A Guide to Bra Styles
Choose the Right Underwear to Create the Perfect Breasts
With a plethora of bra styles it is difficult to decide whether the perfect bra for you is a balconnette, half cup, air bra or multiway. Here is a guide.
Finding the right bra need not be difficult when you know what to look for.
Bras to Increase Breast Size
- Air bras have bags of air in each cup to create the illusion of bigger breasts. They also help to create cleavage as the air bags push the breasts together more. Some air bras have fixed pads but the majority are removable and can be inflated and deflated.
- Liquid bras hold a small liquid gel pouch in each cup. Much like air bras they are designed to increase the breast size and create cleavage. They are heavier but feel more realistic than air bras.
- Padded bras have thick or thin padding to increase the breast size. Some bras have removeable pads but most are fixed. Padded bras will come in most styles for example, half cups, multiways, balconnette, etc.
Bras For Extra Support
- Full Cup bras cover the entire breast and give more support whilst producing a result of fullness. They give good support so are ideal for larger cup sizes or pregnant women.
- Support bras are designed to give extra support when doing exercise to stop the breasts bouncing about. Some bras can be bought according to activity so in addition to a normal sports bra you can buy a high-impact sports bra and a low-impact sports bra.
- Minimiser bras are usually for larger cup sizes. They are designed to give a smoother and more flattering look to breasts that sometimes don't fit as well in styles such as the balconette bra. They give extra support and shaping so appear to minimise the breast size. The cups usually cover the whole breast.
Bras to Create Cleavage
- Balconette Bras are just over a half cup and usually slant upwards a bit. The Half Cup cuts straight across the breast and covers about three-quarters of it. They are ideal for still firm breasts and create the impression of a cleavage.
- Push-up bras have more padding than padded bras and instead of being under and covering the breast the padding is positioned more to the side so as to push the breasts together and create a cleavage. As with padded bras, the padding can be fixed or removeable. Some of the newer styles of bra, most famously Gossard, have a drawstring between the cups to vary the amount of cleavage from slight to va-va-voom!
Comfortable Bras
- Front fastening bras are easier to fasten. They usually fasten with one or a few hooks and eyes but other than that are the same to other bras.
- T-Shirt or seamless bras have no seams on the cups and some have no underwiring. This is to give a smooth look under t-shirts and tight or delicate tops.
- The triangle bra is built for comfort. It usually isn't underwired or padded and is made up of two triangle pieces. They are much like an adult version of a training bra.
Bras to Wear Under Special Outfits
- Multiway bras are designed so that the strap can be worn as a halterneck, as normal, strapless or over one shoulder.
- Backless bras are designed to wear with backless tops and dresses. They fall into 2 categories: halter neck and adhesive. Halter necks will have one strap around the neck like a bikini and one which goes around the lower back and crosses over the waist. Adhesive bras stick to the skin.
Specialist Bras
- Maternity bras are designed for pregnancy. They give extra support without under wiring.
- Drop Cup Bras or Nursing Bras are for breastfeeding mothers.They are rarely underwired or padded and have a clip on each strap so the cups can be dropped individually to breastfeed.
- Zip cup bras are also for breast feeding, but are even more convenient as the entire cup zips off.
- Mastectomy bras are designed for women who have had a partial or full mastectomy and have pockets to hold the prosthesis. As women who buy these bras will each have very individual needs, the first fitting should be done in a shop where a prosthesis will also be discussed. The bras do not come pre-filled, as some women will need just one prosthesis; some will need two, while some may need just a semi prosthesis on one breast. These bras are also suitable for women with very uneven cup sizes.
Further Reference
For further information on mastectomy bras a good resource is the Ted Mann Center Website. There are also many shopping sites with a wide range of simple and fancy mastectomy bras.
For photos of any of these styles an excellent reference is Breast Talk.
The copyright of the article A Guide to Bra Styles in Women's Lingere/Swimwear is owned by Dulcinea Norton-Smith. Permission to republish A Guide to Bra Styles must be granted by the author in writing.
