Bra-vo!

IT might be 100 years since the term brassiere' was first coined, but the bra has been playing a supporting role in women's lives for centuries.

Historians can trace the bra to the Ancient Greeks, where Minoan women on the isle of Crete wore garments which pushed up their bare breasts, exposing them from their clothing.

Corsets were used to shape and control women's upper bodies until the emergence of the bra as we know it by the late 1800s. However, it wasn't until 1907 that the bra was officially born when Vogue first used the term brassiere'.

Since then, we can trace the development of the bra alongside trends in fashion. In the 1920s, flapper girls required a boyish look and a tight, chest-flattening bra was invented.

By the late 1920s, cup sizes were invented and bras were designed to give women more support and shape.

Lana Turner epitomised the sweater girl look of the Thirties, where breasts were full, high and pointed - and bra designs followed suit.

During the Second World War, materials were in short supply so manufacturers began using synthetic fabrics.

In the 1950s, bra shape became even more exaggerated with Hollywood starlets evoking the hourglass figure.

A decade later, and women seemed to have tired of their bras, and as the Women's Liberation movement took off, feminists burned their bras in protest.

However, the revolt was short lived and women and bras were soon best friends again.

Advances in technology and design give women more choice than ever when it comes to finding the perfect bra, but getting a bra to fit can still seem well nigh impossible.

The average woman has ten bras in her wardrobe and spends £83 a year on new underwear, yet surveys suggest around half wear the wrong-sized bra, which can lead to health problems such as breast pain, backache and poor posture.

The right-fitting bra can alleviate these problems, and also improve shape and make you appear slimmer.

Kathryn Rolfe, who has her own upmarket lingerie shop in Micklegate, York, said wearing the right size and design can work wonders for a woman's figure.

She said: "Most very large busted women want to look smaller and the trick is to get yourself more centred rather than rounded - you want a bra to give you a lift.

"If you are going southwards, it makes you look larger, so wear a bra with a lift and it will give you a waist and make you look slimmer.

"If smaller, you tend to want to look a bit larger, so go for something padded that will give you some cleavage."

Designs today abound to give women their shape of choice, adds Kathryn. "The balcony-style gives more lift underneath without giving too much cleavage. It's a nice natural shape. For something more extreme, there is the push-up plunge, for that Pamela Anderson look."

Bra designs are still harnessed to what's happening in on the catwalk, said Kathryn. "If you have something high necked, you want a more rounded look, but if the style is for a more low-cut look then you want something to give you a little bit of cleavage."

Advances in technology allow bras to be made without seams, and in micro-light fabrics, but Kathryn says there is still a demand for old-fashioned styles.

"You will see the new textiles mixed in with the old," she said. "Corsetry is back in a big way right now and people sometimes want something that's quite traditional and simple like lace."

Ann Allan is the lingerie buyer at York department store Fenwick in Coppergate. She says women's breasts are getting larger and manufacturers are reacting accordingly.

"Around 40 per cent of women now wear a D cup or larger so we are going to see cups getting bigger and back sizes getting smaller. At the moment sizes range from 32 to 38, but we are going to see them range from 28 to 50, which will make it easier to find a bra to fit."

Ann has also noticed that an increasingly number of young, slim girls with large cup sizes, making it all the more important for them to get a proper fitting.

"In terms of health, its really important to get fitted," she said. "If you are a size dress size six with a G cup, that's a hell of a strain to put on your back."

Ann also sees lingerie following fashion trends. The big news for autumn, she says, is the return of the body, the all-in-one top and brief shaper with popper fastening in the crotch.

"There is an Eighties revival going on in fashion, which is why the body is back. It's also coming from TV shows such as Trinny and Susannah and Ten Years Younger, which focus on how you look when you are fully dressed."

But two decades on, the body has had a 21st century makeover. Ann said: "You used to have to buy it in your dress size, but now it has cup sizes too, so you can buy one in your bra size and get support for your problem areas as well as a lift for your bust, which is great."

Bras are big business and new lingerie shops are appearing on the high street. Another trend, says Ann, is for lingerie endorsed by celebrities.

"Celebrity brands have a certain cachet but they some don't fit very well," said Ann "The key thing when buying a bra is to come into a store and get fitted properly. After a fitting we find most customers say they look like they have lost weight."

The bra-faced truth...

First bra: Marie Tuceck's breast supporter of 1893 most resembled the bras we wear today with separate pockets for each breast, shoulder straps and hook and eye fasteners.

Largest bra: September 1990 in Tokyo, Japan Triumph International Japan Ltd developed a bra with an under bust measurement of 78ft 8in, and a bust measurement of 91ft 10in.

Most famous bra: Madonna cemented Jean-Paul Gautier in fashion history when she wore that famous conical bra for the 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour.

Most expensive bra: Victoria's Secret created a $15 million bra titled red hot fantasy. It was made out of red satin and 1,300 gemstones including rubies and diamonds.

Most embarrassing bra: Judy Finnigan inadvertently flashed her very practical looking white bra at the 2000 National Television Awards while giving a speech for winning an award for the most popular daytime programme.

Most missing bra: TV gardener Charlie Dimmock, famous for wearing no bra

Most hi-tech bra: Cosmetic surgery now offers the Laser Bra', an internal bra created with the patients own tissue which holds up the breasts from underneath the skin.