Guide to Bra Styles for Every Size, Style and Shape Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close
10 Bra Styles for Every Size and Shape
The foundation of a sharp outfit begins with the right undergarment
Juanmonino/Getty Images There's a dirty little secret we never talk about: . Besides the fact that most of us wear the same bra day after day (we don't wash them often enough — admit it!), we complain about poking underwires, bands that hike up, bra bulges and straps that dent our shoulders. Most of all, we can't wait to get home and take the darn thing off. Sound familiar? The right bra feels comfy and looks appealing. It also makes or breaks the fit of everything you wear. No one needs all the bras listed below, so find the best ones for your breasts and buy a backup. Here are 10 ways to make your bra a bosom buddy. 1 Seamless underwire T-shirt bra
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. This full coverage anti-sag style provides maximum structure for a generous bosom — it's the tailored jacket of bras. The wire hoists your “girls” up and off the torso, adding more space between your waist and chest, and the molded or lightly lined cups create a rounded natural look with no see-through possible. Try the T-Shirt Bra from Ava & Viv ($22, target.com), Bali's Live It Up Seamless Underwire Bra No. 3353 ($38, target.com), or splurge on the new online brand ThirdLove's 24/7 Classic Perfect Coverage Bra ($68, thirdlove.com) to wear beneath clingy tees, knits and fitted sweaters. And yes, while some T-shirt bras say so on the label, others don't. Go by the description. Insider tip: If a T-shirt bra gives you double boobs, the cups are too small, so go up a size or try another brand. Be sure the bra band and underwire fit snugly under your bosom, the cups totally enclose your breasts, and both bra fabric and underwire feel soft, not squeezed or too constricted. Getty Images 2 Wireless full-coverage bra
The new alternative to bra No. 1 mentioned above uses a high-tech engineered design instead of wires to shift breast tissue upward for lift and has seamless molded or light-foam cups for a firm natural look. It's a good choice for full-busted or full-figured women who find underwires a tough fit (does yours always creep up?) but need the extra support. Hanes Women's ComfortFlex Fit Full-Coverage Wireless Bra G260 ($12, target.com) and Simply Perfect by Warner's Women's Invisible Edge Lift Seamless Wireless Bra ($20, target.com) hug your body and won't be detectable, even in pale silk blouses, light knits, jersey dresses or bodysuits. Insider tip: Put your wire-free contoured bra on, bend slightly forward and use one hand to scoop your breast (including sides and bottom), then swoop it into the cup. Rotate between a handful of bras instead of wearing the same bra daily in order to give the spandex a break, as well as time to recover its snap back. 3 Racerback bra
For those of us with largish chests, shoulder straps that cross or morph into a Y or V shape in back take the pressure off our neck and shoulders while providing plenty of support. Women with narrow or sloping shoulders (and chests of any size) love racers, too, because there's zero strap slippage, which is especially important when wearing sleeveless dresses and tops. Try the new online brand True & Co.'s True Body Lift V Neck Racerback Full Cup Bra ($58, trueandco.com), with sizes up to XXL, and the cult favorite Spanx Bra-llelujah! Racerback Bra ($68, spanx.com), with sizes up to 38 DD, for all-gain, no-strain style. Insider tip: Look for seamless, smooth and stretchy racerbacks with wider and secure nonadjustable hardware-free straps for extra comfort and “invisible” molded or engineered cups. You may have to spend a little more to get these details, but the result and — aaah! — feeling is worth it. 4 Bralette
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If a neck-lengthening, super-flattering V neckline is your signature style — and for many women with a full bust it is — choose bras in sync. A plunge bra with a deep and wide V between the cups and contoured soft foam or lined cups for coverage and natural-looking shaping — like Paramour Women's Carolina Plunge Wirefree Bra ($22, target.com) or Bali's Comfort Revolution Full-Figure Front-Closure Bra style 3P66 ($42, kohls.com) — won't show under V-neck tees or pullovers, or when you unbutton your shirt or blouse to expose your upper chest. Insider tip: Plunge bras require attention to fit since they have the least coverage and control upfront. The bra should feel snug when worn on the loosest hook. With washing and wear and time over time, the band will stretch — sometimes by inches — which is when you tighten up and move a hook inward. Wear your lowest V-neck shirt to try on a new bra. for entertainment news, style advice and more. 6 Multi-way bra
Ever buy a strapless bra for a specific dress and then find you never wear it again? So have millions of women who are now fans of convertible bras such as Warner's This Is Not a Bra Full-Coverage Strapless Convertible Bra No. 1693 ($40, kohls.com) and Wacoal's Red Carpet Strapless Full Bust Underwire Bra ($68, nordstrom.com), which morph from a strapless to a cross-back, halter or one-shoulder bra. As a strapless bra, it stays up, with cups melting into your body, and there are no telltale ridges or lines. And you always have a bra that works with trendy tops like your off-shoulder party blouses to wear with jeans. Insider tip: Since strapless bras require the band to do everything, you might consider going down a band size and up a cup size. Look for bras with nonslip silicone strips that line the inside that grip but leave no marks. Keep the bra and its strap in a separate plastic baggie in your lingerie drawer to avoid last-minute panic. 7 Sports bra
Even if your idea of exercise is a walk or yoga, a bra that minimizes bounce and gives breast tissue extra support is necessary. Choose from low- to high-impact styles that vary in compression and design in order to complement the intensity of your workout. A low-impact bra works for yoga or golf, while a high-impact one would be best for running, tennis or interval training. Look for bras with cup separation — to avoid a uni-boob effect — in a moisture-wicking fabric, such as Old Navy Medium Support Sports Bra ($23, oldnavy.com), Champion Women's Plus-Sized Max Support Power Shape Underwire Sports Bra-C9 ($27, target.com), or GapFit Sculpt Bonded High-Impact Sports Bra ($50, gap.com). AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS