Excellent reads

Niket had added these two to the comments. Not only are they good reads, but give great tips as well.

Excellent tips from a BRA wizard.

Fitting Tips

There is more to Bras than the one your granny bought!

Having understood the basics about bras, ladies its time we looked at the various types. For two reasons.

1. All our clothing cannot be worn with the same bra.
2. Our men like variety... it keeps the fire burning.

Strapless Bras
Here men will agree.... a good strapless top and a bra strap kills the effect. If you want a strap or don't know that strapless exists, lady you have to right to wear a strapless top. Indispensable under strapless tops and tricky party dresses, a strapless bra deserves a place in every wardrobe.

It’s important, though, to get the tension right: too loose, and it won’t give you enough support; you feel scared that it may just spill the beans. Or too tight and it will pull itself down the ribcage plus you feel chocked through out the party.

Many multi way bras have detachable or clear straps and can be worn as a strapless bra as well as a halter neck or with the straps crossed over at the back. Most unobtrusive of all – the latest self-adhesive solutions that you simply stick to the body. (recommended for smaller cup sizes). We shall discuss it some time later.

Push up Bras
Being a woman i understand the anxiety attack that we get at times when we look at our cleavage in the neckline. My experience says that having a good cup size does not solve the problem alone. A cleanly defined and well organized (damn my mba brains) cleavage looks more appealing any day. The solution is a good push-up bra. It’s designed to push breasts inwards and upwards to create a better cleavage under those plunging necklines.

Balconette
A balconette (one of my all time faves) is a very sexy style of bra with a low neckline that goes straight across the bust. It has wide set straps for a square neckline. The cups are seamed to push the bust upwards to give a shelf like appearance similar to the look created by a corset. Non padded balconettes create less of a cleavage than the padded versions, but they still have a square neckline. On larger cup sizes the neckline may be higher

These bras are good typically under our Utsav kind of blouses under diaphanous sarees. Am sure the male readers with their active imagination will agree. ;-).

T shirt Bra
I have said it before and repeat - If you think that you have the bust and the tummy to pull off a tight tee..... please don't ruin the look by wearing a normal bra with seams on the cups. The most disgusting things to look at are seams on the cups and loose cups to make matters worse. If you have it, flaunt it and flaunt it right.

The solution is a t-shirt bra. Like a moulded bra (So-called because the cup is moulded from a single piece of foam or fabric – so that it’s seamless), a t-shirt bra’s cups are seamless. What makes it a t-shirt bra is the thickness: a t-shirt bra has a level of padding to ensure that your nipples do not show through when you’re wearing a figure hugging top.

Half Cup bra
It’s the one where the cup stops just above the nipple. One could wear it under the low cuts or can be flaunted on of those special nights.

Also known in the US as a demi bra, it is generally more suitable for smaller cup sizes. However, larger cup brands are becoming increasingly skilled at creating supportive bras that give a good impression of a half cup.

Soft cup bra
A soft cup bra is one without an underwire. Maternity bras are always soft cup as there is increase in the size of the breast plus invariably breasts are tender and hurt. That reminds me..... my tomorrows post will be on maternity bras as that is one time when bras become boring.

Similarly when you buy a bra for teenagers stick to soft cups, since it is the growth period. For larger women be it a large cup size or large backs, finding an underwired bra to fit is a little tough. Soft cups are a better option than cramming in a smaller size. If you think that a soft cup bra is necessarily less supportive than its underwired sister – you are mistaken. Heavily constructed soft cup bras can be very supportive indeed (triumph makes them the best).

Minimizer Bras
I have always hated ready made shirts – reason.. i always felt that the buttons looked strained if i buy my exact size. Wearing a size bigger killed the look. That's when my roommate introduced me to Minimizer bras. These bras are designed with a specific need in mind: how do you deal with those gaping tops?

The bra uses simple rule of physics not that i understand the rule but it redistributes the breast tissue or the mass so that breasts do not protrude so much – and you can do up your shirt buttons...Huff Finally.

Sports bra
For all those sports, dance and etc enthusiasts.... news flash! The breasts are supported by the Coopers ligaments, which stretch when you exercise. This can cause them to sag (no they don't become bigger!) – and the bad news is that once this happens, they will never recover.
A good sports bra, however, can cut breast movement by over 50 per cent.

What to look for? A sports bra is designed to provide both comfort and support. Seamless cups
and cushioned fastenings will stop the bra chafing against your skin, while moisture-wicking fabrics

will help keep you cool. As for support, look for wide, non-stretch straps, racer backs and multi-hook fastenings – a sports bra with no fastenings will have more stretch, which makes it less supportive. Most sports bras have a support level rating and are recommended for different sporting activities. Always check that you have the correct the level for your chosen sport to ensure that you are properly supported – and as comfortable as possible.