referring to fig1 - 4 , an underwire bra 10 has centrally joined left and right breast cups 12 and 13 , shown as demi - cups , but the invention is equally applicable to full - cup bras . left and right backstraps 14 and 15 extend from the cups to encircle the user &# 39 ; s chest , and be joined by a conventional rear fastener 16 . left and right shoulder straps 19 and 20 are secured to the upper outer edges of the cups to extend over the user &# 39 ; s shoulders , and be joined to the backstraps ( fig3 ). the invention is also useful in bras which lack shoulder straps , and rely on backstraps , cups , and underwires for breast support . rear lower - edge portions 21 of the backstraps are upwardly arched , in contrast to the straight and generally horizontal lower edges of conventional bra backstraps . this arched configuration provides added resistance to “ riding up ” of the connected backstraps , and is especially helpful with bras using large cup sizes . as shown in fig1 , 2 , and 4 , the underside of the breast cups have sewn thereto casings 23 and 24 , typically of a thick fabric , and with hollow interiors to accept left and right underwires 26 and 27 ( shown in phantom line in fig1 ). the casings and underwires extend downwardly along the outer side edges of cups 12 and 13 , around the undersurface of the cups , and then merge upwardly in the central junction of the cups . for comfort , a slightly elastic fabric is preferred for the casings , but an elastomeric or plastic tubing can also be used . hollow casings are conventionally used in underwire bras , but other means such as gluing or sewing can also be used to attach underwires to cups . fig6 is a sectional view of joined casings 23 and 24 , with underwires 26 and 27 fitted therein . the upper central sections of the casings are sewn together , and a buttonhole - like window or opening 29 is formed in the inner sidewall of casing 24 . stitching closes the channel of casing 23 above the opening , forcing the upper inner section of underwire 26 into the channel of casing 24 to be tangent to and against the upper inner section of underwire 27 . the fabric or other material forming the casings is sufficiently flexible to accept both wires , and to hold them in tight engagement as shown in the sectional view of fig7 . as illustrated , upper inner sections 31 and 32 of the underwires are substantially straight , and these straight sections are at least about one - half inch in length , and preferably longer . the longer the tangential joint of the sections 31 and 32 , the more mutual support is provided to the underwires and breast cups . sections 31 and 32 can be rigidly connected ( as by welding , twisting , and gluing , or being integrally formed ), but this prevents folding of the bra for storage or shipment , and abutting ends which can be twisted during folding are accordingly preferred . the underwires are typically made of a metal such as stainless steel , which is rigid and only slightly flexible . plastic or other materials having these characteristics can also be used to make the underwires . underwires having a circular cross section are shown in fig6 - 8 , but a rectangular cross section ( fig9 ) also is entirely acceptable , and typical dimensions are 0 . 10 inch by 0 . 024 inch . other cross sections such as half round can also be used . fore - and - aft overlapping of upper sections 31 and 32 as shown in fig8 will provide the best support if encased in a short and close - fitting elastomeric or plastic tube 34 urging the wires into tight engagement . preferably , the upper sections are laterally against each other as shown in fig7 and 9 , the casing again urging the sections against each other .
a breast - supporting garment having a pair of centrally joined breast cups , each cup having a generally u - shaped underwire extending along a bottom edge and upwardly along inner and outer side edges thereof , each underwire having a substantially straight central section , the straight sections being held in abutment to provide enhanced support of the breasts .