A bralette is a bra without wires, moulded cups, or much compression. Some resemble sports bras, but without the shock absorbing support. Bralettes are designed to be easy-going, lightweight and comfortable. They tend to create a flatter and more spread-out lift under clothing, as opposed to the round, high and perky lift an underwire bra gives you. The collection below shows a good assortment of bralettes, which are the styles YLF forum members enjoy wearing. They’ve been tried and tested with good results.
Our Team Bra versus Team Jiggle poll revealed that many women wear bralettes instead of bras either exclusively, frequently or occasionally. This surprised me since I have very few clients and friends who wear bralettes, and I don’t wear them either. I thoroughly enjoy wearing pretty bras with underwire and lots of structure so bralettes aren’t on my radar. This is not the case for others, who enjoy or prefer wearing bralettes for one or more of the following reasons:
- Daytime Comfort: The lack of compression, ultra softness of the fabric, and zero wire is a lot more comfortable than a regular bra with structured extras. Some have chosen to wear bralettes exclusively for this reason.
- Nighttime Comfort: Some wear regular bras out in public, but switch to bralettes at home for lounging, sleeping, gardening, housework, hanging with family, or working from home. The bralette offers just enough coverage and freedom without full-on braless jiggle and exposure.
- Travel Comfort: Some reserve bralettes for plane travel because the straps and hooks of regular bras ride up, chafe, and dig into the skin after sitting in a plane seat for several hours.
- Breast Sensitivity: Extreme breast and nipple sensitivity is bad news in a regular bra. The ultra soft bralette is just the ticket by providing forgiving and gentle protection.
- Outfit Accessory: Decorative bralettes are dead right to wear with low-cut tops, low-cut armholes or sheer tops by providing coverage and just enough support.
- Bra Break: The engineered support of a regular bra when you’re larger in the bust can create dents on the shoulders, which is quite heavy going. Wearing a bralette from time to time gives you a break without braless exposure.
- Bra Saving: Some wear bralettes to save their expensive bras from wearing out too fast. This is especially true for those who perspire a lot in hot and humid weather.
- Easy Care: Some prefer the wash care of a bralette because they can be thrown in the washer and dryer with ease. Bras with underwire on the other hand generally need a little more laundry care.
- Cooler in Hot Weather: Apparently bralettes are more ventilating than regular bras, which makes them fab if you run warm, have regular hot flashes, or it’s extremely hot weather.
- Shapes a Very Small Bust: A bralette can provide a nicer shape than a regular bra when you have a very small bust.
You don’t need to be small in cup size to effectively wear a bralette. Brands like Cosabella, Torrid and Aerie provide a large assortment of sizes and styles, and chances are high you’ll find one that fits if you like the idea of a bralette.
