It's the 1920s.

Flapper fashion prevails.

Women conceal their figures in straight-sided gowns and restrictive bandeaus.

A dressmaker named Ida Rosenthal is frustrated by the way falsely flat chests look beneath her structured dresses.

So she, her husband William, and business partner Enid Bisset develop a line of intimate apparel that accentuates the curves.

The design consists of two cups, shoulder straps, and a chest band that clasps in back.

At first, the bras are included with the sale of a dress, but the popularity of the undergarment soon outstrips that of the garment itself.

The three establish a business selling exclusively bras and call it "Maidenform".

William, in a moment of vision, invents a graduated, standardized cup-sizing system that accommodates women of all ages and all shapes.

During the female liberation bra-burning era of the 1960s, Ida Rosenthal is asked to comment on the downfall of the brassiere industry.

She answers simply, "After age 35, a woman hasn't got the figure to wear no support. Time is on my side."