The corset was considered unhealthy and very painful. It created the typical hourglass shape but very exaggerated. A corset narrowed a woman's waist to 13 inches or fewer during the 1550s. The corset had laces and stays made of either whalebone or metal. For many women, the corset did not let them move freely causing them to faint. In 1990, Polly Jacob purchased a gown for an event. She found out that the corset's whalebone would poke out and be visible to everybody so she decided to work with her maid to fix her corset.
Polly created the new undergarment that was very light and risque at the time. It was a new fashion and many family member and friends asked her to create brassiere's for them too. The word brassiere came from a old French word for 'upper arm'. Polly was one day offered a dollar for a bra from a complete stranger, that is when she realized it would become a successful business.
Polly later began her business naming it Caresse Crosby. Polly sold the brassiere patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Conneticut, for $1,500. Shortly afterwards, in 1917,Warner earned more than 15 million dollars from the bra patent for the next thirty years. By 1930s, the Warner produced an elastic bra to show off a woman's curves.
Polly created the new undergarment that was very light and risque at the time. It was a new fashion and many family member and friends asked her to create brassiere's for them too. The word brassiere came from a old French word for 'upper arm'. Polly was one day offered a dollar for a bra from a complete stranger, that is when she realized it would become a successful business.
Polly later began her business naming it Caresse Crosby. Polly sold the brassiere patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Conneticut, for $1,500. Shortly afterwards, in 1917,Warner earned more than 15 million dollars from the bra patent for the next thirty years. By 1930s, the Warner produced an elastic bra to show off a woman's curves.