Hoorah for the Bra: A Perky Peek at the History of the Bra
Graphic designer Cheree Berry took, shall we say, an unfettered approach to fashion history with her lively new book on the evolution of the brassiere.
The silky, hot-pink binding and familiar hook-and-eye clasp that accent the cover of “Hoorah for the Bra” suggest that Berry was having some fun with this book, which is based on her undergraduate art thesis at Washington University in St. Louis.
Those Grand Tetons really do spring to life in the chapter on the “full-figured” ’50s. Provocative pop-up pancakes suggest the “flat as …” look of Roaring ’20s flappers. And watch out for Madonna’s cone-shaped bra of the ’80s — you could put your eye out.
» Details…While “Hoorah for the Bra” is supported by Berry’s well-researched text on social history and the women’s movement, it’s her clever graphics that keep the pages turning.
She begins with a painful look at the confining whalebone corset — ouch! — then pays homage to New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob who, in 1914, created the first-known brassiere from two handkerchiefs and a long pink ribbon.
The history, meantime, is padded with fun facts about beloved Maidenforms, the No-Bras of the ’60s, the miracle of Lycra and, of course, the introduction of the Wonderbra in 1992.
Be warned: Berry’s publisher describes the book as “perky.”
We’ll just say that it’s slightly naughty — but really uplifting.
Berry, 29, who lives and works in the St. Louis, acknowledges a robust appreciation for bras.
“I’ve always been on a quest for the perfect bra,” she said. “I love going bra shopping on a bad day.”
When it was time to pick a senior thesis, Berry said, bras popped into her head because they are such a symbol of the social progress of women — and they offered ample opportunity to show off her talents.
“I had the drive,” she said, smiling a little impishly. “And there was a foundation there.”
“Hoorah for the Bra” was a hit with Berry’s instructors at Washington University, who encouraged her to get the work published. But it took some time to find the right publisher and to perfect the engineering of the pop-ups.
The book is now in its second printing.
- Source: Mary Delach Leonard, Tempest in a C cup: The bra’s uplifting history, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan. 5, 2007