Jane Russell Outlaw

I really didn't know much about Jane Russell, who just passed away recently; this is no reflection on her status as an icon, but rather more a reflection on my status as a philistine.

According to the info page on her that Tim Hamilton sent around with the topic email this morning, Ms. Russell had been discovered working as a receptionist by that craziest of rich guys Howard Hughes, who was conducting a nationwide search for a sexy lady to star in a western he was directing called The Outlaw. What's more, to quote the site :

"Hughes had his engineers design a seamless underwire brassiere, a breakthrough in bra science to lift Russell's 38-D breasts, leaving no visible support lines to interrupt the under-blouse contour of her bosom. It was the first practical "lift and separate" push-up bra, but Russell later said she did not wear the uncomfortable contraption during filming. Instead she wore her own bras, adding a layer of tissue paper over the cups to eliminate unsightly support lines. Hughes, despite directing the picture himself, never knew the difference.'

Fascinating stuff, to be sure. Here's a drawing I did of Ms. Russell as she appeared in The Outlaw. I'll leave it to you to determine what sort of support she's using.