For years before Grail’s move to our new location in May 2024, our staff would joke about creating a mini “museum” display of vintage and unusual bras. The idea arose because we would occasionally get items donated to the Bra Bank that fascinated us due to their apparent age or other surprising characteristics. These garments obviously had a story, and we started collecting them for the future. Our original storefront was much too small for our inventory, much less a display of this size. As the new space began to come together, however, I realized that we would actually have room to incorporate the Bra Museum into Grail 2.0. Hurray!

This project took on a couple of different dimensions. First, I attempted to identify and date our donated items. To accomplish this, I turned to resources like the Underpinnings online museum of lingerie, vintage label dating experts like Nylon Nostalgia, vintage fashion forums on Reddit, and resale marketplaces like Etsy, Poshmark, and Mercari looking for matches. While on those marketplaces, I began investing in some additional examples of historical undergarments. (After all, any decent bra museum needs an authentic corset and some honest-to-goodness 1950s bullet bras!) In determining the age of some of our items, I also turned to vintage bra advertisements, which I discovered are just as fascinating and steeped in cultural relevance as the garments themselves. Our museum now includes a display of original vintage ads going back to 1917.

Not all of our bras on display are particularly “old,” however. Some are unusual for other reasons, like the bra with the built-in shoulder pads from the 1980s or the Trusst bra that used a 3D printed core instead of an underwire in the 2010s. I’m also obsessed with the array of gorgeously embroidered bras on the contemporary Japanese market, so I imported a couple of stunning examples. We actually ended up with more pieces than we have room to exhibit, unsurprisingly, so we plan to rotate some of our display pieces from time to time.

Our hope is that the Bra Museum will draw attention and curiosity from our guests, serve an educational function by providing some historical context for the development of modern undergarments, and maybe even start a conversation about fashion versus function in the world of lingerie. While the contents of our museum are not for sale, we would love to know if any of our clients are interested in vintage-style bras and undies! Grail has access to products from What Katie Did, Rago Shapewear, Dita Von Teese Lingerie, and Dolly & Dotty. These items are obviously niche, so they’ve never made it to the top of our must-have list, BUT they are super fun! We would love to have a reason to add them to the shop.

Here are a few of the undergarments currently on display at Grail:

Linen Chest Binding Wrap (Replica) in the style of Greece and Rome, 4th Century AD

Edwardian Straight-Front Corset from France, 1900s – 1910s

Edwardian Lace Bandeau or Corset Cover from England, 1910s

French Split Leg Bloomers from France, 1900s

Silk Side-Fastening Bra from the USA, 1930s

Satin Circle-Stitched Bullet Bra from the USA, 1940s

Overwire Strapless Bra from the USA, 1950s

Sheer Cup Torpedo Bra from Italy, 1950s

Underwired Torpedo Bra from Switzerland, 1950s

“Woolco” Padded Embroidered Bra from the USA, 1950s

Hollywood Vassarette Bullet Bra from the USA, 1950s

Bleumette Adhesive Bras from the USA, 1950s – 1960s

Full Bust Circle-Stitched Bullet Bra from Germany, 1960s

Maidenform “Sweet Music” Bra from the USA, 1960s

Bestform Mylar Detail Bra USA, 1960s

“Sweet Nothing” Mesh Cup Bra from the USA, 1960s

Formaid “Escapade” Longline Bra from the USA, 1950s

Scallop Lace Longline Bra from the USA, 1960s

Sears Open-Bottom Girdle from the USA, 1960s

Playtex Cross-Your-Heart Bra from the USA, 1960s- 1980s

Maidenform Padded Underwire Bra from the USA, 1970s

The Apple Bra, Stretch Bra in an Apple from the USA, 1970s – 1980s

Eyelet Lace Strapless Bra from the USA, 1970s – 1980s

Stay Put Bra with Shoulder Pads from the USA, 1980s

Backless by Smoothie Padded Satin Bra from the USA, 1980s

Vassarette Unlined Underwire Bra from the USA, 1980s

Off-Brand WonderBra Push-Up Bra from the USA, 1990s

La Perla Silk and Tulle Bra from Italy, early 2000s

Trusst Bra with 3D Printed Core from the USA, 2010s

Peach John “Van Gogh Iris” Bra from Japan, 2020s