When it comes to bra shapes, we all have our tried and trusted favourites. But if your go-to style has become the only type of bra in your lingerie drawer, you could be missing a trick!
You may love the rounded shape of a T-shirt bra, but wouldn’t a bralette look fabulous under your sheer blouse? And yes, those full-cup options are super-supportive, but wouldn’t a plunge look better under your deep-V top?
Having lots of options to hand each day means you’ll always have the right bra to go with that killer outfit. But which shape goes with what? Learn more about each bra style below to find what will work best.
Bralette
What is a bralette? Soft and generally less structured than a normal bra, bralettes look a little like a crop top. But unlike normal lingerie, bralettes are worn to be seen. The look is all about delicate lace, seductive satin or pretty prints in a rainbow of colours.
Looks great with: Sheer blouses, low-arm tank tops... bralettes can help you wear some of fashion’s trickiest necklines with ease. You can also wear a bralette as a top (or at least have it peeking out from under a blazer) for a daring evening or daytime look.
Perfect for: Whereas once you needed gravity-defying B-cup boobs to wear a bralette, times have changed. Many of Pour Moi’s bralettes come with supportive features built-in, from underwire to thick underbands. At Pour Moi, there’s a bralette for everyone.
Longline Bras
What is a longline bra? With great uplift provided by the underband, a longline bra will give you the look of a worn-to-be-seen bralette, but with lots more support and shaping. Strapless longline bras are ideal if you’re fuller in the bust because of the extra inches of fabric underneath.
Looks great with: Style a longline bra with high-waisted shorts or a glamorous satin skirt for a night out. These styles also look fabulous under a slip or shirt dress or under a deep-V neckline.
Perfect for: While a longline bra works well with all breast shapes and sizes, they’re particularly useful for larger cup-sizes because of all that extra support.
Balconette Bras
What is a balconette bra?Feminine and sexy, a balconette offers support from the base of the cups for a natural-looking uplift. With shorter cups, it has an almost horizontal, low neckline. But despite the lack of coverage, a balconette gives a fantastically rounded shape and lots of support.
Looks great with: Ideal for low, square-neck tops and dresses. And because it’s so supportive, it’s comfortable enough for everyday wear.
Perfect for: So feminine and flirty, a balconette shape looks great on everyone. But it’s perfect for women who want significant support without the extra coverage of a full-cup. Balconettes can also offer a great up-lift to those with fuller busts and are especially comfortable if you have wide-set breasts.
Full Cup Bras
What is a full-cup bra? Full-cup bras score highly when it comes to providing maximum comfort and support for larger cup sizes. Boasting sturdier underwires and stretchier fabrics, the wider straps are set close together so there’s less chance they’ll slip off your shoulders.
Looks great with: Full-cup options give a lovely rounded shape that’s perfect for everyday wear. But with pretty lace and feminine detailing, they can look every bit as sexy as lighter options. Wear them with blouses, sweaters and wrap dresses.
Perfect for: Ideal for keeping larger bust sizes secure and supported all day long. Full cups are famous for holding you in while giving you a lovely, natural shape. If you have small breasts though, this shape may be too covering.
Plunge Bras
What is a plunge bra? With a deep V-neckline and angled cups that come up low at the centre, a plunge gives maximum cleavage without the need for extra padding. Its shape helps to enhance the look of your breasts, gently lifting and pushing them towards the centre of your chest for an eye-catching look.
Looks great with: Perfect for low-cut tops and dresses with deep V-necklines.
Perfect for: Plunge bras suit most women, but they work especially well if you find that a normal underwire digs into your breasts in the centre. The underwire in a plunge bra starts near the bottom of the breast so there’s less chance it’ll dig in. Plunge options can also be a good fit if you have narrow shoulders and find that bra straps often slip down.
Push Up Bras
What is a push up bra? While a plunge bra uses its V-neck design to boost your cleavage, a push-up bra uses padding to give the same effect. The moulded padding starts the bottom of the cups and is graduated upwards, to push breast tissue up and to the middle of your chest.
Looks great with: Push-up bras work well with low-cut tops and dresses, but can also boost your shape under any figure-hugging outfits.
Perfect for: Push-up bras work best for women who need a little more oomph up top. They’re also a great option for rounding out your breast tissue is fuller on the bottom than it is on the top.
T-shirt Bras
What is a Tshirt bra? One of the most popular bras we sell at Pour Moi, and with good reason. T-shirt bras are just so comfortable! Seam-free and made of moulded material, they’re designed to be invisible under the tightest of clothes, with no nipple show-through.
Looks great with: Just about everything! Made to be worn everyday, T-shirt bras give a fabulously smooth silhouette in even the most figure-hugging clothes, from tight tees to body con dresses.
Perfect for: T-shirt bras look great on everyone. But they’re particularly useful if you have different-sized breasts, or you don’t like your natural breast shape and wish to round it out.
Sports Bras
What is a sports bra? Although they work in different ways, sports bras are designed to hold breasts close to the chest to minimise the impact of movement during sport. Some women find this flattens the look of their breasts, so we’ve made sure that our sports bras come with features that keep you looking good while you’re working out. Some of Pour Moi’s sports bras have light padding to give you shape and eliminate nipple show-through, while others have hidden underwire to keep breasts separated and defined.
Looks great with: You can wear sports bras under your usual workout clothes. But Pour Moi’s sports bras look like workout tops in their own right. Just add leggings!
Perfect for: Choose high impact styles for running or dancing, but go for medium impact to keep secure while you twist, bend and stretchin activities like yoga.
Padded Bras
What is a padded bra? A padded bra has foam lining in the cups which is ideal for eliminating nipple show-through and creating a smooth shape. The foam cups can provide softness inside and support outside, keeping you feeling comfortable. But while padded bras can give you a boost, this style does not always mean adding inches to your bust.
Looks great with: You can wear padded bras with just about anything, but they’re perfect for giving you a lovely shape under tight-fitting dresses.
Perfect for: While padded bras can help accentuate smaller breasts, they also suit anyone who likes their bras with a little more soft cushioning.
Non-wired Bras
What is a non-wired bra? Prefer not to wear a bra with a wire? A non-wired style is ideal. Soft and comfy, non-wired bras are like slippers for your boobs. Although they won’t provide the same kind of definition to your breasts as underwired styles, they do offer some support. This comes from its style and shape, as well as its innovative fabric.
Looks great with: Non-wired bras look great with less form-fitting styles, such as loose jumpers or shirt dresses.
Perfect for: Anyone who wants to feel freer or looser around the chest area. This could be for a variety of reasons, from breast-feeding to surgery.
Strapless and multi-way bras
What is a strapless or multi-way bra? A must for every lingerie drawer, strapless or multiway bras stay in place with or without straps. In a multi-way, straps can be re-positioned to offer a multitude of different looks, from halter-neck and racer-back to one-shoulder. Both styles feature firmer elastic in the underband to help the bra stay put.
Looks great with: Ideal for evening, strapless tops or dresses with tricky necklines.
Perfect for: All women can wear a strapless bra, but those with fuller busts should look for longline strapless styles that have an even more supportive underband.
Bandeau
What is a bandeau bra? A cross between a strapless bra, a boob tube and a bralette, a bandeau is a strip of stretchy fabric. The bandeau is more of a casual bra to wear at-home or to sleep in as it provides minimum support but maximum comfort!
Looks great with: Wear a bandeau on its own if you’re brave, or use it to help you wear a top with skinny straps, such as a camisole or a slip dress.
Perfect for: While you may think a bandeau is not for you if you’re full in the bust, Pour Moi’s bandeau bras come with supportive features such as underwire to keep everything in place.