Women have many options when it comes to bras these days. With all these options out there, how do you know what bra is right for your specific needs. Body type, functionality, occasion, and style are all considerations for choosing the perfect bra for you.
In this guide, we will go over the following bra types:
- Adhesive Backless
- Balconette
- Bralette
- Demi
- Plunge
- Push Up
- Soft Cup
- T-Shirt
- Strapless
- Minimizer
- Underwire
- Unlined
- Sports
- Maternity
- Nursing
- Full Coverage
- Longline
What is a bra?
A bra is a garment worn beneath the clothes to support the breasts. Bras are typically worn for functionality but have evolved to serve the purpose of both functionality and fashion. There are a variety of bra styles but the main components of a bra stay the same. A bra has two separate cups, a bridge that connects those cups, a frame to support the cups and a band and closure to wrap the bra around the body and secure it in place. Bras differ based on their coverage and materials used such as padding, elastic bands, straps, underwire and closures.
Characteristics of a Bra:
- Structured garment
- Defined cups
- Can have padding and underwire
- Has a closure such as a hook and eye or front clasp
- Functional
- Varying degrees of coverage
Glossary of Women’s Bra Styles
Adhesive Backless
Adhesive backless bras are usually a reusable silicone material with medical grade adhesive. They are available in different shapes but usually come in a round shape or petal. They are placed over the nipple ensuring that the nipple does not show through you clothing. They provide minimal lift and shaping but are suitable for garments where wearing a strapless bra is not ideal. Adhesive backless bras are typically used for backless, strapless garments including evening gowns and other formal wear, revealing tops or blouses and swimwear.
Adhesive petals are reusable with proper care. These petals need to be hand washed with warm water and mild soap to remove and sweat, dirt or debris then left to air dry. Other types of adhesive back bras include foam lined cups with adhesive bands, silicone strapless bandeau, soft foam lined cups with adhesive silicone, and lace up adhesive cup to enhance cleavage.
Balconette
The balconette bra means “little balcony”. The breasts sit on a little balcony that has little to no coverage only covering half or three quarters of the breast including the nipple. This style is also known as the “half cup” bra for its shorter cups and leaving the top half of the breast exposed. It also has wider straps to make up for the stability lost in the smaller cups. The balconette is ideal for plunging necklines or revealing tops. It typically has a push-up element to it creating an illusion of larger breasts.
Other names: half-cup bra, balcony bra, shelf bra
Bralette
A bralette is a more casual undergarment that is not as structured as a traditional bra. It does not require supportive fabrics such as duoplex or bra lining. It can easily be pulled overhead as bralettes do not typically contain underwire, heavy padding or hook and eye closures. A bralette is worn more for style and comfort rather than functionality. Bralettes provide light coverage that are best suited for women with a smaller bust size. However, there are options for women with larger busts and with the wonders of sewing you can adjust your bralette pattern to cater to your needs. A bralette that caters to a larger bust may have a band closure and utilize some non-stretch fabrics for added support.
Demi
Similar to a balconette bra, the demi bra covers half to three-quarters of the breast. It is considered a partial cup bra that covers one inch above the nipple. Demi bras give the illusion of a push up bra because they are designed to highlight cleavage. They also have wide set straps which help distribute the weight of the breasts from the half or three-quarter cups. They are ideal for low-cut tops, t-shirts, or camisoles.
The demi bra can also be referred to as a half bra or shelf bra.
Plunge
The plunge bra was designed with cleavage in mind. The cups are set lowered and slightly angled allowing the center front of the bra (bridge) to be lower as well creating an optimal amount of cleavage. Due to the center front being so low with minimal fabric, plunge bras are typically closed by a front closure clasps. The straps are wider set for a plunge bra to help distribute the weight from the cups. Plunge bras, like demi and balconette, are not heavily lined. This design gives the illusion of a push up because of the cup structure without the bulk of padding. It is ideal for low cut garments especially deep v-neck designs.
Other common names: U-plunge bra
Push Up
A push up bra is exactly that. It pushes the bust up to enhance the shape and size of the breasts creating cleavage that is further highlighted by low cut neckline garments. The push up bra has padding which can be made out of foam or gel pads that are strategically placed on in a way that pushes the bust upward and outward. The style of a push up bra is generally a demi cup as this style of bra only covers three-quarters of the breast and creates the illusion of additional volume.
Push up bras become famous in the 1990s from the brand Wonder Bra.
Soft cup
A soft cup bra is designed without underwire support. The style of bra features a soft cup design and because of improvements in bra engineering it offers the same level of support as an underwire bra. Soft cup bras now feature support through the use of crisscross frames, padding/lining the cup with molded material or inner cup slings. Soft cup bras have always been considered a comfortable bra style but were typically just enjoyed by women with smaller bust sizes. With modern improvements, this style of bras is enjoyed by women of all sizes today.
T-Shirt
The T-Shirt bra, one of the most popular bra designs for women. This bra is intended to enhance clingy knit shirts with their seamless design and lightly padded contoured cups. The T-shirt bra design creates the illusion that your bra is invisible. The construction focuses on minimizing the appearance of hooks, straps and cups so that the wearer can enjoy the comfort and style of a t-shirt or other form-fitting garment. The t-shirt bra design also focuses on concealing the nipples usually by lining the cups lightly with foam or polyfill. This is a key design for t-shirt bras as show-through is more apparent with clingy fabrics if not wearing the correct bra.
A t-shirt bra can also be called a seamless bra. Although this type of bra is designed to be worn under any form fitting garment. The main feature is that there is no seam on the front cup which is great if you don’t care for interior cups seams that can chaff against your breast. This is a modern silhouette that gives support with clever design such as linings and under-cup slings along with molded cups for the stable yet invisible shape. The seamless bra design is typically sewn as one piece avoiding seams altogether. This bra is intended to appear invisible underneath clingy clothing and is a must have in any wardrobe.
Seamless bras can come in different styles such as traditional or racerback along with different cup styles and closures.
Strapless
The strapless bra is a bra without straps. It is intended for strapless garments such as a tube top, halter top, bare-shoulder dress or other bare shoulder garments and garments with a wide neckline. The design for a strapless bra is focused on an extra-wide band. The band contains underwire, padding, boning, and shaping panels to support the breasts. Strapless bras can contain silicone strips to help the bra stick to the body and hold in place. Some strapless bras will come with detachable straps. These straps can sometimes be clear to give you more stability while not being visible.
Minimizer
If you have a larger breast size then a minimizer bra might be a great addition to your wardrobe. It reduces the size of your breast by up to two inches by lifting and redistributing the breast tissue within the cup. This creates the illusion of a smaller bust size which is ideal for certain garments where you don’t necessarily want to bring attention to your chest.
A minimizer bra comes in several different designs all with the goal of shaping your bust to look proportional while offering extra support. This bra can be designed with seams or seamless. It is made with a no stretch fabric for the cups and a sturdy power net fabric for the band to help with any residual back bulge. Although this bra is meant to keep everything in its place it is still a comfortable undergarment as long as you buy the correct size of course.
If you are looking to purchase a minimizer bra be sure to have your correct measurements and buy based on that size. This design is ideal for button down shirts to avoid the bust button popping open and any other outfit where a smaller bust creates a more streamlined silhouette.
Underwire
The underwire bra is a very popular style of bra. It creates lift and support for a balanced silhouette. The underwire refers to a semi-circular wire made of metal, plastic or resin that comes in a range of bust sizes to fit below and around the breast. The underwire is inserted into a channeling that is sewn into the bra underneath the cup from the bridge to the underarm. The underwire bra works wonders in shaping your breast tissue to give you comfortable support while lifting your breasts to a natural position.
An underwire can be used in several bra designs (many of which have been discussed in this article). You will see an underwire used in full-figure bras, demi bras, balconettes, and so on. Underwire bras are desired for their support and shaping. If you are not a fan of underwires but need extra support there are several soft cup bra options today that have been designed to support your bust without an underwire. The only downside is they may not have the shape an underwire bra can provide.
Once you have your correct size, your underwire bra shouldn’t poke your sides or pop out away from your body. It should lay flush to your body and breastbone.
Unlined
An unlined bra is just that- a bra without any lining or padding in the cup. The design is meant to be lightweight, airy and comfortable. This is a more casual undergarment but an unlined bra can come in any bra style. It is often seen in bralette styles which are great everyday bras or lounging bras. These bras still offer support and can be designed with an underwire. This style is considered very sexy because it highlights the natural contours of the breast and is often designed with sheer or lacy fabrics. The downside to having less coverage is that your nipples may be seen through the fabric so consider this when picking an outfit to wear over your unlined bra.
Check out these great bralette patterns!
Sports
Sports bras are specifically designed to support your breasts during athletic activities. This design holds your breasts in place while still be stretchable enough to accommodate comfortable breathing. Designs and support vary depending on the athletic activity. Fabrics typically used for sports bras are absorbent and intended to reduce irritation to the skin and to keep you cool and dry.
Sports bras come a few different styles with the most popular be racerback for its additional support. Racerback straps are also more reliable in that they do not easily fall off your shoulder. This silhouette is generally very flattering and matches well with a lot of workout clothing styles.
Maternity
A maternity bra sometimes called a nursing bra is designed to accommodate the growing breasts of a pregnant woman. This bra is not necessarily designed for nursing although it can be. A maternity specific bra will have soft cups just like a nursing bra but it will not have a special clasp to pull the cup down for nursing. Instead, the soft cups have some stretch so the fabric can stretch with the growing breasts. Some women will gain two to three cup sizes during pregnancy and after when their milk supply comes in.
Maternity bras also features wider straps for added support and more hooks and eyes on the band for your growing body.
Nursing
Some women go straight to nursing bras instead of purchasing a maternity bra especially if they plan on breastfeeding. Nursing bras have all the same attributes as a maternity bra except a nursing bra allows you to unclasp the cup to expose the nipple for feeding. Both maternity and nursing are designed to accommodate growing breasts due to pregnancy and milk supply. Nursing bras are just as comfortable as maternity bras in that they are made of stretchy material, have more hooks and eyes to expand the band size and include wider straps.
Full Coverage
A full coverage bra is intended for a bustier woman. It is typically designed with a larger waistband and cups but can sometimes have a smaller band and larger cups or larger band and smaller cups. A full coverage bra tends to have an underwire, wider shoulder straps, and more hook and eyes to expand the band size. They also have additional construction details that create further lift like hidden under cup slings and wide side wings. You will find that full coverage bras have pretty sturdy fabric with good stretch recovery. This bra is intended to hug your silhouette to show off your curves while providing maximum coverage. Full coverage bras are designed with several activities in mind. You can find them full coverage sports bras, feminine silhouettes and leisure bras.
Full coverage bras are also called full-figured bras, full support bras or plus size bras.
Longline
The longline bra is a vintage style that extends from the breasts down to the waist or the hips. This type of bra was typically favored as an undergarment for wedding gowns or prom dresses but has become trendy to wear as a casual undergarment with a sheer blouse. Longline bras are favored for strapless garments and they have the added bonus of smoothing out the tummy. The extra wide band creates more support for your breasts and it can even help with your posture. Longline bras come with ot without underwire. Underwire creates more of a structured appearance perfect for formal wear while underwire free lends itself to a bralette style for a more casual appearance.
When purchasing a longline bra make sure you keep in mind that you must measure for not only your bust but your waist and hips as well. Also, do not confuse a longline bra with a bustier, which are more structured in design and can be worn by themselves.
Conclusion
Now that you are equipped with a little more knowledge on what types of bras are available and their function hopefully you will be able to decide what type of bra is right for you. First and foremost, when researching and buying any new bra style your best bet is to know your correct size. You can use my bra measurement guide to help you out. Also, keep in mind the function of the bra you need so you can measure yourself accordingly.
Happy Bra Shopping!