models and fashion designers, all of whom had an influence on the underwear fashion of the day, are pictured at various stages throughout their careers, their undergarments subjected to amusing analysis. We ricochet from bare breasts to corsets, from Maidenforms to bra-burning, all in a gloriously colourful whirl of stunning pictures and witty text.

• Who knew that women were arrested for indecent exposure for public bikini-wearing years after its introduction in 1946?
• According to Marilyn Monroe’s dressmaker, the buxom star measured in at a modest 34C.
• In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Roman women wore an early form of sports bra whilst taking part in games.
• For 1940s Western The Outlaw, Howard Hughes employed a team of aeronautical engineers to develop a seamless half-cup bra to allow voluptuous Jane Russell to spill out of her peasant blouse in style.

Bra: A Thousand Years of Style, Support and Seduction is in turn sweet, funny, fashionable and fabulous: the perfect gift for anyone interested in the history of clothes and the shaping of a gender.