Bra Styles Explained

There are so many different ways to describe a bra, push up, balconette, soft is to name just three and while some names are relatively self explanatory, the sheer number of different descriptions can be very confusing. So we have decided to write a short description for each bra type which we hope will help you decide the sort of bra you really want.

Push-up

One of the easier ones to explain. It does what it says. It will have under wired cups and is structured to lift and support the breasts. The cups of a push-up bra are close together and firm, moulded to the shade of a bust, and usually very lightly padded. Some manufacturers also provide additional padding. While the band on this sort of bra is usually elasticated the cups will not be elastic. 

Padded

Another easy one to explain. This bra is designed to make the breasts look larger, full and rounded. It has a very similar construction to the push-up bra but the gap between the cups is usually a little wider than on a push up where the narrow gap helps to push the breast up and together. A padded bra has under wired cups and is also designed to lift the breasts by the use of padding in the bottom part of the cup. This padding makes the breasts look fuller.

Soft

The soft bra has two distinct styles. One has underwired cups just like the padded and push-up and the other has no under wires. The main feature of a soft bra is that it has no padding. A well fitted soft bra without under wired cups can be the most comfortable to wear.

Strapless

It is a fairly common mistake that people make when they think that because a bra's straps can be removed that the bra can be worn strapless. This is not the case. Where you see a bra has removable straps this simply means you can change the straps for something different, perhaps a highly decorative set of straps for wearing with a topless dress. A true strapless bra is much more rigid than a standard bra with removeable straps. It has to be to stay in place. Often the cups are moulded and generally it has at least one set of boning in the band plus the usual under wires for the cups.

Those are the four basic styles of bra. For information about more exotic and erotic forms of bra read on.

Go to Bras and Bra Sets