London, Nov 4 Pointy bras worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in the 1950s are back in fashion, thanks to designers Louise Goldin and Jean Paul Gaultier.

John Lewis has witnessed an increase of nearly 10 percent in the sales of Fantasie Belle, its best-selling conical bra.he sales of the Triumph Doreen White have also rocketed by a significant 33 percent compared to the same period last year. Triumph Doreen Powder is selling 7 percent more than the previous year.

"Throughout the last century the trend for feminine pointy shaped bras experienced a renaissance following times of a toughened economy, marking a return of unabashed femininity as women seek to have more fun with fashion as a form of escapism," the Telegraph quoted a spokesman for John Lewis, as saying. Eleri Lynn, the Curator of Fashion at the V andA Museum, and author of Fashion in Detail: Underwear, explained the evolution of the pointed bras to the Daily Mail: "Pointed bras first stepped into the spotlight in the 1950s after the austerity of the Second World War.

"Women sought overt femininity and glamour embodied by Hollywood starlets such as Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. Several decades later, style pioneer Madonna brought the look back into fashion in the form of the cone shaped bra designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and inspired by 1950s underwear.

"It was worn during her Blonde Ambition tour, following the Wall Street Crash of 1987 and the resulting recession of the late 1980s."

Crystal McClory, a fashion stylist at London's One Make Up added: "The cone shaped bras of the 1950s and late 1980s are certainly back with a vengeance this summer.

"For Spring/Summer '10, the world's top designers are moving away from recession inspired 'less is more' and offering more playful collections as the economy begins to recover, with London designer Louise Goldin, and veteran designer Jean Paul Gaultier both heavily featuring cone shaped bras within their summer collections." (ANI)