Top Bra Styles Every Woman Should Own

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

A frequent question here at HerRoom is "How many bras do I really need?" My answer back is "enough so that you have the following bra styles and bra features in your bra wardrobe.

You need a minimum of 3 everyday underwire bras that you rotate through. Why underwire? Because they optimize your bustline. They can be seamless, lightly padded, unlined, demi, back smoothing or have any other features you like... but these 3 bras should be your "go-to" bras that can be worn most days to satisfy your work/school wardrobe while being comfortable, invisible, and well-fitting.

A t-shirt or contour cup bra has a thin layer of padding in its cups for modesty, and it's seamless to be invisible under form-fitting clothing. Those with spacer foam will keep you cool. Memory foam, forms to each breast giving a custom fit and reduces gapping. Rigid pre-formed foam helps mask breast unevenness. Look for a full coverage style. This will minimize bra lines on your chest. T-shirt bras now come in many flesh-tones so women of all colors have options. And of course, a t-shirt bra could also be one of your everyday underwire bras.

Every woman should have a sports bra. They're designed differently than everyday bras. Their primary objective is breast containment - preventing breast bounce. All sports bras at HerRoom are labeled with low, medium, or high impact containment levels, and whether their design is encapsulation or compression. HerRoom shows you a "Bounce Test" video on all high impact sports bra. And we highlight their various performance fabrics. For more detailed sports bra information, please watch my other video on choosing the right sports bra

Plunge bras are the newest bra silhouette on the market as necklines seem to be getting lower. A plunge bra is designed with a center panel lower than your breast apex to accommodate low necklines. And many are designed with center-pull straps - a great design detail if you have sloping shoulders. If you frequently wear low necklines, a plunge bra could be one of your 3 everyday underwire bras.

The bralette is a great bra style for those times when you want something comfortable with a little support, while relaxing or sleeping. Their fit is less refined, so most are sized S, M, L etc., with one of these sizes fitting several traditional bra sizes. Though comfortable, a bralette is not a good everyday bra choice due to its relaxed fit.

Every woman should own a well-fitting strapless bra. Strapless bras have unique design details built into them unlike other bras. When you get one that fits, you can truly wear it all day without discomfort or slippage. »I wear mine a lot in the summer rather than a racerback style. So I never really worry about possible straps showing.

Women with larger cup sizes should consider a strapless longline for superior support. And some strapless bras come with removable straps thus making it multi-purpose and a great choice to travel with.

A bra with center pull straps is another must have. With the straps positioned and pulling more towards the center, you can wear V-neck and sleeveless tops with ease. At HerRoom, you can search to find bras that have center pull straps. And our exclusive measured image shows you strap placement. A center pull strap bra can replace the need for a racerback bra in my opinion. I personally don't like the way the straps of a racerback feel up near my neck resting on my trapezius muscle.
And center pull straps hide nicely under tank top styles as well.

There are many bras on the market today with back smoothing capabilities. I recommend you have a bra with this feature to wear with form-fitting clothes to reduce back lines and bulges.

For support and shape, a seamed cup bra is the best choice for women with cup sizes larger than a D. They’re also called cut-and-sew bras. The fabric used is usually woven, so is stronger. And the seams allow for altering if you need a more custom fit. Seams can be visible under form fitting clothing, but it's really only the US market that cares about this. In Europe, most women wear seamed cups and don't mind the subtle line a seamed bra can cause. And seamed bras have come a long way in keeping the seams really flat to minimize these lines.

Every woman should have a bra that makes her feel pretty and sexy. Usually it's a push up, sheer or a lace bra.

There are a few extra features you may want to consider when selecting your wardrobe of bras.

For those times when you may want reduced breast projection, consider a minimizer bra. However, they are primarily made in cup sizes D to D4.

At least one of your bras should be black because it looks best under darker colors, and looks more subtle should any of it peek out. A black bra is also sexy and slenderizing.

A new feature to bras is the J-hook. It allows you to quickly change the back placement of your straps to accommodate sleeveless tops. At HerRoom, every bra that comes with a J-hook is highlighted on our back images.

At HerRoom we have very extensive search capabilities so you can quickly find all these styles in your size.