Bra Styles - Definition of Bra Types
Women's bras come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes to serve a variety of functions, from lift and support to minimizing the breast size and much more. MyFineLingerie.com has attempted to compile and explain the differences between bra styles and bra types. If you wish to learn more about how to measure one's bra size and how to correct common bra fitting problems, please visit our articles on Bra Sizing and Bra Fitting.
Glossary of Bra Styles and Types of Bras
Adhesive Bra
Adhesive bras are comprised of bra cups with medical grade adhesive on one side, which allow for the adhesive bra to be worn several times. Adhesive bras provide little support, however, they help fill out the bust as well as conceal the nipple under light fabrics.
Air Bra
Air bras are equipped with small bags of air in each cup, which may be removeable. Air bras help to enhance the bust and cleavage, providing a more erotic and alluring appeal
Backless Bra
The backless bra, as one may surmise, has no back and may also have no straps. A backless bra is usually self adhesive, lightweight and self supporting. It is the perfect bra when wearing low back and backless garments as well as off the shoulder apparel. Some backless bras may have a strap that is in a diamante design to disguise it more under clothing, it can also help to add the illusion of something more feminine underneath.
Balconette Bra
The Balconette bra is similar to the half cup bra, however, provides just a bit more coverage and provides a sexuer, more alluring look. The middle of the balconette bra is slightly different in design to the half cup bra and appears not to be as straight across the bust, which helps provide shape and support.
Bralette
The Bralette bra is typically associated with an unlined wireless bra that pulls over the head.. It is more of a leisure bra as it provides littlet support. The bralette bra style is best suited for small busted women or for some support while sleeping.
Convertible Bra
The Convertible Bra is multi-functional in that it can be worn as a halterneck alone, a halter neck and low back to accompany a similar style dress or top, and also a normal two strap (over the shoulders) with the normal central strap around the back. These bras can be worn under all types and styles of clothing including low back, strapless and of the shoulder items. The convertible bra can also be worn as any standard bra with T shirt tops and dresses. The wonderful thing about multifunction bras is that the shoulder straps can be removed altogether.
Demi Bra
A demi cup bra has less breast coverage. The industry generally cuts a demi cup to 1" above the nipple point. Most push-up bras are demi cups to show more cleavage. The underwires of a demi cup are much shallower or shorter. Also, most demi cups are designed with a slight tilt to push the breasts towards the center for more cleavage and remove breast tissue from under the arms. The demi cup design is great for petite women who have issues with their underwires poking.
Drop Cup Bra
These are generally known as nursing bras with an easy to use clip at the top of each cup so that the cups can be individually dropped down as and when baby needs to be breastfed. As each cup can be dropped individually it makes breast feeding more discreet for both Mother and Baby. These bras are now very pretty and colourful, unlike years ago when they were usually in white and very plain looking. They help mothers have a good experience with breastfeeding their child and also help to make it less fiddly. The clips are very easy to drop down in a hurry and gives mothers a hand free to adjust babies while they are feeding.
Full Cup Bra
The Full Cup bra covers the entire breast and makes a bra look larger than it is. The full cup is designed to give more support for the breasts, this is very important to help keep the shape and fullness of the breast. Full cup bras are very stylish and can be sexy looking depending on the fabric that they are made from. The full cup bras are ideal for larger breast sizes and pregnant women as less support can lead to a slight sagging of the breasts and back pains.
Front Fastening Bras / Front Closure Bra
Front fastening bras are said by some to be more convenient than back fastenings as the clasps are easier to use and see. Struggling with hooks around the back can be quite uncomfortable and awkward for some, as you can’t see what you’re doing. The hook and eye clasps are also quite small and they can be awkward to line up. Some men may agree that front fastening bras are easier to undo! These bras can be wired or non-wired and come in a variation of styles, designs and colours. They can be worn under any type and style of clothing including day wear and evening wear whether it is a skirt and jacket suit or a sumptuous and sexy evening gown.
Half Cup Bra
The half cup bra gives three quarters of coverage of the breasts and this gives it a sexier look and feel. The half cup still gives great support while still being very fashionable and youthful. These bras are ideal for younger wearers or those that still have firm breasts and they can help to give the look of more cleavage. They are ideal to wear with any clothing even low front cut tops and dresses.
Halter Bra
The halter neck bra has clasps on the straps, which attach at the back of the neck and also around the back as a normal bra does. The coverage of the breasts is similar to the half cup cut. The Halterneck bra is suitable to wear under lots of different outfits including strapless tops or dresses and those off the shoulder items of clothing that are so popular in the summer months.
Liquid Bra
The liquid bras contain a small pouch of liquid gel in each cup. The liquid bra helps to give the illusion of more cleavage and improve lift, they can sometimes add almost a whole cup size to your bust. Liquid bras don’t have any lumps or bumps so shouldn’t make your breasts look an odd shape or size. Liquid bra’s can also help with the look of any outfit and can be worn at anytime, day or evening, with any outfit. They may or may not have removable inserts depending on the make and style of the bra. There is a more natural look and feel with these bras. There are more and more different designs of liquid bras and they are available in a variety of different sizes and styles.
Nursing Bra / Maternity Bra
Maternity Bras are worn by women while pregnant and they are designed to help give as much support as possible while your breasts grow and fill out during pregnancy. We all gain a little weight during pregnancy and this extra weight helps to increase breast size, so you may find that you need to buy quite a few bras throughout the 9 months of pregnancy, and you will need to have support while they grow to help reduce sagging. Maternity bras are made in varying designs and are very fashionable now, with different colours and styles, depending on the occasion. There are even Multiway maternity bras now, so you can look stunning in evening wear and day wear depending on the time of year and whether you are trying to feel cool or look glamorous.
Minimizer Bra
The minimiser tends to be more for larger cup sizes DD and up, as they are designed to make the breasts look smaller than normal. The minimiser also helps to prevent ‘spill over’ and ‘gaping button’ syndrome in shirts and blouses. It should also help to give a more flattering and smoother look to the bust. Sometimes even with the right sized bra there can be a few lumps and bumps from the breasts and this is when a minimiser bra comes in. These bras can be worn with day and evening wear and can give a smoother look around the bust area under clothing. The minimiser helps to reduce the size of the breasts and give added support for larger sizes. As larger sizes may hang more with age they need the extra support and uplift.
Padded Bra
Padded bras are fairly self explanatory but do vary slightly, some have thicker padding than others. They offer anything from a slight lift to the bust line or a more push up effect, as well as comfort. All are very fashionable and feminine. Some padded bras may have removable insert pads others are just padded more on the lower part of the cup to give more lift and to help give the effect of more cleavage. The padding is in different thicknesses for different styles of padded bras and it may also depend on the fabric used in the making of the bras. Padded bras come in many sizes, colours and materials
Push Up Bra
Contrary to popular belief there is a difference between the padded and push up bras. The push up has more padding in a slightly different place and so gives more lift and cleavage to the bust. This padding is usually in the form of inserts that fit into a pocket on the inside of each cup these inserts are sometimes called fillets. These pads or fillets are usually made of sponge or some other material that will give a more natural look and feel to the breasts. The pads can sometimes be inserted or removed as necessary depending on the look you require. They can help to improve the look of cleavage or to help enhance the look of whatever outfit you are wearing. The Push-up bra can be worn at anytime not just for evenings out, they can come in varying degrees of padding and designs and the fabrics are in various colours and patterns.
Racerback Bra
Racerback bras are also called T-back and sportback bras. A racer-back bra is any design for the back that allows maximum movement of the back and arms. It can have a high curve near the neckline with a T-strap down the center back; have bra straps attached close together on a back with a center back panel; or have cut-outs around the shoulder blades.
Because of the back design, a racer-back bra will most commonly be front closure. It therefore has all the front closure challenges mentioned above. The strap placement may also be too close to your neck, pushing down on your cervical nerve, which runs from your neck to your shoulders. Therefore, headaches, neck pain, numbness and shoulder pain are frequent complaints by women who have tried racer-back bras.
Seamless Bra
The seamless bra has no seams on the cups and some may or may not be underwired. They would still give some support but are not as supporting as underwired bras. Seamless bras are very elegant in style and fit and give a cleaner line under tight or close fitting clothing. These bras are ideal for wearing with evening wear that needs a more elegant look and day wear that needs to have a clean smooth look. Seamless bras are perfect under all types of clothing from t-shirts and lycra tops to seductive cocktail dresses.
Shelf Bra
A shelf bra is a bra with an underwire and a very small cup which does not cover the nipple. Apart from being extremely titillating to men, smaller breasted women can wear shelf bras in place of a bra if they want a "natural" look, but without the sagging. If you want to go braless, but secretly wish you had some support, a shelf bra is the answer.
Sports Bra
Women's s ports bras are designed to reduce breast bounce and give great support for the bust while exercising. It helps to keep your breasts in place whilst you’re doing energetic sports. Sports bras vary in many ways, depending on how active you are and what kind of sport you do, will depend on the type of sports bra you will need to buy. A lot of sports bras have a range of different supports for low impact sports up to high impact for more strenuous and active sports. Whether you are doing aerobics, tennis, running or horse ridding these bras help a lot to take the strain off the breast and chest muscles.
Strapless Bra
Of all bra styles, the strapless bra is the most technically challenging to design. Without straps, they must rely completely on the strength of the fabric, the design of the band, and the shape of the underwires to stay in place and provide support. A strapless bra without underwires is a bandeau and has no significant support.
The most successful strapless bras have a wide band; boning under the arms and at the center front; deep underwires; gripper-like silicone strips along the inside to reduce slippage; and special elastic with exposed small rubber loops to help grip. Some strapless bras also put boning in the cups. Such boning gives additional support to larger breasts.
Strapless underwires are different from other underwires. Not only are the wires they taller, but they also curve in to encompass the breast more than a normal underwire. When the underwires splay, they actually encircle the breast giving better support as well as reduced slippage.
Even with all this technology and sophisticated designing, a strapless bra will always be a little uncomfortable and need to be pulled up throughout the evening if the wearer is active.
T-Shirt Bra
The T-Shirt bra is designed to provide a smooth appearance under soft and thin materials, such as a traditional t-shirt, hence the name T-shirt bra. The term t=shirt bra and seamless bra may be used interchangeably.
Triangle Bra
The triangle bra cut is really self explanatory, the fabric is cut in a triangular shape. The triangle bra is not usually underwired but some manufacturers may. The centre of the bra is unlike most as it is merely connected to the chest strap of the bra. Most bras have a central piece of material that attaches all pieces to the chest strap, but the design for the Triangle bra is very different in that they do not have this. The reason this is possible is due to the fact that they are not generally wired. Although they are not wired they can still give good support to the breasts and add a more natural shape and look. Without the wire the bust can support itself and so in turn will not cause any pinching or squeezing that some people may find with underwires.
Underwire Bra
The underwired bra is designed to give added support and shape to the bust, and help to reduce any sagging. Underwired bras can be very sexy and elegant in their design and fit. Some styles can give a seductive plunge look to the breasts. These bras are usually worn with everyday clothing but can be worn with evening and party wear also. They come in various different styles and designs and can be either plain looking or elegantly seductive. Underwired bras are designed for older teenagers and women as these are the people who need the support younger girls who are still developing may find that wired bras cause the breasts to be deformed or misshapen.
Zip Cup Bra
The Zip Cup is also a maternity or nursing bra, the difference between this and the drop cup is that the zip is on the outer side of the bra, starting from the top of the cup. This makes breast feeding even more convenient as you can drop the cup down using one hand instead of both as may be needed with the drop cup. The zip cup is just as discreet as the drop cup bra. The Zip is constructed in the same way as it would be on trousers or skirts in that it has fabric behind to prevent any pinching of the skin when in use. The outer part of the zip also has a fabric liner constructed so that you baby will not be able to harm themselves on it. The Zip cup Nursing bras as with any drop cup are very modern in their design and so there is no need to feel frumpy even when feeding your baby. The Fabrics are both modern, comfortable and stylish, some even have different colours or patterns.