Ask Angie: Braless Wardrobe

I was wondering whether you had any clients who don't wear bras (and don't want to attract attention to their nipples), and how you would incorporate this preference into their wardrobe, especially in a workplace environment. My go-to essential in this scenario would be a jacket, but in winter time, the jacket often needs to come off in overheated offices.

What kind of proportions would you recommend for pear-shaped women who are still hoping to balance their hips and (often) define their waist, but who do not want to draw attention to their busts?

11 years ago

Dressing

10 replies

Latest reply was from Gigi

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Hi, gradfashionista. I'm curious - so bear with me - why don't you wear a bra?

All my clients wear bras, so I don't have much guidance to offer I'm afraid. I do have clients who wear nipple covers in their bras to create a smoother surface around the bust area. I also have very small busted friends who don't wear bras - and generally the shape of their nipples shows through unless they wear a jacket or roomy and thick sweater/sweatshirt. I wonder whether a thick cami would prevent this from happening?

11 years ago

bj1111

Veteran

Nipple covers.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/.....SY165_QL70

I also have a pair of silicone covers. Got mine at nordies. These are similar.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/.....SY165_QL70

Sometime I just don't want to be constricted so I understand the question.

11 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Funny, we just had dinner with a couple the female half of whom had had a double mastectomy a few years ago and opted for no implants afterwards. She said she'd been a B cup before so she didn't have to change how she dressed that much. I don't know if she still had nipples so that might change the dynamics. She happened to be wearing a shirt with chest pockets on both sides - so I would think that would be an option. In any case, as a pear you'd probably want to add bulk on the upper half in any case, so layered tops, pockets, wraps, etc. might help with the nipple issue.

Otherwise, camisoles and nipple covers might be good resources.

11 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

Don't like padding, but I do wear a bra that is underwire but has a very soft cup. Showing a little nip doesn't bother me.

I remember my mother wearing a halter top evening dress and making an X with band aids over her nipples to avoid an obvious show through. Can't remember if it actually worked...

11 years ago

tulle

Veteran

Gradfashionista, I feel about bras the way some men feel about ties: I detest them! I came of age during the late 60s & early 70s, and was small-chested and high-breasted enough to go braless most of the time. Now I feel more self-conscious about visible nipples and jiggling, but still try to avoid bras when I can. Here are some tricks that have worked for me: shirts with strategically placed pockets, or pleated or double-layered fabric fronts; soft camisoles with double thickness or gathering across the bust, "sleep" bras made of stretchy t-shirt material with minimal elastic; stretch lace camis or bralets (the lace pattern seems to camouflage the nipple area.) You may find that a crisp cotton shirt under a sweater provides enough coverage for the office; even a silk shirt, thin undershirt, or long scarf tucked in with the ends over the breasts may suffice if the sweater has a chunky texture (could be cotton or linen rather than wool.) There are little beige flower-shaped smooth stick-on patches, often sold in lingerie shops, that might be best when you want to wear thinner clothes--synthetics are often particularly revealing--but I find them a bit of a nuisance, and generally unnecessary for my homebody wardrobe. I wish you luck--and comfort!

11 years ago

Greyscale

Veteran

I didn't wear a bra much until my 30s but I happen not to have very pokey nipples, so that was never a problem. And the past few weeks I've sometimes gone bra-less because of a sore rib. Fabric choice makes a difference - silk is perilous but heavy knits obviously show less. A lot of the current oversized styles work ok for me without a bra. But for me, I'd say that if I found myself covering up in extra layers to avoid notice, I'd probably just start wearing a bra and less other clothing. (And between growing a few cup sizes and the effects of gravity, I definitely appreciate bras more than I used to.)

11 years ago

jurocha

(website)

Veteran

Hm... I have a dress with a deep plunge that has being waiting on a Wonderbra (already ordered, not yet in). But maybe I will take it for spin with the band-aid cover?! Loved the story (and the trick) Runcarla!

11 years ago

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for everyone's responses so far.

Angie, I asked out of curiosity after perusing a few studies showing that the breasts of women who went braless, even for a period as short as year, sagged less. It had me thinking about whether going braless was possible without drawing unnecessary attention to oneself.

I wear bras outside of the house, but haven't found one that I wasn't eager to take off once I got home. A few individual challenges include a lipoma that makes back fat more obvious than it otherwise should be on one side, and periodic breast cysts on the other side. The general discomfort could be from ill-fitting bras, but I've been measured at Mark's and Spencer and Victoria's Secret, among other places, and still haven't managed to find something comfortable and pretty.

11 years ago

Anonymous

I am not large-breasted, but I wear stretchy camisole or crop tops instead of "proper" bras. I suppose some times I have a bump of nipple showing, but I don't really care about that, and generally I don't wear really tight clothing so I don't think it is super noticeable.

11 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Ah, a fellow braless YLFer! I started going braless this past spring, mostly for health reasons. I have lots of health conditions, and I need my lymph to circulate well. It's hard for the lymph to circulate in the breasts when you are wearing a bra. I have found that my breasts have become firmer without the bra in the several months I have been doing this.

For me, the best way to avoid nipple poke is with a thicker cami. I have a couple of nude ones from Old Navy that work pretty well. Close-fitting tank tops also work well, as do silk undershirts (i.e., long johns). I also look for strategically placed pockets. I am also very picky about fabrics; if a fabric is very drapey, it can cling to the breasts and draw attention to nipple poke. I don't wear nipple covers because, to be quite honest, I find it demeaning to have to cover up with stickers a part of my natural female anatomy so I can be socially "acceptable." (Some women actually put band-aids over their nipples to prevent them from poking through the fabric.)

I have found that as the months go on, I am less concerned about nipple poke. If someone sees a nipple, good for them! Ha ha. Nipples are a natural part of women's (and men's!) bodies, and there really shouldn't be anything indecent in it. No one has ever said to me that they have noticed anything out of the ordinary, and I have never gotten a rude glance. I have sometimes caught people staring, but I think it is just because they are curious and don't see this every day.

There is a forum on the Internet that helps women go braless. You might get more tips there: Going Braless. The forum is dedicated to a lot of issues related to bralessness, some of which are beyond my interests (for example, there are parts on the forum dedicated to going topless), but you don't need to participate in those subforums that don't interest you. I have found it to be very helpful in gaining support for going against the grain.

11 years ago

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