YNOT — Great fashion looks never die — they just quietly submerge for a while to return as “retro” trends every few years. Sometimes the resurgence bodes well for an entire industry. Such seems to be the case with the “pointy bust” look made famous by 1950s pin-up girls like Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe. The bras responsible for the look have proved so popular in London shows by notables like Louise Goldin, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana, the fashion industry is engaging in one long collective sigh of relief.Russell’s iconic curves are legendary. Few may realize, however, her irrepressibly perky bosom owed its irrepressible perkiness to an aircraft-inspired design by billionaire Howard Hughes. The conical shape was all the rage in the 1950s and enjoyed a second popularity peak in the 1980s thanks to Madonna’s outrageous wardrobe.

Today’s return to twin peaks may be traced to the same sort of economic turmoil that accompanied the phenomenon in previous decades, combined with a shift away from the rail-thin body types that were popular before thin was ridden out on rail of health-consciousness. Lingerie retailer John Lewis claims to have seen a “surge” in sales, with revenues from its best-selling pointy bra lines increasing by as much as 33 percent over last year. Analysts say, as in times past, that may indicate the worst of the recession is over.

“Pointed bras first stepped into the spotlight in the 1950s after the austerity of the Second World War” Eleri Lynn, the curator of fashion at the V&A Museum and author of Fashion in Detail: Underwear, told London’s Daily Mail. “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.”

The world survived both of those economic disasters, Lynn noted.

John Lewis’ head lingerie buyer, Helen Spencer, agreed with Lynn’s assessment.

“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,” she told the Daily Mail. “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.”