When I say bullet bra, you likely know what I’m talking about. It is a bra with cone-shaped cups that helped define the 1950’s silhouette. This style of bra was first marketed by Perma-lift in the early 1940’s. In my stash of mid-century magazines, I was able to find a few Perma-lift ads for bullet bras. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any from the 1940’s, but I did find some from the early 1950’s. These weren’t called bullet bras in the 1950’s. They were simply called “Stitched Cup” bras because of the concentric stitching that formed the shape.
The ad you see is marketing their stitched cup bras with the “magic inset”. It appeared in the April 1953 edition of Today’s Woman magazine.
Only Perma-lift bras have the Magic Insets at the base of the bra cups. Your bust is gently and firmly supported from below, and that support is guaranteed for the life of your bra, no matter how often you wash it or wear it.
It was available in 3 styles.
#160 in Cool Cotton . . . $3.00
#164 in plunge neckline . . .$3.00
#166 “Added Attraction” Padded Bra . ..$3.00
The ad went on to prove their point about the value of the “magic inset” by showing an example of a cone bra not from Perma-lift.
Here is one other Stitched Cup “Magic Inset” bra ad from Perma-lift. This one comes from the June 1951 edition of Today’s Woman. This style of ad was more typical for Perma-lift. Here they are also advertising their girdles.
The Perma-lift Brand
Perma-lift was a division of A. Stein & Company who trademarked the Perma-lift name and registered it with the US Patent office. This notation is shown in small print at the bottom of their ads. A. Stein & Company was established in the late 19th century in Chicago and was known world-wide for their line of garters.
I have an assortment of ads for Perma-lift in my collection of mid-century women’s magazines. Most were 1/2 page ads found in household magazines. They seemed to market their line of girdles and panties-girdles more than their bras. However, it was common for girdle ads to have reference to their line of bras.
The company was an important player in the mid-century shapewear market. Their iconic 1950’s pin-up style illustrations are fun for us living in the 21st century to see.
More from MidCenturyPage.com
More Information
https://underpinningsmuseum.com/
https://dustyoldthing.com/bullet-bra-history/
https://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2014/06/02/a-girl-and-her-girdle/
https://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/lehman/data-resources/companies-deals/a.-stein-co
Mid-Century Page 
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