Bullet Bra Masterpost

Well fitting historic clothes always start with appropriate undergarments. Early bras, petticoats and slips (1920s-50s) look like a breeze compared to both corsets and even contemporary lingerie. Here's my bundle of research for making your own bullet bra, based entirely off free resources online. I have no training or especial expertise - this is just a collection of learning from others.

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I think i speak for a lot of people who are into retro and vintage, when I say I have a complex relationship with my bod. The urge begins with a desire to look and feel glamorous, to combat body hate by striving to pamper and spoil it, or to project certain associations which come with a vintage look - whether that's perfect home-maker, or sultry fatale. Images of people from the past looking ordinary or frumpy are few and far between: our whole memory of the past is based on the Angelina Jolies of today, the wealthy and the glamorous, or further back before the invention of the camera, on the Ivanka Trumps, people with the power and prestige to need painted images. And lifestyle blogging itself - whether it's vintage, or mommy blogging, or crafting - can often play a role in that. As writers, curating a more perfect version of ourselves to share, and as readers, mistaking that perfection as realistic.

For me, it's about finding a healthy balance between accepting yourself as you are, and making changes to support your self esteem. Making your own underwear is def a relatively harmless way to get a better fitting garment, which feels special, and at a fraction of the price of things you can buy. My mum tends to see both corsetry and fancy underwear as anti-feminist dolling oneself up for an audience; but I disagree precicely because undergarments can be for you and nobody else.

Anyway.

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Fabrics

Lots of options!

You can use cotton for regular bras; and fancy bra fabrics are also an option, such as silk charmeuse. The 50s was the era where plastic fabrics such as rayon and polyester were popularised. One advert I found used rayon satin. It depends whether you're going for an everyday, or a pinup look.

Vintage bras are light on notions. They are not underwired, and don't even need elastic straps or plastic buckles for adjusting. Some modern makers add elastic for a more comfortable fit. You will need some hook and eye fastenings. Stuffing can be useful to pad out the end of the cone to make the pointness more pronounced.

Bravo Bella Bras - One lingerie supply shop, if you do opt for elasticated straps etc. I personally still feel intimidated by these shops, uncertain of what exactly I need and how to use it. I definitely feel more confident making my first attempt in cotton only, and then adding details in future as I understand bras better.

Colours

Overnight, I remembered I had not commented on colour. All the period ones I have seen online are unpatterned: plain black, white, or supposted-to-be-skintone-pink. Online makers often use a funky polka-dot or other print cotton, but any serious pattern may be disrupted by the spiral stitch on the cup. I haven't seen any of the deep red and turquoises and blues you can find in modern lingerie.

Underwear is def an area where it's OK to cheat at historical accuracy, if it gives you pleasure to do so - I talk about this a bit more below, but in short images of surviving unworn bullet bras often read as "ugly" to me, and I fully intend to update the look to match my sensibilities.

Patterns

Va Voom Vintage - I'm using the free pattern designed by VVV, which also comes with a sewalong.

Foundations Revealed has half a free article on drafting your own, which is based on their full modern bra drafting series here. They also have one on making your own stockings.

Mantua Maker has a nice overview of three bras they have made, complete with photos from the era and photos of her pattern pieces. The enterprising sewer could use these as a basis for their own designs.

This website gives my PC a virus alert, but again is likely enough for some sewers to figure out a pattern from:

History

Seamwork - if you read only one, make it this. Seamwork shows close up images of a real bullet bra, complete with comments on fabric and construction. This bra does not have elasticated shoulder straps, but uses bias tape all the way around, an elastic back band, and mesh in the cups for comfort and to reduce sweat.

Sailors and Sirens - lovely history which goes all the way via Madonna to the present day, and great images. She's also got a sweet personal piece about going shopping for her first bullet.

Now That's Lingerie has a nice article on the bra, complete with some swoony pictures.

Atomic Redhead lists the bullet bra as a must have, in a brief post explaining the importance of putting your boobs in the right place so the bust darts on vintage clothes fit nicely.

Sewalongs

Cloth Habit - this sewalong teaches the reader to make modern bras, in a series of blogposts for beginners. Really easy to read and understand.

Miss Dixie O'Dare has a sewalong for the VVV pattern I am using; short and sweet, but a good addition to the VVV instructions which are rather sparse.

A Few Threads Loose ran a very nice sewalong for three items of 50s underwear. It's based on a different pattern, but could totally be followed regardless - this finished bra has a very classy look. You can also cannibalise the details, for example how to make shoulder straps, and even how to adapt your bra pattern into a different lingerie look.

Eye Candy

"Can I borrow your computer to research vintage underwear?"
"Is that what they are calling it nowadays...?"

Jokes aside, if you are comfortable looking at ladies in lingerie, it's a much better option than looking at fashion plates with their stylised, perfect bodies. This article contrasts pin up girls with their source photos (! this link safe, but don't click through to the original Retronaut site as it's dodgy; and the text may bother people with body dysmorphia or discomfort). Another option is collecting historic garments, or watching modern films set in the period.

Bettie Page (NSFW) was the original pin up girl, but take care as photos of her can often be very sexual instead of just cheeky. Your best bet for seeing images of historic women in lingerie is then, as now, heading into google with the safe search off, or looking for photo adverts. Her successor, Dita Von Teese is also nsfw but tends towards burlesque as we know it. I like to take a peep at retailers like What Katie Did or Secrets in Lace, and even modern shops, for colour and design ideas. I liked this photo post, taking you from the 20s to the present day.

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In all these cases, alas, you are still going to see exceptionally beautiful women rather than ordinary people wearing their everyday smalls. So is this historically accurate? Vintage especially is about reviving an imagined past. While I definitely don't want to tar everyone in the retro community as more into fantasy than fact - there's no harm in becoming a dream image. Occasionally, one sees a mean spirited post in the re-enactment community whining that everyone wants to be a princess instead of  peasant (and usually with the implication that the writer, by virtue of their experience, is exactly the sort of person with the maturity to attend as an aristocrat). I think that's a silly attitude; I think if you are putting time into an outfit, you should serve your imagination first and foremost. If you want to revive an ordinary person's look, that is excellent; and it is equally excellent to become an unearthly siren. It's all good.