On 1st June 2026, the world marks the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. A century on, her image remains instantly recognisable: but what continues to fascinate me, as both a designer and lifelong admirer, is not just the finished look, but the engineering beneath it.
For years I’ve studied Marilyn’s clothing, both her costumes and her private wardrobe, close up. Around twenty years ago, I was even consulted about one of her bras coming up for auction: a rare sling bra designed to expose the bust in a very deliberate way. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line “sling” became “fling,” and headlines around the world excitedly reported on Marilyn’s supposed “fling bra.” I remember the thrill of seeing the piece… followed quickly by complete mortification at the press frenzy!
More recently, thanks to extensive auction archives, particularly those from Julien’s Auctions, it’s become possible to study a far broader range of her lingerie. What stands out immediately is just how daring Marilyn was. Many of her bras were cut so low they would have revealed the nipples entirely. The idea of engineered sensuality isn’t new, despite modern headlines around figures like Kim Kardashian and her illusion undergarments, Marilyn was already there in the 1950s
I’ll return to her more risqué pieces in another article; including the remarkable quarter-cup bra worn under that infamous black dress in Some Like It Hot; but today, I want to focus on a particular favourite: her Hollywood-Maxwell Whirlpool bras.
When it came to everyday foundation wear, Marilyn understood exactly what worked for her body. And when she found it, she committed, often buying the same garment in multiple colours. The Whirlpool bra by Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Company was clearly one of those staples.
Patented in 1935 by founder Joseph R. Bowen, Whirlpool stitching used concentric circles of stitching to shape the bust. In the 1930s this created a softly rounded silhouette; by the 1940s and 50s, the same technique evolved into the more pointed profile we now associate with mid-century lingerie
It’s a fascinating piece of design history: structure created not through padding or rigid moulding, but through cut and stitch engineering alone. The result was a cup that both supported and sculpted, ideal for the precise, camera-ready silhouette demanded by Hollywood.
Hollywood-Maxwell itself was part of a wave of Californian lingerie companies that capitalised on the glamour of Los Angeles. While Paris still dominated fashion culturally, American brands began offering a more modern, aspirational alternative. Hollywood-Maxwell even claimed its bras were used exclusively in films produced by Paramount Pictures, a clever marketing move, whether entirely accurate or not.
Their reach extended beyond department stores. In 1955, the brand opened the V-Ette Corset Shop inside Disneyland, a short-lived but telling sign of how mainstream and culturally relevant foundation garments had become.
Examples from Marilyn’s wardrobe show how integral these bras were to her look.
Most were labelled around a 36C, though like many actresses of the time, Marilyn enhanced and adapted her silhouette. Surviving bra pads, yes she used them, reveal how she fine-tuned her shape depending on the outfit. Bra bands were also typically worn looser than we would wear them today, meaning she would likely measure closer to a 34D by modern standards.
This is something often overlooked in discussions of her figure. Marilyn’s look wasn’t accidental; it was curated, engineered, and adjusted with precision.
To mark her centenary, I’ve been working on a bra inspired by these Whirlpool styles.
Rather than reproduce it literally, I’ve translated the idea into something wearable today: a low-cut balconette with an emphasis on sheerness and subtle structure. We’ve used one of our existing patterns as a base, refining it to echo that distinctive lifted, separated silhouette without heavy coverage.
The colour is a soft peach, a nod to Marilyn’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr President” dress, but black is certainly tempting for the future. After all, Marilyn herself owned variations in multiple shades.
The aim isn’t costume reproduction. It’s about capturing the essence of what made these bras so effective: lightness, precision, and an understanding of how fabric, stitching, and cut can work together to shape the body.
While the Whirlpool bra is the focus here, it sits within a broader wardrobe that shows Marilyn’s deep understanding of lingerie. I’m including these pieces here as I’m unlikely to feature them in future work, and they’re simply too captivating not to share.
Each piece reflects the same principle: Marilyn knew what worked, and she used lingerie as a tool to create consistency in her appearance.
As she famously said, she didn’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as she could be a woman in it. Her lingerie choices were part of that autonomy.
Studying Marilyn’s bras isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about understanding a moment when lingerie design was both highly technical and deeply tied to cultural ideals of femininity.
The Whirlpool bra, in particular, represents a shift: away from purely decorative undergarments and towards engineered shaping. It’s a reminder that innovation in lingerie didn’t begin with modern materials, it began with clever stitching, thoughtful design, and an intimate understanding of the body.
A hundred years after her birth, people are still fascinated by Marilyn Monroe's style. The famous dresses were only part of the story. Behind many of those iconic photographs was carefully engineered lingerie, often built around the distinctive shape of a circle stitch bra.
Links:
Julien’s Auctions: Property from the Estate of Marilyn Monroe 2005
Disney History 101: The Wizard of Bras
Read Marilyn Monroe Style by Terry Newman (affiliate link)
My Marilyn Monroe Collection on Amazon (affiliate link)
Katie Thomas is the founder of What Katie Did, a vintage-inspired lingerie and fashion brand that brings mid-century glamour to modern wardrobes. When not designing new collections, she can be found hunting for vintage treasures across Somerset and beyond.
Curious to explore more vintage-inspired treasures? Our lovingly crafted lingerie and fashion collections at What Katie Did bring the elegance of yesteryear into your modern wardrobe, from perfectly structured corsets to the most delicate of intimates. Each piece tells its own story of timeless glamour.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.