With that, the timing of Prada’s bullet bra makes sense. While the name sounds violent (another descriptor for the design is the “torpedo bra”), the name came from the shape the bias-cut bra molded the breast into—though, ironically, the design was also popular during World War I and II.
“When bullet bras came out, the saying about them was the pointer the better,” mononymic vintage lingerie dealer Illisa tells me over the phone. Illisa, whose jewel-box shop is tucked into the third floor of the Manhattan Art & Antiques Center, counts Addison Rae, Madonna, and Jean Paul Gaultier as patrons of her shop, which stocks lingerie from the late 19th century to the 1940s, along with 1950s corsetry. “I’ve had a lot of young girls coming into the store asking about vintage lingerie ever since Bridgerton.” The look is a far cry from the globe-like boobs of my teenagehood, which had been Victoria’s Secret-ified with a push-up that transformed a generation beyond recognition. But for me, vintage-shaped breasts and the bras you needed to get the look always made sense: A dress from the ’40s or ’50s sits on the body better with the underwear that was in fashion in the same era.
Perusing Illisa’s shop isn’t for the shy. After stripping down to your less-than-skivvies, she’ll hunt through boxes, piles, and racks of pastel pinks to find you the perfect fit. “I probably have about a thousand bullet bras from the ’40s and ’50s,” she says, all while transforming you into a Madonna-Gaultier dream. In my experience, vintage bullet bras are a lot like Goldilocks finding a place to sleep…you won’t know it’s a fit until you’re literally nipples deep.
If the idea of pre-owned underwear still isn’t your thing, you don’t have to wait until Miu Miu’s Fall collection to go conical. According to the passionate posters of the A Bra That Fits sub, the Jeunique bra is the only modern bra that’s still cut like they used to, with a catch—they are sold Avon-style, and the “Find a Fitter” part of the site isn’t working on my laptop or phone. Right, next.
Contessa Mills’s Seraphim collection included a bullet bra and kicker set made in shades of black and champagne silk. “My goal was to blend the timeless allure of full-coverage lingerie with modern comfort,” says Mills of the design, which was inspired by pin-up models. “I wanted to craft pieces that not only evoked the spirit of a previous era, but also celebrate the beauty of today’s wearer—comfortable, secure, yet seductive.” Slipping into the Seraphim set certainly was easier than my 80-year-old pieces of a similar style.
