July 20265 MIN READ
The Most Flattering Lingerie for Your Body Type
A great bra isn't just about how it looks on, it's about how it makes you feel. With so many types of bras available, it is important to brush up your bra knowledge to help ensure you find the right bra that lifts, shapes and supports, giving you confidence no matter what you're wearing.
In this guide we will go over a variety of bra styles, including: your classic balconette, sexy plunge bras, the Summer essential - a strapless bra, and for those lazy days a bralette, plus much more.
Understanding Different Bra Styles
Just like different knicker styles have different purposes, different bra types do, too. Some bras are made to offer maximum support, while others focus on creating shape or enhancing (or minimising) cleavage. A well-fitting bra doesn’t just make you more comfortable - it can also flatter your silhouette and even help with posture. Understanding the main differences between bra styles and how they fit, will help you find the ones that work best with your wardrobe and for different occasions.
What is a Balconette Bra?
A balconette bra is all about lift and shape. With wide-set straps and a horizontal cup design, this style creates a naturally rounded, uplifted look without too much coverage.
A Balconette Bra Is Best For:
-Larger busts - offering a secure fit and natural projection, with some styles at Boux Avenue available up to an H-Cup.
-Creating an upward lift - pushing the bust upwards and enhancing the top half of your breasts for a classic and feminine look.
-Naturally separating the breasts, keeping them beautifully framed and rounded.
-Invisibility beneath square or sweetheart necklines.
For a stunning balconette option, the Mollie Lace Unpadded Balconette Bra is a must-have, and is available up to an H cup. Designed with wider straps for enhanced support, this style is particularly great for larger busts, offering a secure yet elegant fit. Its intricate lace design, reinforced underwiring, and soft unpadded cups create a supportive yet elegant fit - ideal for everyday wear or layering under a dressy outfit. Pair it with the matching Mollie Lace Brazilian Knickers for a beautifully coordinated set.
What is a Plunge Bra?
A plunge bra is perfect for deep necklines, with angled cups and a low centre front that boosts cleavage while still offering support.
A Plunge Bra Is Best For:
- Creating inward cleavage by pushing the breasts inwards and together.
- V-Necks and low cut tops and dresses, as the centre front is positioned lower down.
- Everyday styling if you prefer a look with a little cleavage.
- Adding extra volume to the bust with padded plunge styles.
The Mollie Lace Padded Plunge Bra is one of Boux Avenue’s bestsellers - selling every seven minutes with over 3.4K five-star reviews. Its padded cups create a naturally enhanced shape, while the lace detailing adds a touch of elegance. We all know that the secret to a gorgeous outfit is the foundation. Pair this with the Mollie Lace Thong for a dreamy matching set.
What is a T-Shirt Bra?
A T-shirt bra is the go-to everyday essential. With its seamless, lightly padded design, it gives you a smooth, invisible look under clothes. With moulded cups this style offers a natural shape and all-day comfort, making it a must-have in any lingerie drawer.
- A T-Shirt Bra Is Best For:
- Everyday wear, offering all day comfort and a seamless look under clothing.
- All bust sizes, due to the lightly padded design, and underwire for support.
- Creating a smooth, rounded, and symmetrical shape to the bust.
Our Ultra Light Microfibre Plunge T-Shirt Bra is perfect for gentle support. This staple lingerie piece features ultra light padding for a barely there feel, whilst the smooth microfibre ensures for a seamless finish and invisible look under your clothing.
What is a Push Up Bra?
Looking for a bra that can give you some volume? Whether you want a subtle boost or a more dramatic lift, a push-up bra is your answer. With padded or gel-filled cups situated in the bottom half of the cup, push-up bras help to lift and shape the bust, enhancing cleavage and creating a fuller, more defined look under fitted clothing.
A Push-Up Bra is Best For:
- Adding extra volume to the bust - looking up to 1 to 2 cup sizes bigger dependent on the padding.
- Dressier occasions - when styled with fitted or wrap-style dresses.
- Sweetheart, scoop and square necklines by filling out the open space of the neckline for a super glamorous look.
The Super Push Up Microfibre Plunge T-Shirt Bra has gone viral on social media with TikTok users claiming the bra made their bust look up to two cup sizes bigger, creating an instant “boob job” effect for those who are looking to add a bit of extra volume to their bust when styling for certain occasions. The bra is crafted with smooth microfibre fabric for an invisible finish under the tightest of clothing, whilst the maximum boost padding adds a super push up and elevated lift to the bust.
What is a Strapless Bra?
A strapless bra is a lingerie essential, especially for the Summer months. Designed to still offer support and a natural lift to the bust without the function of straps. This is due to the deeper underband and silicone gel adhesive on the wings, which helps to keep the bra in place without slipping down.
A Strapless Bra is Best For:
- Tops and dresses in a bandeau style, or with thin straps to ensure no bra straps are showing.
- Occasion wear - think weddings, christening and the races, where a lot of outfits are strapless and can’t have lingerie straps on show.
- A natural uplift and support to all bust sizes.
The Strapless Microfibre Multiway Bra has gone viral with its #BouxNoSlip Challenge proving that the bra does not slip even when put through its paces, whether that is dancing, a reformer pilates class or gym session, you can trust this strapless bra to keep you in place whilst lifting your bust for a natural rounded shape. Crafted in a beautiful smooth microfibre offering a seamless and invisible look under your clothing, whilst the deep three fastened hook and eye, with gel adhesive along the wings ensures the bra will stay in place all day long, without any readjustments.
Those looking for bras without a visible underband due to wearing a dress or top that is backless or low cut, then don’t forget about another lingerie solution - the backless bra. Designed with no straps or underband, these bras usually stay in place with either adhesive gel cups or adhesive side wings.
What is a Multiway Bra?
A multiway bra usually comes with straps that hook or click in place allowing you to work your bra around multiple outfit styles, by either completely removing the straps for a strapless style, turning the straps into a halterneck or crossing them over at the back for racerback styles. Usually constructed with a smooth microfibre, the bra offers a seamless finish under clothing.
A Multiway Bra Is Best For:
- Dresses or tops that are either strapless, halterneck or racerback styles, ensuring those straps are not on show.
- Offering a seamless look and finish under your clothing.
-When you want a bra that offers more than one way to wear - with multiple purposes this is a lingerie essential.
What is a Full Cup Bra?
A full cup bra offers maximum coverage, security and containment. The fabric of a full cup bra covers almost the entire breast tissue, extending higher into the chest, fully enclosing the bust ensuring no spillage. For the larger bust community who require more support and sometimes prefer to have more coverage they make the perfect fuller-bust bra.
A Full Cup Bra is Best For:
- The larger bust community (DD+) offers more coverage, thereby preventing spillage or bulging that can be associated with demi or half cups.
- Unbeatable all day support - by enclosing more of the breast tissue offers a higher level of structural stability.
- High neck and structured clothing - due to covering more of the breast tissue this is a bra you can’t wear with low cut tops, but rather shirts and higher neck designs for example boat necks.
What is a Bralette?
A bralette is designed without underwire or moulded cups - focusing on natural shaping and ultimate comfort. This style works best for the smaller bust community who require less support to the bust. Bralettes can come in many different styles from high cup coverage with fine ribbed fabrication for those lounging days, to more sexier designs in lace or satin.
A Bralette is Best For:
- The smaller bust community, due to not providing as much support ar wired bras
- Those no bra day feelings but still adding subtle support and full coverage to the bust.
- Sleeping - this is when bralettes work wonders for the larger bust community who still like a small amount of support to the bust without the need of wires for a comfortable night's sleep.
- Layering with oversized blazers or under sheer clothing, particularly if the bralette is a sexier design, adding a chic style to the outfit.
The Ribbed Seamless Ruche Bralette offers all day comfort, crafted with an ultra soft fine ribbed fabric that stretches and adapts with your body throughout the day. The ultimate ‘Sunday bra’ for those lounging at home days or your go to sleep bra offering subtle support for the bust, whilst still feeling comfortable to sleep in.
Finding the Right Bra For You
Finding the right bra starts with getting the right size and fit for your body. Each style sits differently and highlights different areas, so it's important to consider what works best for your shape and the kind of support you need. Whether you're after lift, shaping, or something more natural, the right fit can truly make all the difference.
Of course, finding the perfect size is just as important as finding a bra you love to wear - especially with so many options in a range of colours, fabrics, and styles to choose from! For the best support and comfort, make sure you're wearing the right size. You can easily measure yourself at home with our bra measuring guide or visit us in-store and book a bra fitting service with one of our expert fitters. With Boux Avenue offering a selection of bras now up to an H Cup, whilst designing both beautiful and fundamental bras in-house, you really are spoilt for choice.
Types of Bras FAQs
What Type of Bra Should I Wear?
When asking yourself which bra should I wear, iIt all depends on the type of bra that is going to support your outfit the most and offer a seamless look.
- T-Shirt Bras - For Everyday use
- Plunge Bras - For lower necklines - offering an inward cleavage, pushing the bust together.
- Balconette Bras - For square or sweetheart necklines - offering a natural projection to the bust.
- Push Up Bra - For extra volume to the bust
- Multiway Bra - Your most versatile choice for strapless, halterneck and racerback designs.
It is also important to consider how much support you are looking for and level of comfort. An insider tip - by wearing the correct bra size this will ensure a much more comfortable fit with all your bras. If you are finding your straps are always sliding down, your underband rising up or the wires digging in too much, you are more than likely wearing the wrong bra size, just like 81% of other women in the UK. At Boux Avenue we have expert bra fitters that can tell by eye what bra size would work best for you and the best style of bras for your bust shape. By booking a bra fit appointment at Boux Avenue you are guaranteed to leave feeling more comfortable and confident in your new lingerie. If there is not a store near you not to worry you can try out our bra fit quiz to discover your size.
What is the Difference Between a Balcony Bra and a Balconette Bra?
The word balconette is French for balcony, so they’re effectively very similar with both offering the same horizontal, straight-across neckline and wide-set straps. However when looking closely at a balconette bra and a balcony bra you can notice some very small differences. For instance a Balconette bra will usually have a lower cut, exposing the top half of the breast, whereas a balcony bra offers a touch more coverage with a medium cut to the cup. This allows for a slightly more natural, contained lift, compared to the dramatic upward “shelf” effect that the Balconette shape provides.
Are Wired or Non-Wired Bras Better?
Wired bras offer support, lift and shaping to the bust, whereas non-wired bras offer subtle support, comfort, flexibility and are ideal for relaxed wear. Is one better than the other? It all depends really on style preference, what you feel most comfortable in and the final look you are wanting to achieve.
Wired Bras - Ideal for all day support, offering an uplift to the breast under any clothing. With lots of different wired bra styles they can all achieve a different look. A balconette for a more pert but naturally rounded shape, compared to a plunge for a more inward push up effect.
Non-Wired Bras - Ideal for all day comfort when having a relaxing day at home, or to wear to bed to help offer subtle support to the bust.
With both options available at Boux Avenue coming in different designs, colours and even patterns you are guaranteed to find yourself the perfect supportive and comfortable bra.
What Type of Bra is Best For a Low Cut Dress?
When looking for a bra to go with a low cut dress, the best bra style would be the plunge bra. This is due to the bra having a deep plunging neckline itself and low centre front, so is able to stay more invisible under low necklines. A plunge bra pushes the bust inwards and together, creating a glamorous look with a low cut dress.
With all this knowledge on all the different bra styles, this will hopefully help you find your perfect bra for any occasion. At Boux Avenue we pride ourselves on creating luxurious, beautiful and elegant lingerie, with a supreme fit that will leave you feeling confident and comfortable all day and night long.