The first modern strapless dress first appeared in the 1930s, but it gained popularity in the 1950s when strapless evening gowns became a new fashion trend. The strapless bra was also introduced in the late-1930s and they did not gain popularity until the 50s. Between the inception and popularity of the strapless bra, Charles L. Langs came up with a brilliant idea in 1945. He introduced strapless cups for each breast stuck on with adhesive.
Langs tasked Walton, a chemist to produce an adhesive that would remain in place when required and did not leave a sticky residue when removed. They worked for four years before they filed for a patent on Feb. 14, 1949. They claimed that the glue would tight even if the wearer dived from a 10-foot board.
However, despite all the efforts, things didn’t go so smoothly after the launch. Customers complained about poor workmanship and non-delivery of items. That and the fact that strapless bras are not for every woman, especially those allergic to the adhesive, meant that the fashion was short-lived. By the time the patent was finally granted, in 1952, the product already vanished from the market. A few decades later, sticky bras re-entered the market with the different names’ silicon bra, adhesive bra, and many more, however, they all mean the same thing.
#1 Inventor of Poses, Charles L. Langs sitting at his desk full of his inventions, strapless, backless, wireless bras.
#2 Charles L. Langs working on different designs for the adhesive bra.
#3 These bras were stuck on with glue on the breasts.
#4 A woman wearning the strapless, backless, wireless bras adhesively gummed to hold the cup on at Jones Beach.
#5 Two woman wearning wearning the adhesive bra on the beach, 1949.
#6 Two models, dressed in shorts and ‘Poses,’ an adhesive, strapless brassiere designed by Charles L Langs, hold fake tennis rackets as they talk over a net, Jones Beach, New York, May 1949.
#7 Models wearing the adhesive bra on the beach, 1949.
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