The Curious Rise and Fall of Posēs: The 1949 Adhesive Bra That Promised to Change Everything
- Daniel Holland
- Dec 7, 2022
- 6 min read
It is one of those moments in mid century innovation that makes you pause and think: they really tried that. In May 1949, inventor and entrepreneur Charles L. Langs stepped in front of the press with an idea so bold it felt closer to science fiction than fashion. Forget straps, hooks, boning, or fabric engineering. Langs declared that the next era of women’s beachwear would simply stick to the body.
His creation, the Posēs adhesive brassiere, was a pair of separate moulded cups backed with a specially designed glue intended to hold fast through sunbathing, swimming, exercising, and even jumping from a ten foot diving board. Life magazine summed up the novelty of the moment with a line that has since become part of fashion folklore: “For 5,000 years clothes have been draped, tied, buttoned, pinned and buckled on the human form. This year, for the first time in history, they will be glued on.”
A Millionaire With an Unusual Vision
Langs was not a fashion designer by trade, nor a chemist, nor a figure in the beauty industry. He had made his fortune in an entirely different arena: chromium plating. During the booming years of American automotive excess, Langs’ business plated the distinctive grilles for Cadillac and Ford cars. The success left him with both disposable income and a willingness to experiment with unorthodox ideas.
According to mid century press accounts, Langs had an inventive streak and often tinkered with new concepts at home. One of his desks was famously photographed piled high with prototypes of strapless, backless, wireless bras. It was here, surrounded by sketches and moulds, that his proposal for a radically new bra form emerged.
Langs partnered with industrial chemist Charles W. Walton, who brought the scientific expertise necessary to turn the idea into something tangible. Together they developed a proprietary adhesive described as strong enough to grip securely yet gentle enough to remove without pulling the skin. The formula was marketed as leaving “no sticky residue”, an assurance that mid century consumers appreciated, even if reality later proved a little less reliable.
The Promise of Posēs
The final result was unveiled in 1949 under the name Posēs, pronounced “pose ease”. The branding leaned into glamour and convenience. These were cups that would allow women to “pose with ease” at the beach, by the pool, or under clothing without straps that slipped or fastenings that dug in.
Each bra consisted of two separate cups with frilled circumferences and exaggerated, almost bullet shaped points, echoing the fashionable silhouette of the era. They were light, sculpted, shockingly minimal, and utopian in concept. Women were encouraged to wear them under clothing or even as outerwear for sunbathing, making the most of the even tan lines they supposedly offered.
Life magazine described the look with an amused detachment, remarking that the design gave any woman “a startling look, especially when she is seen from the rear.” The frilled rims and prominent conical shape produced an outline that was unmistakably mid century but also somewhat theatrical.
The Daring Claims
Langs and Walton made bold promises about the power of their adhesive. Their promotional material boasted that Posēs cups would stay on even if a woman “jumped into the swimming pool from a 10 foot diving board.” The claim, immortalised in contemporary publications, became one of the most memorable aspects of the launch.
Real life, of course, offered a different story. Any woman who has ever worn even a well made strapless swimsuit knows the precarious physics involved, let alone a garment held on only with glue. Many buyers quickly discovered that the promise of diving board security was more marketing fantasy than scientific truth. While the cups might remain in place during still poses or gentle activity, vigorous movement, sweat, humidity, sea water, and real world body shapes all conspired to reduce their reliability.
A Complicated Wear Experience
Even when the cups functioned as intended, they were not especially convenient. The adhesive, referred to as the “rejuvenator”, had to be reapplied from a small accompanying bottle with each use. The glue would lose effectiveness within hours, especially in heat, and needed regular maintenance to remain functional.
Women also reported mixed experiences with removal. While the inventors insisted the cups would lift off easily, some users with sensitive skin complained of irritation, discomfort, or mild rashes. For those allergic to the adhesive mixture, the concept was simply unusable.
Then there was the question of body diversity. The standardised moulded cups did not accommodate every shape or size, meaning that the glamour presented in advertising was often difficult to replicate in practice.
Troubles Behind the Scenes
Managing production and fulfilling demand quickly grew overwhelming. Langs, who had experience running an industrial operation but not a consumer fashion business, soon found the enterprise stretching beyond its comfortable limits.
He eventually sold the rights to Textron Inc., a company with greater commercial capacity. But the transition was fraught. Customers complained that Textron’s workmanship was inconsistent, that orders were delayed or never fulfilled, and that product quality varied from batch to batch. Some women received cups that did not match in size or shape. Others found that the adhesive bottles arrived poorly sealed or dried out.
In an era before consumer protection law had much force, these issues were handled largely by word of mouth, and that word was not favourable. The glamour of an adhesive bra that seemed to defy physics began to fade.
A Trend That Flickered and Vanished
Despite its early publicity, Posēs never established a foothold in the market. The combination of practical limitations, allergic reactions, fussy application, and unstable manufacturing meant that enthusiasm waned quickly. By the early 1950s, the product had already slipped into obscurity.
Its failure was not the end of innovation in strapless support. The 1950s were a golden age for bra experimentation, from structural engineering to new fabrics. Bullet bras, underwire cups, and elastic fabrics took over the market, offering shape and support without glue. Manufacturers learned that women preferred security, comfort, and durability over novelty.
Today, Posēs survives mostly as a delightful footnote in fashion history: a reminder of that brief postwar moment when American optimism suggested even clothing could be reinvented with industrial adhesives and automotive ingenuity.
The Lasting Curiosity of the 1949 Adhesive Bra
Looking back, it is easy to smile at the audacity of Langs’ invention. In some ways, though, he was ahead of his time. Modern adhesive bras, breast lift tape, and silicon stick on cups owe a conceptual debt to Posēs, even if technological improvements have since solved many of the earlier problems.
Langs’ creation sits in the curious space between fashion and futurism: a product born from a time when anything seemed possible and when inventors truly believed that glue alone might liberate women from straps forever.
For a moment in 1949, clothing could be glued on, and all it took was a chromium plating millionaire, a chemist with imagination, and a society eager to experiment with new ideas.
Sources
Life Magazine, 16 May 1949, pages 49 to 51: “The Glued On Brassiere”
(Primary source featuring photos of Posēs, interviews with Charles L. Langs, and demonstration images.)
Life Magazine Photographic Archive (Henry Groskinsky photos of Posēs, 1949)
(Photographs of Langs at his desk with adhesive bra prototypes.)
United States Patent Office – Adhesive Garment Support Applications by Charles L. Langs (filed late 1940s)
(Shows Langs’ early attempts to patent an adhesive cup support.)
Textron Inc. corporate history archives
(Documenting acquisition of fashion and consumer novelty products in mid century America.)
Chicago Tribune Archive – Reports on strapless fashion innovations, 1948 to 1950
(Contextual articles referencing early adhesive bra concepts.)
The Baltimore Sun Archive, 1949: “New ‘Stick On’ Bra Demonstrated at Atlantic City Show”
(Wire report syndicated nationally describing Posēs and public response.)
Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogues, 1949 to 1951
(Showcases competing strapless and adhesive support garments and describes early consumer reactions.)
“A History of the Brassiere, 1910 to 1960” – University of Vermont Library Special Collections
(Provides context on mid century bra experimentation, including adhesive attempts.)
Smithsonian National Museum of American History – Archives Center: Fashion, Textile, and Womenswear Innovations, 1945 to 1955
(Background on technological experimentation in postwar women’s garments.)
Women’s Wear Daily, June 1949 Edition – Trade commentary on Posēs production challenges
(Industry reporting on complaints about Textron manufacturing and delivery issues.)
https://wwd.com/ (archive access required)
“The Bullet Bra Phenomenon” – Underpinnings Museum
(Explains the pointed cup silhouette that Posēs attempted to replicate without internal structure.)
Harper’s Bazaar, July 1949: “Summer Looks Without Straps”
(Mentions adhesive cups as a curiosity within broader strapless fashion trends.)
