Date: c. late 1920s, early 1930s
Origin: Great Britain
Fabric: Silk georgette
Brand: Custom made
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 aesthetic from the flattened bust of the 1920s to the more voluptuous ideal of the 1930s.
The Kestos bra is based on two, lightly darted triangle cups, overlapping at the centre front. Elasticated straps cross at the centre back, fastening around the front with buttons underneath the bust point. The bra was designed by Rosamond Lilian Klin in London, England. The Kestos bra remained popular through the 1930s and 1940s. Although the Kestos brand produced many different styles, this bra shape became generically known as ‘The Kestos’.
This particular bra is not an authentic branded Kestos, but was most likely made by the same home sewer who created this bra (which uses the same garment pattern and similar construction techniques). It is created from a sheer silk georgette, and embellished with contrasting, hand sewn, feather stitch embroidery along the neckline and underbust. It fastens at the underbust with silk georgette loops and shell buttons. The maker of this bra either made this bra with limited fabric or was careful to reduce waste, as the silk straps are cut from shorter fabric lengths that have been seamed together.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
