The Brassiere Turns 100

Bra has held up famously for 100 years

By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY

It's a lingerie jubilee. The famed Victoria's Secret fashion show, featuring the reunion performance of the Spice Girls, airs tonight on CBS (10 ET/PT). And coincidentally, the brassiere turns 100 this year, after Vogue magazine was said to be the first to write about it in 1907. "The bra has gone through so many changes over the years," says Only Hearts founder and head designer Helena Stuart, whose dainties are worn by Keri Russell and Jennifer Aniston. Adds Nathalia Bacca, spokeswoman for Eres, whose French garb is beloved by Katie Holmes and Naomi Campbell: "At first it was only about function and structure and repression. A woman had to stay constrained. It's evolved into a pleasurable thing for a woman." To celebrate the undergarment's momentous birthday, Stuart and Bacca assess some of pop culture's most memorable bra moments. Click here for the full article.

*Photo: Jayne Mansfield in a scene from the 1956 film, "The Girl Can't Help It."