The right bra?

May 20, 2013 10:53 AM

How the hell do I wear a bra with something like this?

I love the look of scoop neck t-shirts (and off the shoulder shirts). However, they always show my bra straps, which is unacceptable for living on a military base. I keep reading advice like "just don't wear a bra" which for my chest size is like saying "just remove the support columns from the Parthenon; it'll be fine!"

I also have short sloping shoulders which everything, bra to skinny purse straps, slip off of so a bra with widely spaced straps might be out of the question. Also, uh, strapless bras feel like they're going to fall down my abdomen, no matter if I get it correctly fitted or fitted tighter (so it digs painfully into my back). Also haven't ever met an undershirt with built-in bra that contains my girls well.

How do non-models wear shirts like this while still keeping the pretty scoop-necked look?

posted by DisreputableDog to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (20 answers total)

1) Get a bra with transparent straps.
2) Sew bra-holders into the shirt.

I myself am too odd-sized/lazy to do either of these things, but that's where I'd start.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 10:57 AM on May 20, 2013

Safety pin the bra straps (with those little bitty brass safety pins) to the edges of the scoop neck (or wherever they should be)? It might be too much for that thin jersey, though.
posted by leahwrenn at 10:59 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

How I solve this problem:

1) Fuck it, let the bra straps show.
2) Balconet style bras generally have wider-set straps that might be far enough apart not to show.
3) Wear a nicely contrasting-color wifebeater-style tank underneath.

They also make bras with clear straps that might be worth looking into.
posted by phunniemee at 10:59 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

I get those really tiny (usually brass colored) safety pins and pin my bra straps to an inner seam of the shirt, and then wear the straps pushed slightly more toward my arms.

If you really want to do it right, they used to make tops and dresses with little straps that buttoned, and the strap sewn into the top would hold the bra/slip straps. Not sure what these are called, and you too rarely see them these days. Probably very easy to have done at the dry cleaners or wherever you get pants altered, etc.
posted by Houstonian at 11:00 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]

There are silicone bra strap pads that should help the strap 'stick' to your shoulders a bit more.
posted by platypus of the universe at 11:01 AM on May 20, 2013

Have you looked into corset-style strapless bras? Whenever I wear strapless bras, I'm always doing the awkward "wiggle it back up when no one's looking" move, but the corset thing I got for my wedding shifts the work from the bra band to the boning. It's actually a lot more comfortable and secure than most of my regular bras (YMMV).
posted by specialagentwebb at 11:02 AM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]

I usually wear a tank underneath, making sure it's obvious from the style that it's a tank and not a bra. My bra straps are usually still visible underneath the tank straps (hard to hide them completely) so that might not be acceptable for you. A scoop neck tank in the same color would look pretty cute with that top, and most people would probably think it was all one shirt.
posted by DoubleLune at 11:07 AM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]

Somewhat tangential to your actual question but I too have an issue with slopy shoulder and slippy straps, and I now pretty much exclusively wear racerback bras. I wear a 32F so most of the time I'm in sports bras, which have the added bonus of looking like a tank top under t-shirts.
posted by elizardbits at 11:16 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]

I like these.
posted by cecic at 11:17 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think you wear a tank top with straps that cover your bra straps, in a coordinating color.
posted by MadamM at 11:29 AM on May 20, 2013

Either wear a bra with very pretty straps, or transparent straps. I see plenty of women with bra straps visible, and as long as they're not tatty or dingy, it's a little bit sexy.
posted by theora55 at 11:31 AM on May 20, 2013

I do know women who, going along with the safety pin suggestion which I have done, who sew a little loop that can button or snap on the underside of the shoulder starting from the collar and going out. I'm not sure if I'm explaining that correctly but like after you put your shirt on you put it under your strap and snap into place on the other side to keep the strap stopping at the collar. It's more common is countries/cultures that dress more conservatively, I think.

I also can only where a strapless bra when it's more of a bustier style than just a bra, but that might defeat the purpose of wearing an airy, scooped tee.
posted by itsonreserve at 11:41 AM on May 20, 2013

Yes, you want lingerie loops, or straps, or whatever those things are called. Here's a page that shows how to do them:

Adding Bra Strap Carriers to your dresses and tops
posted by timepiece at 11:44 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]

Safety pins. And adding loops to the shoulders of your shirts (I think some formalwear dresses come with these if you haven't seen them before).

In any case, you mention sloping shoulders. This might be just how you are made, but if you have a hunched posture, you might also think about strength training your upper back muscles to improve your posture. It's good for your health but can also change the way your clothes fit significantly.
posted by epanalepsis at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Tank tops solve this dilemma, as well as the related dilemmas that involve casual sundresses with thin or poorly-placed straps, shirts with cutouts in the back, wrap tops, etc. etc. I favor the non-ribbed tank tops that are still very stretchy and come in lots of colors, and I wear them under everything all year round.
posted by aabbbiee at 11:47 AM on May 20, 2013

If you want to skip a few steps in the shoulder-loop process, you could sew the top snap to the shoulder of your shirt, and the bottom one to your bra strap. You're stuck always wearing the same bra with that shirt (unless you wanted to do it on several bras) but it would mean less sewing on the thin material of the shirt.
posted by tan_coul at 12:03 PM on May 20, 2013

They do make supportive bras that have the straps far to the edge of your shoulders. I have one and it's great for shirts like this (no idea where it's from...sorry!). So...keep an eye out...they exist!!
posted by hannahelastic at 12:13 PM on May 20, 2013

For times when tank tops feel too bulky or warm, these funny demi-cami things can be a surprisingly (to me, at least!) superior solution.
posted by redfoxtail at 12:30 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]

Sports bras often have t-shirty looking straps, and then you can let them show and it's just like you're wearing a tank underneath.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 12:50 PM on May 20, 2013

2) Balconet style bras generally have wider-set straps that might be far enough apart not to show.

This answer will be the quickest fix. Balconnet bras or bras with widely set straps are excellent for scoopneck shirts. I recently bought a Panache "Superbra" like this one (but in purple!) at Nordstrom Rack that has very widely set straps and successfully wore it with a very wide scoopneck top at a formal event. (Panache appears to sell only larger bra sizes - mine is of excellent quality and I will be purchasing from them again.)

If you want to spend more time, you can tape your bra straps to your shirt with this double-sided tape. I have used it successfully. It also works on wrap dresses to keep them from showing off the bra.
posted by Red Desk at 1:29 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]