Bralettes For Big Boobs
Our favourite bralette, by Montelle. Check out that extended band!
Bralettes are all the rage these days. What’s not to love? They’re comfy and cute, and they don’t use underwire. What a dream! But you may have noticed that it’s hard to find bralettes for big boobs. What’s that all about?
What IS a bralette?
A bralette is just a bra without wires, right? WRONG. I’m sorry, that was rude. But there are key differences between a bralette and a wirefree bra! A lot of it has to do with intention. A wirefree bra is trying to do what an underwire bra does (in terms of lift, support, and sometimes separation), just without underwire. A bralette, on the other hand, is designed for fashion over function and gives just the barest hint of support. It won’t do what your bra does, because it’s not meant to.
Sam has described this in terms of footwear. Think of a bralette as a slide, or a mule. Pretty, sure, but not built to go the distance. A wirefree bra is more like a sandal with an ankle strap for stability. And a wired bra is like a boot: sturdy and supportive – and lots of them are cute too!
Why are most bralettes for small boobs?
The Wacoal B-Smooth bralette works best for small-medium busts. The extended band is great, but those thin straps aren’t ideal for very full busts.
It’s not because designers hate those of us who are large of boob. Fuller breasts have different needs than smaller breasts, because they’re physically, well…different. This sounds really simple and obvious, but it’s more important than you think. Most of the bralettes you see on Instagram and at the mall have very slim straps, little-to-no structure, low coverage, and super lightweight fabric. As you’ll soon see, these features are basically the opposite of what a full bust needs.
What makes a good bralette for big boobs?
First of all, let’s put an end to all this small-medium-large, pull-over nonsense. It makes it really tough to get a good fit, especially if there’s a big difference between your bust and under-bust measurements. (Which is pretty much the definition of a full bust.) A good bralette for big boobs should use band and cup sizing with a hook-and-eye closure. Our favourite bralette, by Montelle, does this. Their bralette is a really great example of what works for fuller busts. You can see a picture of it at the top of this page.
Montelle uses a couple of layers of slightly firmer fabric for the full coverage cups, with some seaming on the inner layer. This make their bralette a little more structured, while still giving you a smooth line under clothes. Remember, full busts are heavier than small busts. The more structured cup works with the slightly extended band to carry that weight and give (very light) support. They’ve also widened the straps in fuller sizes, for the same reason.
The bottom line is this: If you want strong support, you don’t want a bralette. If you’ve had bralettes on the brain, think about why. What do you like about them? How do you envision a bralette fitting into your bra wardrobe? Doing a little of this kind of homework first will help calibrate your expectations, and it’ll make your shopping experience a much happier one.
