Archaeologists have located 15th century bras in an Austrian castle.
The Telegraph reports that the historians were surprised to discover the garments because bras were thought to be a relatively new invention.
Bras became mainstream in the early 1900s when women began to abandon the tight corset.
Hilary Davidson, fashion curator for the London Museum said that the pieces “look exactly like a modern brassiere. These are amazing finds.”
The four vintage bras were found in 2008, but curators have spent the past four years making sure that the artifacts were genuine by using methods including carbon dating.
Davidson said the bras have a similar structure to those we pick up in M&S!
She said the bras were structured with “two broad shoulder straps and a possible back strap, not preserved but indicated by partially torn edges of the cups onto which it was attached.”
These weren’t plain old nude bras either. Davidson said they featured intricate lace detailing, which suggests that these medieval ladies were trying to please the opposite sex!
The bras weren’t all these archaeologists found in Innsbruck, Austria, as over 2,700 textile pieces were discovered including linen and leather pieces.
Her.ie loves vintage clothes but we think we’ll leave these bras at the London Museum!
We always enjoy this scene from the movie Beaches, where Cici Bloom delightfully informs us about the history of the brassiere!
