Bra Styles :)

Haven't written here in a while, figured it was time for another one :).

Now we have established bra sizes, and the rough ways in which they work, lets have a look at styles.

So many women will wear a style that they like, without it actually working well with the way they look. There are several basic styles to choose from, each suiting different types of.....well boobs. One is known as a contouring bra. This bra has what is called contouring, it is not padding, but a small layer that adds smoothness to the bra, so if you are wearing a tshirt, there will be no visible lines. One thing that drives me nuts about this bra is that so many women assume that it is padding! No, it is not padding, it is only to make you more smooth! If it is too thin, you will see nipples.

The next is a bra with no contouring, which is usually going to be balconette style. The bra with no contouring is basically a lace or fabric cup with no shape to it, but this can still be extremely good in terms of support, depending on the brand and the fit (go and get fitted if you haven't already, and trust the person fitting you, we do it so much, we know what we are doing....most of the time ;), sometimes it's good to get a second opinion). So the bra with no contouring is great, particularly if you are a bit bigger as it will be more flattering, and the stretch in some will mean if you are a bit fuller in the bust, you will still fit it.

There are two main ways a bra is made, the first is the wire in the middle is very low, the second (balconette) is when the wire comes up higher. If you are a smaller cup (A-C) you can generally wear either, though again it's best to be fitted to be sure :). Balconette is better for those who are a bit bigger as it will give you more support, and for older women it pulls things together when they start to go....um.....south lol. As an F cup, I prefer a balconette, but I do have one triumph bra in the other style that actually works for me, which is great because ya gotta show off the assets! This is again why it is good to get a second opinion on the bras you are buying.

There are two less popular styles which are worth mentioning, and they are the soft cup bra and the maternity bra. One thing that makes me laugh at work is the look on a woman's face when she is actually looking at a maternity bra, not a normal one. But it is easy to confuse them. A couple of handy tips, to save embarrassment if you aren't pregnant. A maternity bra will have no underwire for starters. There are also clips where the strap meets the cup, this is so part of the bra can fold down for feeding. If you look out for these you will figure out that this is a maternity bra, and probably not what you are looking for. When I learn more about maternity bras, I will do a blog on them :). Soft cup bras are similar to the maternity bra in that they don't have wire. However, they are not made for feeding, so will have a solid attached cup. These are less popular, as they generally don't give as much support as an underwire bra. However, some people feel more comfortable in these, and some have to wear them for various reasons, and they are still a good bra. I am just partial to the underwire.

I won't put piccies up for now, cos I'm a bit unsure on copyright stuff, but if you want more info just ask and I can show you in the right direction. If you google image the terms you will get a good idea of what I am talking about.

Next blog I'll talk a bit about brands, which ones are generally right for what sort of body type ;)

xo