(Continued...)

1920s Only decades after women are freed from corset bondage, along comes the Flapper craze, with its acutely un-boob-friendly call for women to squash their breasts flat. When it comes to the female form, Flappers look to the wooden plank for inspiration. Akin to Ace bandages, their bandeau bras smash chests back to prepubescence for a more androgynous look. The most popular brand of these is called Boyshform. The breast-binding fad is so punishing that some physicians, with little, er, foundation, blame it for the mid-century rise in breast cancer.

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1925 Not all women, of course, embrace the "boysh" look. Many prefer to breathe. The rescued, uplifted breast owes perhaps its biggest debt to immigrant seamstress Ida Rosenthal, whose custom dresses include breast supports with natural contours. These are so effective that Rosenthal and business partner Enid Bissett are besieged by customers wanting to buy the undergarment separate from the dress. And so the trademark Maiden Form is born, though early advertisements touted "double support pockets," not yet "cups."