The 21 Best Bras of 2024 That Don't Skimp on Support

We tested dozens of bras so you don't have to.

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InStyle / Brian Kopinski

Finding a great bra is one of life's trickier tasks: It should feel comfortable, provide great support, and make you feel confident, no matter what you're wearing.

The good news is there are endless choices — meaning it has never been easier to find a perfect bra for every body type. To fast-track you to the best ones, we've done the hard work and research for you, testing dozens of different bra styles and consulting experts for the absolute best bras to buy right now. Love the unadulterated sexiness of a push-up bra hidden beneath a demure dress? We've found it. Or perhaps you prefer the simplicity of a soft T-shirt bra? We've got that too. Read on to discover the best bras for every body.

Our Top Picks
Best Overall :
Cuup Scoop Bra at Shopcuup.com (See Price)
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Best Budget:
Amazon Essentials Classic T-Shirt Bra at Amazon ($17)
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Best Splurge:
Fleur Du Mal Top Stitch Convertible Bra at Amazon ($128)
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Best for Large Busts:
Soma Intimates Perfect Coverage Bra at Soma.com (See Price)
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Best for Small Busts:
Pepper All You Bra at Wearpepper.com (See Price)
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Best Strapless:
Spanx Up For Anything Strapless Bra at Amazon ($31)
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Best Minimizer:
Le Mystère Smoothing Minimizer Bra at Nordstrom ($64)
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Best Nursing :
Bodily The Everything Bra at Amazon (See Price)
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Best Wireless:
True & Co. Adjustable Strap Bra at Amazon ($49)
Jump to Review
Best Push-Up:
Skims Fits Everybody Push-Up Bra at Skims.com ($54)
Jump to Review

Best Overall

Cuup Scoop Bra

CUUP The Scoop Bra

CUUP

View On Shopcuup.com View On Bloomingdales $68
What We Love
  • All cup sizes look great and feel

    supported in this magical bra. 

What We Don't Love
  • Cold temperatures will alert the nipples and make them visible underneath tight-clothing. 

Over and over again, we’ve ranked the Cuup Scoop bra as the most comfortable bra. No matter who wore it, it miraculously lifted without pushing, molded without giving up support, and flattered every single one of our chest sizes. Because the material is more of a stretchy fabric, made of two airy layers of opaque microfiber, rather than traditional padded cups, it forms directly around the breasts, leaving zero gaping. Even on our bigger chests, we found no spillage over the mid-coverage bras — just perfectly pocketed breasts. For InStyle contributor Rachel Dunkel, she found that nothing carries her DD chest with as much grace and perk as this bra-bralette halfbreed, thanks to its underwire and smooth, thick straps.

Because it basically looks and feels like a second skin, it’s invisible underneath T-shirts. That is until a cold gust of wind comes and alerts the nipples. The lack of padding, of course, means that there isn’t much coverage around them and makes them more visible underneath tight clothing.

Size range: 30A–44H | Materials: Polyamide, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 11

Best Budget

Amazon Essentials Classic T-Shirt Bra

Amazon Essentials Women's Classic T-Shirt Bra

Amazon

View On Amazon $17
What We Love
  • It’s surprisingly soft and supportive, while looking invisible under tight shirts.

What We Don't Love
  • It’s only available in one color.

Is it just us, or did bra prices skyrocket in the last decade? While the variety thankfully also grew, some of us wanted to stick to a basic bra that we didn’t need to sell feet pics in order to afford. We found this Amazon favorite to be surprisingly comfortable, supportive, and alluring for everyday wear. 

Amazon has a number of essentials, which are affordable everyday pieces that the masses can enjoy without shaking their wallets empty. This T-shirt bra is one of those items, and we found that As and DDs alike found major comfort in the non-push-up, mid-coverage bra. Despite its price, the material feels surprisingly soft and stretchy. The upper lining of the cups remained flat against the chest, never revealing any seams from underneath a form-fitting top. It’s so wonderful, that we wish we could stock up on multiple colors. As of now, it looks like it’s only available in light gray, however.

Size range: 34B—40B | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: No | Colors: 1

Best Splurge

Fleur Du Mal Top Stitch Convertible Bra

Fleur Du Mal Top Stitch Convertible Bra

Fleur Du Mal

View On Amazon $128 View On Fleurdumal.com View On Orchardmile.com
What We Love
  •  It’s made of 95 percent silk.

What We Don't Love
  • It needs to be hand washed and hung to dry.

Giving a blend of Madonna-conical-bra and Marilyn-Monroe-wonderbra, this bra is worth the splurge. When we need eye-catching lingerie, we go to Fleur du Mal, as the brand has perfected performative lingerie since being founding in 2012. You’re not just paying for a beautiful balconette bra with silky stretch satin and removable straps, but for whatever memorable experience you hope to wear this piece to. 

Whenever the InStyle team wears anything from this brand, we’re blown away by the quality of the material. This bra, for example, is made of 95 percent silk. We can literally feel our breasts thanking us for putting them in such a buttery soft environment. That of course means it can’t be machine-washed, so make sure to set aside time to hand wash and hang-dry if you hope to maintain its pristine appearance.

Size range: 32A—38G | Materials: Silk, elastane | Padding: Yes | Colors: 2 

Best for Large Busts

Soma Intimates Perfect Coverage Bra

Soma Intimates Embraceable Perfect Coverage Bra

Soma

View On Soma.com
What We Love
  • They feel light and airy while providing full coverage and support.

What We Don't Love
  • The straps pill after a round in the dryer.

Far too often, bras offered for larger busts look like they belonged to someone’s grandmother. But the smooth, minimalist design on this Soma intimates bra is not only pretty but also functional, which is why we voted it as one of our most comfortable bras. It uses one uniform fabric — a blend of nylon and spandex — that smoothes over the skin. During the duration of wear, it always felt buttery soft, never pinching or causing any irritation. We felt airy and light wearing this piece, which was a nice change from the heavy-duty bras we’re so used to as big-chested women. There is also no unnecessary push-up — instead, the full coverage cups and sturdy straps keep everything well hidden and perfectly supported while keeping the chest from sagging. We did notice that the dryer caused some pilling around the straps, however, so we recommend hang-drying after machine-washing. 

Size range: 32B—42DDD | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: Yes | Colors: 10

Best for Small Busts

Pepper All You Bra

Pepper Classic All You Bra

Pepper

View On Wearpepper.com
What We Love
  • Small breasts doesn’t necessarily mean small waist, offering a band width up to 40.

What We Don't Love
  • The texture of the mesh paneling can sometimes be seen from underneath tight clothing.

Another one of our favorite comfortable bras is this one from Pepper — the brand that caters to the itty bitty titty committee. We think the number one complaint we can agree on for small busts is that it’s hard to find a bra that doesn’t gape. But when we placed this bra against our A-cups, we were elated to find it sitting flat against our chests. Not just chests, but around our armpits, on our ribcage, and under our breasts — everything felt like a perfect match. And just because the cups are small, doesn’t mean the bandwidth is. Pepper offers sizes up to 40 in width, which we really appreciate, too.

Aside from the fit, we simply adored how the bra looked. There’s mesh paneling on the upper and inner (towards the middle of the chest) parts of the cups, which not only make things more breathable, but more flexible. The contrast in the fabric does sometimes show from underneath tight shirts, however, so we wouldn’t necessarily call this a T-shirt bra.

Size range: 30AA—40B | Materials: Polyamide, elastane | Padding: Yes | Colors: 7

Best Strapless

Spanx Up For Anything Strapless Bra

Spanx Up For Anything Strapless Bra

Spanx

View On Amazon $31 View On Spanx View On Barenecessities.com $67
What We Love
  • There’s an anti-slip band across the lining of the bra, that never caused any discomfort.

What We Don't Love
  • There’s a bit of a push up, that makes big breasts look even bigger.

It’s not difficult to find a strapless bra that works on small chests, but finding one for our DDs? We’re stressed just thinking about it. Lucky for you, we tested dozens of strapless bras and found that this one from Spanx worked on chests of all sizes, which is why it earned the title of best overall strapless bra

Spanx uses a trademarked rubber band around the edge of the bra called SmartGrip, which keeps the bra in place. Don’t worry — it never rubbed or caused any skin burns on us at all. It’s surprisingly soft and delicate, particularly next to its nylon and memory foam cups. Thanks to the three rows of four clasps at the back, the band remains sturdy and supportive around the ribcage as well. There is a bit of a push-up situation going on inside the cups, which made our big breasts look even bigger — nothing we minded, but worth calling out if it’s something you can’t bear.

Size range: 32B—38DD | Materials: Nylon, elastane | Padding: Yes | Colors: 2

Best Minimizer

Le Mystère Smoothing Minimizer Bra

Le Mystère Side Profile Smoothing Minimizer Bra

Bare Necessities

View On Nordstrom $64 View On Barenecessities.com $64 View On Freshpair.com
What We Love
  • They don’t feel too tight or uncomfortable.

What We Don't Love
  •  It’s only available in two colors.

Many would probably agree that bras should lift, push up, and plump, but many women with large chests desire the complete opposite. Enter, the minimizer bra. The best minimizer bras should compress without flattening, and smooth out bulges to take an inch or two off the front. We found this option from Bare Necessities to be the best at blurring bumps and decreasing the overall circumference of the breasts. It does so very discreetly, however, so you never have to feel like you’re getting an awkwardly long and tight embrace from a distant relative. Thanks to the side-smoothing wings, you get additional compression around your body, while the delicately soft cups work to flatten your cleavage. It’s so comfortable, that it’s even a fantastic option for everyday wear. We only wish it came in more than two colors so we could have a few in our rotation during the week.

Size range: 34C–38H | Materials: Polyamide, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 2

Best Nursing

Bodily The Everything Bra

Bodily The Everything Bra

Amazon

View On Amazon View On Itsbodily.com
What We Love
  • The front portion clasps open for easy feeding access.

What We Don't Love
  • You can’t customize the cup size to the band size.

There’s a lot going on in the chest area during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, and this bra took it all into consideration. Let’s start with the coolest feature: the front can actually be clasped off from the strap, giving you and your child easy access to feed. When you’re done, just clasp it onto the strap again – no public undressing necessary. Second, the material actually moves with you as you experience fluctuations in sensitivity and size, giving you maximum comfort with barely-there support and stretch. With all that your boobs go through during nursing, this actually feels like a cloud-like bed for them to get some much-needed rest in. 

Size range: S–XL | Materials: Oeko-tex | Padding: No | Colors: 5

Best Wireless

True & Co. Adjustable Strap Bra

True & Co. Soft Form V Neck Adjustable Strap Bra

Bloomingdale's

View On Amazon $49 View On Nordstrom $49 View On Bloomingdales $49
What We Love
  • Thanks to the shaping around the underboob, things remain well in place without spillage or slippage. 

What We Don't Love
  • You can’t adjust the band size.

If you feel like wires are overrated, we’re here to tell you that there’s a plethora of wireless bras that we personally tested and highly recommend. But to spare you a long read, you can just go with this option from True & Co. It’s sports-bra-esque in the sense that you have to pull it over your head and doesn’t offer specific band sizing. But it’s significantly cuter than a bulky athletic bra — made with a strong and stretchy knit fabric that we simply melted into. 

Without being too compressive and tight, it carried the girls with ease and provided ample amounts of support. There’s some shaping around the underboob which helped to keep things looking perky. It also avoided any spillage or slippage when we bounced around — and yes, that applied to our bigger chests as well. 

Size range: XS–3XL | Materials: Nylon, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 2 

Best Push-Up

Skims Fits Everybody Push-Up Bra

Skims Fits Everybody Push-Up Bra

Skims

View On Skims.com $54
What We Love
  •  It comes in a wide range of nude colors.

What We Don't Love
  • The coverage is on the minimal side, which some consider too small.

As shopping editors, we’ve tried a bunch of Skims products, including a number of pieces from their Fits Everybody collection. Our verdict? Even those who have sworn certain bra styles off have to admit that these sleek and sexy undergarments changed their minds. This push-up bra in particular comes with mid to low coverage (it’s a demi bra), which can feel a little small on bigger busts. It’s part of its appeal, however, that most of the upper cleavage is left open for display. Adjustable straps help to further lift the chest up, while push-up foam pads do most of the heavy lifting (pun intended). And of course, you’ll find Skims signature range of color options, mostly in different shades of nude (twelve to be exact) and three seasonally bright hues. 

Size range: 30A–38H | Materials: Polyamide, elastane | Padding: Yes | Colors: 15

Best Unlined

Negative Sieve Demi Bra

Negative Sieve Demi Bra

Negative

View On Negativeunderwear.com
What We Love
  • The Belgian power mesh is incredibly powerful and luxurious.

What We Don't Love
  • Your nipples are on full display.

We cannot rave enough about how luxurious and incredible this bra is. Multiple editors have tried this on and we all agree: we’ve never tried anything like it before. The cup portions are made of sheer Belgian power micromesh, which simply blew us away with how much support it provides. It molds around our chest with a gentle lift, never giving us the sensation that we are sagging — not even on our big chests. There’s an underwire that goes up towards the armpit, where most of the support lies, but the cups that seamlessly lead into the straps do a lot of the lifting as well. 

For commerce writer Bianca Kratky, this bra was a complete game-changer. On top of simply looking sexy and luxurious, it has a barely-there feel and all-day comfort that just can’t be beaten. And because it’s made of mesh, it’s particularly breathable and cool for the summer. But of course, that also means our nipples are practically on full display. Nothing you can’t cover with a T-shirt, but perhaps not the bra you walk in front of your house-mates with. 

Size range: 32B–40DD | Materials: Nylon, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 5

Best Plus-Size

Thirdlove 24/7 Second Skin Bra

Thirdlove 24/7 Second Skin Unlined Bra

Thirdlove

View On Thirdlove.com $72
What We Love
  • Despite the silky smooth, bralette-esque material, the bra provides significant support. 

What We Don't Love
  • The band portion is a little wide for anyone under a C cup.

You might have been taught to believe that big chests require more caging, more support, and more wiring, but this bra proved this age-old belief wrong. With its silky smooth and slinky cups, it lives true to its “second skin” name. When we tried this on, it was like resting our breasts in a buttery soft hammock, custom-made for us. We say custom-made because it offers half-cup sizes to cater to those in-between-sized chests. That means the sizes go from A to an A ½, before jumping to B, giving us more options to shop from. We loved how the foam and pad-free cups seamlessly glide into the shoulder straps, holding our bottom-heavy breasts up with great support. The material was not unlike a double-lined bralette around the chest but then has a proper underwire that gives everything a little more support. The band is on the wider side, which we found perfect for our bigger-sized chests, but a little too much fabric for anyone below a C cup. 

Size range: 32B–44H | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: No | Colors: 4 

Best for Sagging Breasts

Wacoal Underwire T-Shirt Bra

Wacoal La Femme Underwire T-Shirt Bra

Wacoal

View On Nordstrom $65 View On Wacoal-america.com View On Saks Fifth Avenue $46
What We Love
  • The bridge between the cups comes up high, lifting everything up nicely.

What We Don't Love
  • There are only two clasp rows in the back.

Whether it’s because of aging or genetics, some boobs like to hang low closer to gravity. There are many bras suited for older women out there, but we found this option from Wacoal to be particularly helpful in lifting those tired girls up (without leaning on a push-up) for a naturally perky look. The brand is already well-loved and respected by women with bigger and/or older breasts, and it’s because the well-engineered Japanese bras take into consideration the needs of every breast shape — including sagging breasts.

The bridge between the cups of this bra comes up a little higher in the middle of the chest, lifting them up with great support. The full-coverage cups also round out the shape to look more perky. The lack of additional padding also keeps them feeling comfortable throughout the day. Just be aware that there are only two clasp rows in the back, which might be less than what you are used to.

Size range: 34B–32H | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: No | Colors: 2 

Best for Support

Spanx Bra-llelujah! Wireless Bra

SPANX Bra-llelujah! Lightly Lined Full Coverage Bra

SPANX

View On Nordstrom $68 View On Spanx View On Zappos $68
Why We Love It
  • The material feels buttery soft, all around the bra.

What to Consider
  • The straps and the band are not adjustable.

Celebrities always have the best of the best, way before any of us commoners do. Lucky for us, they don’t tend to gatekeep any of their fashion and beauty secrets, which is why when Kylie Jenner and Jennifer Garner alike professed their love for this Spanx Bra-llelujah bra, we knew we had to try it. And try it we did, as writer Eva Thomas once wore it 24 hours straight with no issue. That’s because the buttery soft cups, straps, and band feel like a gentle hug, rather than a wired cage. And still, it manages to keep everything upright, tucked in, and beautifully contoured. This option specifically has a front clasp, so the back never has to deal with any unwanted pinching around the clasps. It does however also mean that you can’t adjust the band size, which is unfortunate. 

Size range: 32A–36D | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: Yes | Colors: 2 

Best for Older Women

Maidenform Demi Underwire Bra

Maidenform One Fab Fit® Everyday Modern Demi Underwire Bra

Maidenform

View On Amazon $30 View On Maidenform.com View On Walmart $21
What We Love
  • The straps can be converted to criss cross around the back.

What We Don't Love
  • Depending on the color, the price changes significantly.

According to Laura Tempesta, bra expert and founder of Bravolution, women lose volume at the top of their breasts with age, which is why they should opt for demi-cups rather than full coverage in order to avoid gaping. This option from Maidenform, therefore, is ideal, not just because of the proper cup shape, but because of the focused support at the bottom of the bra with its crisscrossing bridge, as well as the straps that can be criss-crossed in the back. The T-shirt bra lies flat against the chest, centering its lifting properties where the breast naturally falls. That makes it a great bra for older women. Just be aware that depending on the color and pattern (of which there are a whopping 22) the price can change rather significantly.

Size range: 32A–40DD | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: No | Colors: 22

Best Backless

NuBra Seamless Adhesive Bra

Amazon NuBra Seamless Adhesive Bra

Amazon

View On Amazon $48 View On Revolve $47 View On Lulus $48
What We Love
  • You can get almost 100 wears out of them.

What We Don't Love
  • On bigger chests, the cups begin to feel a little small.

More and more designs are sporting a backless detail in dresses and tops, which means you need a bra to go with those hard-to-pair pieces. We looked for a bunch of backless bras and found this one from NuBra to be one of the best. Why? Well, it’s seamless, stays put, and is surprisingly supportive. The silicone stickies in the lining of the cups are strong, to say the least, allowing you to get up to 100 wears out of it. And don’t worry, you can carefully hand-wash around it to keep it fresh. Thanks to a variety of skin tones, it can look invisible underneath clothes, working its magic to cover the nipples and keep the girls together discretely. Some shoppers commented that on larger chests, the cups feel a little small, so keep that in mind as you shop. 

Size range: A–E | Materials: Silicone, polyester, polyurethane | Padding: No | Colors: 6

Best T-Shirt Bra

Chantelle Basic Invisible Smooth Custom Fit Bra

Chantelle Basic Invisible Smooth Custom Fit Bra

Chantelle 

View On Amazon $76 View On Nordstrom $79 View On Chantelle.com
What We Love
  • You barely feel it’s even on.

What We Don't Love
  • You have to handwash it.

Ever since Brie Larson revealed that it was this exact bra she wore in her viral T-shirt picture, the internet (and our team of editors) quickly crowned it the best T-shirt bra to shop for right now. Curious how this bra could possibly be so much better than the others, our team of five all tried on various Chantelle bras to experience the hype for ourselves and found out one key important detail that prevails on all of their bras: the top lining of the bra lies completely flat against the chest, making it absolutely invisible underneath even the tightest of tops.

We found that at first glance, the full coverage bra seems like a lot of fabric, but once on it miraculously fit perfectly, curving around every bulge delicately yet supportively. We loved having it on because we simply forget it was on. With our girls neatly packed away underneath our tight-fitting tops, we could go on about our business looking and feeling confident. Just remember that when it’s time to give it a wash, you’ll have to handwash it in order for it to keep its form.

Size range: 32B–36G | Materials: Polyamide, polyester, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 4 

Best Sports Bra

SheFit Ultimate Sports Bra

SheFit Ultimate Sports Bra

SheFit

View On Amazon $69 View On Shefit.com $75 View On Fleetfeet.com
Why We Love It
  • You can make the band more snug thanks to the velcro strap around the band.

What We Don't Love
  • You can’t machine wash or dry this.

Shefit is the ultimate if-you-know-you-know brand within the athletic field. If you’re wondering what all the trainers are wearing, it’s this heavy-duty sports bra, which is why we also voted it our best overall sports bra for high-intensity workouts. With a front zip, adjustable band, and criss-cross straps, this bra intensely straps down your chest for maximum performance. It’s particularly ideal for women with larger breasts (thanks to its wide size range going up to six XL) that need a little more holding down. The front zip remains shut thanks to the hidden clasp in the interior. The band can be tightened and loosened in the back as you please, thanks to the velcro strap. It allows you to continue wearing it even if your size potentially changes with time. Just remember to handwash and lay flat to dry after each workout.

Size range: XS–6XL | Materials: Nylon, spandex, polyester | Padding: Yes (removable) | Colors: 6

Best Bralette

Commando Butter Soft Support Adjustable Bralette

Commando Butter Soft Support Adjustable Bralette

Commando

View On Wearcommando.com View On Shopbop.com $78 View On Saks Fifth Avenue $78
What We Love
  • There are removable pads for more or less support. 

What We Don't Love
  • They’re sized from XS-XL, instead of cup size and band size.

This notion that bralettes aren’t as supportive as wired bras is just bogus, at least in the case of this Commando Butter bralette. To be fair, this one comes in the shape of a sports bra and has removable paddings, which helps in the support department. Otherwise, we found the ridiculously soft bralette so comfortable during our bralette test, that we actually fell asleep in it on multiple occasions. It comfortably held up our larger chests as well, although finding the perfect size was a little more difficult, considering they scale from XS-XL instead of cup size and band size. 

Size range: XS–XL | Materials: Modal/spandex | Padding: Yes (removable) | Colors: 2 

Best for Asymmetrical Breasts

Chantelle C Jolie Custom Fit T-Shirt Bra

Chantelle C Jolie Custom Fit T-Shirt Bra

Chantelle 

View On Amazon View On Chantelle.com View On Barenecessities.com
What We Love
  • You can hide straps under any shirt thanks to the racerback.

What We Donn't Love
  • The 3/4 coverage might feel like too little for anyone with large and heavy breasts.

Before you feel any type of way clicking onto this category, let us start by saying all boobies are asymmetrical. We’ve got one big sister and one small sister, some just have a bigger “age” gap. For those who do, you’ll find some wonderful relief in the Chantelle C Jolie bra. No, one cup is not bigger than the other, but when we tested a number of Chantelle bras, we found that this one lifts and supports without being too structured. The cups laid flat against the chest and made any kind of size difference impossible to spot from the outside. Thanks to the racerback, it’s easy to hide the straps underneath a wide variety of shirts as well. It offers 3/4 coverage, which might not be enough for anyone with a DD and higher cup size (as it wasn’t for Senior Commerce Editor Chloe Anello), but anyone sporting a C on one side and a B on the other will surely enjoy this bra. 

Size range: 32B–36G | Materials: Polyamide, elastane | Padding: No | Colors: 3

Best for Wide Set Breasts

Maidenform Push Up Underwire Bra

Maidenform Love the Lift Push Up Underwire Bra

Walmart

View On Amazon $23 View On Kohls.com $41 View On Onehanesplace.com
Why We Love It
  • The combination of a push up and the extra cupping around the sides makes your chest look full and perky. 

What to Consider
  • We wish it came in a wider size range, particularly around the band.

This bra from Maidenform works double duty in lifting and pushing wide-set breasts together (if that’s your goal here). First, it has a wide surface on the sides of the cups, going almost up to your armpits, that encourages your breasts to meet more in the middle. Next, there’s a rather thick push-up in the lining, that further help to bring the girls more together. Yes, there is a lot of coverage and fabric to wear, which might not be the most breathable or comfortable (especially in the summer), but they will surely make your chest look full, perky, and centered. We only wish it came with a wider size range around the band. As of now, it only goes up to 38. 

Size range: 32A–38D | Materials: Nylon, spandex | Padding: Yes | Colors: 2

Our Testing Process

In order to find the best bras, we’ve spent months testing dozens of different bras across various chest sizes and shapes to find the best of the best. With a wide encyclopedia of feedback from our testers, we were able to categorize which bras worked for whom and collected them into our tested stories, including the best bralettes, best strapless bras, and most comfortable bras. From there, we picked the best from each category and collected them into this overarching story of best bras, including our first-hand experience with each bra. 

What to Keep in Mind

Fit

Unsurprisingly, fit should be the most important quality you keep in consideration when shopping for a bra; however, most women wear the wrong size. You'll know it's the wrong size if the straps fall, the band rides up, the wire (if there is one) digs into you, and if your breasts spill out. A well-fitting bra should sit flat against your chest, while the cups should comfortably hold your breasts without any gapping or tightness.

Lining

Preference plays a big part in whether or not to purchase an unlined bra or one with padding or lining. Those with larger breasts tend to find unlined bras more comfortable because it feels less constricting and tends to enhance the natural shape of your breasts. And on the other spectrum, padding could give smaller breasts a fuller look if that's what you'd like.

Hardware

It's recommended that you fasten your bra on the loosest hook-and-eye fastening, so as the band stretches with use (it happens to even the best of bras), you can adjust as you go along. The same goes for the shoulder straps which should never be over-tightened; they only provide around 10% of a bra's support, so this will just leave marks on your shoulders.

Your Questions Answered

How to find your bra size?

Bra sizes tend to vary between brands so it's helpful to take your measurements and cross-check them with the product info before you buy online. When measuring yourself, start with the area below your bust where the bra band lies and round the measurement up to the next whole number. This will tell you your band size.

Your cup size can be measured by wrapping the tape around the fullest part of your bust, across the nipple. Round this measurement to the next whole number, too. Many lingerie brands such as Cuup have handy sizing quizzes on their websites that can help you double check your bra size. You can always make yourself an appointment at a lingerie store and have someone take the measurements for you, too.

When should you throw out your bras?

Most bras have a lifespan of around six months to a year, but they can last even longer if you rotate them often and follow the care label when laundering. If your bra starts to lose its elasticity or shape, gapes at the sides, or just feels uncomfortable, it's time to replace it.

What style of bra is right for me?

Soft-cup bralettes are a comfortable everyday option for those who don't need the extra support of underwire. If you want to enhance the size of your breasts, however, a padded or push-up bra can help create cleavage. Plunge and T-shirt bras, on the other hand, give you extra support while retaining the natural shape and silhouette of your breasts. Finally, strapless bras are ideal for outfits where you want to appear braless but still need support. The bra style you select ultimately comes down to personal preference and what you plan on wearing over it.

Why Shop With Us

Cat Hufton is an experienced fashion and beauty journalist based in London. Bianca Kratky is a commerce writer at InStyle, with nearly three years of experience covering fashion and beauty. Together, they researched and found the best bras for every woman.

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