Lingerie Trends

© Trendy-Lingerie.com — Stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner and Jane Russell made conical bras famous in the 1950s, and Madonna’s exaggerated version — created by Jean Paul Gaultier — poked eyes out in early nineties.

Apparently, now they are back: pointy bullet bras designed, it seems, both for comfort and for show.

UK retailer John Lewis says sales of cone shaped bras are up by 33 percent over last year.

Retro Lingerie

It is not clear what drives the demand.

The Daily Mail quotes Helen Spencer, John Lewis’s head buyer of lingerie, as saying:

‘I think we’re selling more conical bras as customers take influence from designers such as Louise Goldin, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana, who have rediscovered the bra as outerwear in their spring/summer 2010 collections.

‘Throughout the last century, the trend for feminine pointy-shaped bras experienced a renaissance following times of a toughened economy, marking a return of unabashed femininity as women seek to have more fun with fashion as a form of escapism.’

Indeed renewed interest in the bullet bras appears to be part of general trend toward retro lingerie. [See: Who doesn’t want to look like Marilyn Monroe?].

Many curvy women are discovering that vintage foundation wear and lingerie does wonders for their figure. Yet it’s not just older ladies in need of shapewear who are turning to the kind of underwear worn by Rita Hayworth or Bettie Page.

Younger girls also like the look and feel of vintage-style lingerie.

Crystal McClory, fashion stylist at London’s One Make Up, told The Daily Mail:

‘The cone shaped bras of the 1950s and late 1980s are certainly back with a vengeance this summer.

‘For Spring/Summer ‘10, the world’s top designers are moving away from recession inspired ‘less is more’ and offering more playful collections as the economy begins to recover, with London designer Louise Goldin, and veteran designer Jean Paul Gaultier both heavily featuring cone shaped bras within their summer collections.’

Corsets as outerwear

Some observers think female Goths should be credited with the current revival of interest in old-fashioned lingerie. By wearing corsets, garter belts and other items of lingerie as outerwear they drew attention to the beaty and functionality of those items.

Linda Dokkem, a 19-year-old from the town of Utrecht in the Netherlands says that while she “never was into the Goth scene,” a Goth friend’s collection of corsets piqued her curiosity. Eventually she bought one herself.

“My first corset was an eye-opener,” she says. “I’m naturally curvy, to put it midly. That often caused me to be self-concious. But the corset gave me a nice shape; not necessarily by trying to hide things, but rather by shaping and emphasizing the right bits in the right way.”

Sweater Girl

Forties and Fifties film star Lana Turner was given the nickname “Sweater Girl” after wearing a form fitting sweater the movie They Won’t Forget. The term later referred to any girl whose tight-fitting sweater emphasized a well-formed bust.

“Highlighting your breasts takes a bit of getting used to,” Dokkem says, explaining that she now not only owns a selection of corsets, but also a good supply of retro lingerie — including several bullet bras. “But I noticed people started treating me differently as soon as I changed my style. The old, saggy Linda was gone, and in her place they now saw a shapely, confident woman.”

“Sure, some guys drool, but that’s their problem. The important thing is how the way I dress makes me feel, and indeed it has somehow made me much more confident than before,” Linda says.

Does she ever wear the corsets as outerwear?

“Oh yes, I do. That, too, took some getting used to, but most of my corsets are gorgeous and are perfectly suitable to wear as outerwear.” She smiles and adds: “That’s even true of my underbust corsets. I’m just waiting for the right occassion…” She pauses, and then says, “Thing is, over time my new-found confidence changed my body image, the way I look at myself and the way I think about myself. It made me have a much more positive view of myself. And somewhere along the line it instilled in me a feeling of true, feminine sensuality that I just love and enjoy to the fullest.”

Cone Bra Benefits

Cone bras are not just good for looks or sensuality. As in the old days, the bras are well-constructed, providing much needed support — albeit in with a lot more comfort than the bullet bras of the past.

Esther Timmonen, a curvy 24-year-old woman we spoke with outside a lingerie shop in Amsterdam, says, “I don’t necessarily mind having huge boobs, but it is not easy finding bras that provide good support and comfort at the same time. But I recently discovered bullet bras, and I think they’re fantastic. They are well-constructed and keep my breasts away from my body, which takes care of the sweat problem.”

Unlike moulded bras, which have only one piece of material over the breast, conical bras cover each breast with three pieces of material. This pattern provides more control over the shape of the breasts and results in better projection.

The three pieces of outer material are mirrored by an inner cup that is also made out of three pieces.

The seams are covered with fabric tape, both to prevent skin irritation and to strenghten the construction.

The Right Fit

When you shop for a cone-style bra it is important that you select the correct cup size. You’ll know the cup size is right when your breasts fill out to the points of the bra. The cones should not sag or dimple in any place.

Cone- or bullet bras actually come in a range of styles — from extremely pointed to a more gentle curve in which the breasts are nevertheless projected well away from the body.

The bra is best worn with a simple wool sweater that is form-fitted and cinched at the waist.

Your Turn: Let Us Know What You Think

So what do you think? Do you like bullet bras? Or, ladies, would you not be caught dead in one? What about other retro lingerie?

Leave a comment below… — © Copyright, Trendy-Lingerie.com