1950s style bullet and conical bras by What Katie Did What Katie did has been manufacturing bullet and cone bras for nearly a decade

WKD Bullet Bras 

It all began with a bullet bra...  

Did you know, that if World War Two hadn't got in the way, we would have had the full skirts of the New Look around a decade before they actually arrived? It had the same impact on the development of the bullet bra, which was actually designed as early as 1939 before the war broke out, and put paid to many non-essential design innovations. Spiral-stitched bullet bras finally arrived on the scene in the late 40s, but it was Maidenform's Chansonette which launched them into the limelight, and the history books. They sold an astounding 90 million bras in thirty years after the Chansonette's 1949 launch, and it really goes without saying that if you wanted to have a fashionable figure in the 50s and 60s, you wore a bullet bra. So, whether you're a budding Marilyn or a Jean Patchett wannabe, if you want an authentic 1950s look in the 21^st Century, you know what key piece of lingerie you need to invest in!

 

Maidenform's Chasonette bra

Creating a signature spiral-stitched bullet bra was my main aim in the early days of What Katie Did. It took years of searching to find a factory that could make them, and a further, frustrating year before they would even talk to us. But persistence paid off and we were the first company in the UK to produce this marvel of engineering on a large scale, almost a decade ago now.

 

Claudia Schiffer in What Katie Did's Maitresse bullet bra (Russian Vogue Dec 2009)

And a marvel it is! It can take a seamstress up to two years to perfect the spiral stitching technique, which needs a good eye and a steady hand. Each finished bra (and indeed each one of our products) is then passed through stringent quality control checks, before it is deemed fit for sale. And you would be amazed at some of the minuscule defects that they pick out – barely visible to the naked eye – that cause a bra to be discarded!

The result of this incredible dedication to their art, is an extremely high quality bra that is almost indistinguishable from the glamorous satin bras of the 1950s. Only the slight tweaks we made to the pattern, to cater for modern comfort levels and cup sizes sets it apart from its vintage counterparts. We've also introduced lots of variations of colours and fabrics over the years, and you can currently see satin bras in black, white and Harlow peach, the red satin with black lace overlay of Lulu and the saucy, see-through organza of Cabaret.

Victoria Beckham in What Katie Did's padded bullet bra (Harpers Bazaar Dec 09)

The WKD bullet bra is a soft cup bra, which means that unlike modern push-up versions, which force your breasts upwards and inwards to your chest, they instead gently fill out the cone-shaped cups to make the coveted pointy shape. Those with firmer breast augmentations may find that they need to try a larger size and add a bullet bra pad to fill the tips, but on the whole, they do work for a huge variety of shapes and sizes.

Whether natural or artificially endowed, soft cup bras are actually incredibly comfortable to wear on a day-to-day basis, as they are free from restricting underwiring; at the same time managing to be very supportive. So much so, that one customer wrote to tell us that she wears her bullet bra to the gym! We would never dream of recommending that you all substitute your sports bras for one, but we thought it fascinating, not to mention gratifying, that she found our bras so comfortable. 

What Katie Did's Cabaret bullet bra in (i-D magazine Dec/Jan 10)

If you're a vintage bra aficionado, we think you'll be very pleased with our version. And if you're a bullet bra virgin, then try one out... you might surprise yourself!

 

 

What Katie Did bras are sized using traditional grading methods which might differ to modern sizes. Bullet bras cover the whole breast which means that selecting the right size is vital. If it's not possible to visit our boutique or a What Katie Did stockist for a fitting, sizing information can be found here, whilst measurements for the underbust band can be found beside each product description.