Date: 1928
Origin: Great Britain
Brand: Kestos
This circa 1920s British advertisement by lingerie brand Kestos, depicts a seated young woman with waved, coiffed hair, wearing a strappy two-cupped brassiere, and what appears to be a sheet or towel draped over her legs. Her image is framed by Art-Deco-style illustrations of curvilinear, abstract shapes. The draped sheet creates an air of intimacy between the viewer and the advertisement, suggesting she may be in her bedroom, fresh out of bed or perhaps just from the bath.
By the early 1920s, the garçonne or jeune fille look – French terms roughly translating to “boy” or “young girl”- had come to dominate fashion in the wake of the First World War. This modernist style was the very antithesis of the previously popular romantic fashions of the 1910s. Reaching its peak in 1926, persisting with little change until about 1929, this trend favored short hairstyles, with many daring women adopting the closely-cut Eton crop. These hairstyles mirrored the vogue for the youthful and androgynous silhouettes, as avant-garde women emulated on-screen beauties such as Louise Brooks, often considered an archetype of the flapper.
To the right of the woman, the main copy reads, “Gain and Keep Those Youthful Lines,” referring to how the boyish style of the 1920s demanded a pre-pubescent figure, bringing about drastic changes in the desirable fashionable silhouette. This provoked a flurry of adjectives such as “slender,” “sleek,” and “youthful” on the pages of fashion magazines.
The advertisement continues:
“Worn from the time the breasts begin to develop, the Kestos Brassiere preserves the firm rounded contours of youth. It supports without pressure or restriction of movement, and gives the appearance of a perfect, unsupported figure.”
Once again, this language nods at the pre-pubescent beauty ideal at the time. The ad is claiming that the Kestos bra is suitable for young girls as well as adult women, and continuously creates the illusion of a more youthful figure. The small print reads, “Carefully made of double silk in four sizes- small, medium, large, and ex O.S.- to fit any figure.”
The following copy reads ordering instructions: “The Kestos Brassiere. Obtainable from your usual retailer. When ordering by post, state size of bust and quality required. Kestos Ltd., 257-259 Oxford Street., London W.1.”
Pricing and Materials as listed:
Finest quality Crêpe de Chine, flesh, pink, and ivory 18/11.
Black 1/- extra
Ex. O.S. 4/- extra
Pure silk Crêpe de Chine, pink and ivory 13/11.
Black 1/- extra
Ex O.S. 3/- extra
Pure Art Silk Voile, pink and ivory 9/11.
Ex. O.S. 2/- extra
Best quality Jap Silk, ivory only 8/11
Ex. O.S. 2/- extra
Art Silk, pink and ivory, 5/11
Ex O.S. 1/- extra
This ordering information shows that prospective clients could purchase the brassiere by mail order and select from various materials and colors. Notably, the color options were limited to “flesh,” pink, and ivory, reflecting the exclusionary nature of the women’s undergarment industry in the early twentieth century, since these so-called “nude” shades were intended only for women with pale skin tones. The pricing also indicates that clients who require the Ex. O.S.(which stands for Extra Outsize, made for women with fuller busts or larger frames) sizing were charged an additional 1 to 4 shillings, underscoring how larger sizes were penalized with higher costs.
The Kestos lingerie brand was founded in 1925 in London by Rosamond Lilian Klin, remaining highly popular through the 1930s. It is best known for the ‘Kestos’ style bra, which, patented in 1926, is arguably one of the first commercially produced bra with separated cups. Alongside the iconic bar, the Kestos brand produced a full line of lingerie, foundation garments and even swimwear.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska.
Many thanks to Liv Elniski for the object description and research.
