Your Breast Look: A Guide to Different Bra Styles

Ask any woman who has gotten her bra professionally sized and she’ll tell you: the right fit can make all the difference. But the right size is not the only important factor when choosing a bra. There are many bra styles to choose from, just like shoes. When you are picking out your outfit you put some thought into what shoes you want to wear from flats to sandals to high heels. That same thought should go into what bra style you should be wearing. Most women know the basics: A lace bra and a T-shirt bra. However there are so many other options to choose from, and with a bra specialist’s help, they can help you pick the perfect bra style to match any outfit.

There are so many types of bra styles that it’s difficult to know if a bra style will actually work for your specific body type. However by selecting the right style bra, it will make you feel more confident, stand taller, and look thinner. A well-fitted bra and bra style can totally make or break an outfit.

Bra specialist Karen, from In the Mood Intimates, explains the different styles that are important for most women to have in their lingerie drawer.

1. T-Shirt Bras/Contour Bras – These are bras that “disappear” underneath knitted or clingy clothing. The cups always hold their shape, even when you are not wearing them. They are mostly made of thicker materials that provide great nipple coverage. These bras are not for every breast shape but they do tend to look good on everyone. Also with all the new technology, they come in underwire and wire free styles. Our best selling T-Shirt Bra is from Natori. It is comfortable and is flattering on most shapes and sizes. 

2. Demi and Balconnette Bras – These bras are great for open neckline tops and come in unlined and t-shirt styles. There is a slight difference between these two styles. A demi cup covers roughly half of the breast and lifts them front and center for added cleavage without a push-up. A balconnette bra is designed to reveal the top half of the breast with added support at the bottom of the bra to help lift the breasts up. This bra style is a good choice for shallower breast as it lifts up without creating cleavage or creasing. One of our best selling demi bras is by Montelle. It is comfortable, functional and looks great under open necklines.

3. Bralettes – The hottest new trend! It has an unstructured style that slips over your head. It is made of a supportive stretch lace with adjustable straps. They are comfortable enough to wear to sleep or on the weekends, but they are fashionable to wear as a layering piece. Most fuller busted women think that they can’t wear this bra style but Cosabella has come out with a “curvy” style that has been an overnight sensation. Believe us, it will change your viewpoint on wearing a bralette if you have a fuller chest.

4. Convertible and Strapless Bras – Sometimes these bras are the same and sometimes they are not. I do love convertible bras that are also “regular” bras. The straps are sewn in the front and then they can criss-cross in the back or can be a halter as well. Strapless bras normally have straps that can be attached but most women buy this bra style for a specific outfit or dress. We recommend bringing in the outfit that you plan on wearing the strapless bra with so that we can make adjustments. Full busted women can also wear strapless bras, as many styles go up to a J cup, and we promise you will not fall out. A favorite of ours is the Wacoal strapless bra.

5. Minimizer bras – A minimizer bra spreads breast tissue across the chest rather than bringing it all to the front. Some minimizer bras can reduce the appearance of breast tissue by over an inch. There is a great deal of discussion among bra fitters about this style. Most fitters think that this style does not do a good job lifting and supporting as it flattens out the breast tissue. However if you like this style, go for it. Our favorite minimizer is from Chantelle.

6. Push-up bras – Push-up bras do exactly what they say they will do: push-up the breast tissue. Most push-ups push the breast tissue towards the center and up with a demi cup shape. These bras are not just for smaller breasts anymore. Many women like the pushed up look, especially for special occasions. Our best selling push-up bra comes from OnGossamer. It offers medium to high cleavage depending on how it is worn.

7. Full Cup Bras – A full cup bra encapsulates all the breast tissue into a unlined, normally underwire cup. They provide excellent support and shaping through the cups and straps. Fuller breasted women benefit the most from this bra style. There are so many supportive full cup bras. We do love the Prima Donna collection.

Now that you know most of the different styles of bras out there, the next logical question is how many bras should I own? The magic number is 7. One strapless or convertible bra for special outfits, one bralette for lazing around and five everyday bras including a demi and T-shirt bra. It’s important to keep these in frequent rotation. You should not wear a bra for days in a row because your body oil build-up will break down the fibers in the bra, so it will age more quickly.

Hand washing is the best, but we all know that we do not have the time to do that on most days. Instead you can put the bra in a mesh bag and wash it on cold in the delicate cycle. Bras can be washed with other light clothing, nothing bulky like towels. However make sure that you hang dry, as dryers will ruin the elastic and cups.

Finally, when is it time to replace your bras? For ones that get daily wear, about every nine months or so when the band starts to stretch out. I recommend that new strapless bras be bought at the start of each summer season as they tend to get more wear and tear with heat and sweat during the summer months.

In our store, In the Mood Intimates at 1215 Post Rd in Fairfield, CT, we have learned that all our wonderful customers want to be supportive and look good and we are here to help you figure out all the different bra styles. We carry many of the styles discussed in today’s blog post plus many other styles too. Schedule your bra fitting online at InTheMoodIntimates.com or at 203-256-1119. Or you can just stop by and we can show you all the different styles that work with your size and type of breast tissue.