• Hollywood Maxwell 'V-Ette' Whirlpool Stitch Bra Advert, c. 1935, USA, The Underpinnings Museum

    Hollywood Maxwell ‘V-Ette’ Whirlpool Brassiere Advert

    Hollywood Maxwell 'V-Ette' Whirlpool Brassiere Advert Date:  1935 Origin: United States Brand: Hollywood Maxwell   Hollywood-Maxwell was the first in a line of Californian brassiere manufacturers which entered the American market from 1929. Hollywood was a place of glamour and aspiration in the 1930s and it wasn’t long before the American woman’s desire for a movie…
    March 31, 2017
  • Pleated tulle and satin bust pads, c.1930s The Underpinnings Museum shot by Tigz Rice Studios 2017

    Tulle And Satin Breast Pads

    Tulle And Satin Breast Pads Date: c.1930s Origin: United States Fabric: Tulle and rayon satin Brand: Unknown   The 1930s saw a change in fashionable bust silhouette, moving from a flattened shape to a more lifted and shaped bust. These bust pads would have been designed to be inserted into a bra to pad out the breast shape whilst…
    March 24, 2017
  • Embroidered Silk Kestos Style Bra & Tap Pant Set, c. early 1930s The Underpinnings Museum shot by Tigz Rice Studios 2017

    Embroidered Silk Kestos Style Bra & Tap Pant Set

    Embroidered Silk Kestos Style Bra & Tap Pant Set Date:  c. 1930s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Silk satin Brand: Custom made   A soft cup style bra based on the ‘Kestos’ bra of the late 1920s. The design was patented in 1926 and the bra was arguably one of the first commercially produced bras with separated…
    February 15, 2017
  • Low back silk and lace bra by Cadolle, c. 1930s The Underpinnings Museum shot by Tigz Rice Studios 2017

    Silk & Lace Low Back Bra By Cadolle

    Silk & Lace Low Back Bra By Cadolle Date:  c. 1930s Origin: France Fabric: Silk and leavers lace Brand: Cadolle   This brassiere offered not only the fashionable 1930s shape of a subtly lifted bustline, but also  a low cut back that was likely designed to be worn with the low cut bias-gowns of the era. It is…
    February 15, 2017
  • Satin Cathedral Bra With Celluloid Boning By Rita Ro, c. 1930s The Underpinnings Museum shot by Tigz Rice Studios 2017

    Satin Cathedral Bra With Celluloid Boning By Rita Ro

    Satin Cathedral Bra With Celluloid Boning By Rita Ro Date:  c. 1930s Origin: Spain Fabric: Rayon satin Brand: Rita Ro   The cathedral bra is a style that is often associated with the 1950s, but was in fact first created in the 1930s (as was the case with the spiral stitch 'bullet' bra).  The name 'cathedral' refers…
    February 15, 2017
  • Kestos Bra 'Line' Advertisement, circa 1930s, The Underpinnings Museum

    Kestos Bra ‘Line’ Advertisement

    Kestos Bra 'Line' Advertisement Date:  c. 1930s Origin: England Brand: Kestos   The 'Kestos' style bra was one of the defining moments of 1930s lingerie, marking the move from the 1920s trend for a flattened bust to the more lifted 'natural' silhouette of the 1930s.  It was one of the first commercially produced bras available on…
    January 12, 2017
  • Lingerie Embroidery Designs Catalogue by Briggs Transfers - The Underpinnings Museum

    Lingerie Embroidery Designs Catalogue by Briggs Transfers

    Lingerie Embroidery Designs Catalogue by Briggs Transfers Date:  estimated to be 1930s Origin: England Brand: Briggs' Transfers   A catalogue of embroidery designs from Manchester-based company Briggs' Transfers. The company produced paper transfers of designs that could be ironed on directly to fabric, providing the embroiderer an easy and convenient outline to follow. The technique had a…
    January 12, 2017
  • Satin and lace heart embroidery tap pants Photography by Tigz Rice Studios The Underpinnings Museum

    Satin And Lace Heart Embroidered Tap Pants

    Satin And Lace Heart Embroidered Tap Pants Date: c. 1930s Origin: United States Fabric: Viscose satin and cotton lace Brand: Custom made   These tap pants were originally custom made and appear to have been entirely sewn by hand. Stitches are neat and small throughout to be as unnoticeable as possible on the exterior of the…
    August 27, 2016
  • Kestos-style black silk and lace bralet Photography by Tigz Rice Studios The Underpinnings Museum

    Kestos-Style Embroidered Silk Bralet

    Kestos-Style Embroidered Silk Bra Date: c. 1930s Origin: United States Fabric: Silk A soft cup style bra based on the 'Kestos' bra of the late 1920s. The bra design was patented in 1926 and the bra was arguably one of the first commercially produced bras with seperated cups. It marked the shift in ideal body…
    August 18, 2016