Now the bra goes under the knife

Here's some uplifting news for women with surgically enhanced breasts: the first patented "boob job" bra has arrived in Britain.

According to the makers of Le Mystère's new No 9 range, the fashion for "fake look" implants has given rise to breasts that are too round, too high and too pneumatic for conventional bras. "The trend has been to use higher-profile breast implants with a narrower base and more projection, which means that traditional bras tend not to fit properly," explains Dr David Brothers, the Atlanta-based plastic surgeon behind the range. "Even normal straps and material aren't ideal."

The No 9 bras respond with a "mathematically defined and designed cup", using something called "spherical segmental technology". All this engineering comes at a price: Harrods are stocking the range, which starts at £60. Given that Le Mystère says women buy seven to 10 new bras directly after surgery, this would add to the already considerable expense of a new pair of breasts. Even so, Harrods boasts of a "fantastic" response in its first week.

Surgeons are also effusive. "Lingerie catering for the unique shape of the augmented breast is great news for women," says Mr Patrick Mallucci, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of both the British Association of Plastic Surgeons and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

What nobody seems to be asking is why women are now choosing breasts so far removed from real ones that designers have had to reinvent the bra. If implants need patented technology to hold them up, perhaps it is plastic surgeons, rather than standard bras, that are letting women down.

• Fashion
• Gender

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