Sabrina's Lingerie

Contact me at the Encyclopedia Sabrina campus

With thanks to Wikipedia for supportive facts

It occurred to me - after twenty years - that I have often used terms on this site to describe the scanty undergarments enhancing Sabrina's allure.

It then occurred to me that I didn't know what I was talking about. A bra - yes. I knew that one. But a bullet bra? Is that different to a rocket bra? What does an underwire do? And what exactly is a teddy ? A bustier ?

So many foundational questions.

To that end, I offer this page - the product of some of my most assiduous deep-diving research. And if your wife comes in, you are just doing due diligence in your pursuit of that Open University Bachelor of Sabrina degree (B.Sab).

Let's begin our voyage around Planet Sabrina

1. The Northern Hemisphere of Sabrina

a. The brassière

Not to be confused with a brasserie, the brassière does not offer fast food and beer. It offers support and definition to the breasts. There. You've learned two valuable things already.

The first modern bra is believed to have been developed in 1910 - by a woman. Its quick acceptance led to the disappearance of its predecessor, the corset.

Corset

There are several types of bras, including the full cup , the plunge and the balconette .

Bra types

And the push-up, strapless, bandeau, demicup, sports bra, the minimiser, padded, a T-shirt bra, multiway, plunge, wireless, maternity, seamless, silicone, and stick-on.

And, of course, the spray-on.

A plunge bra covers the nipples and bottom of the breasts while leaving the top part bare making it suitable for low-cut tops and deep V-necks. It also has a lower, shorter and narrower center gore that maintains support while increasing cleavage by allowing the gore to drop several inches below the middle of the breasts.

Plunge bras comes in different depths that provide great cleavage. Like a push up bra these have some padding and provide support, as well as to help push the breasts together and create cleavage. The push-up bra was created in 1964 and became popular as the Wonderbra .

But of prime importance to Sabrinastudents is the bullet / rocket / torpedo / cone bra family.

Above: Monique.

The bullet bra was built on the softly conical bras of the 1940s but with a much more defined finish. Bullet bra pads add fullness and emphasis to the bullet appearance.

A bullet / torpedo bra is a distinctive type of bra that creates a pointed or torpedo shape to the breasts. This is achieved by spiral stitching which emphasizes a pointed appearance. The bullet bra was built on the softly conical bras of the 1940s but with a much more defined finish.

A cone bra is similar to the bras of the 1940s, lifting and separating with a subtle conical shape. Cone bras are not padded and provide a soft feminine silhouette.

The term conical bra is often uses interchangeably with bullet bra but the conical or cone bra has a less defined shape and lacks the spiral stitching that truly defines a bullet bra.

The underwire (that thing my mother always cut out of her bra as soon as she got it home from the shop). The underwires contour the natural round shape of the breasts and slightly lift them upwards. It was first developed in the 1930s, and was made famous by Jane Russell in the 1941 movie, The Outlaw .

According to underwire manufacturer S & S Industries of New York, about 70 per cent of bra-wearing women wear underwire bras

underwire bra

Fun Foundation Facts

No Bra Day is now observed internationally on 13 October.
The average bra size among North American women has changed from 34B in 1983 to a 34DD in 2013.
Wearing a bra when they are young will not prevent ptosis (sagging) as women age. A 2013 study in fact said that wearing a bra may actually weaken supportive tissue. The main causes of sagging are cigarette smoking, pregnancies, gravity, and obesity.