bras, strapless, bra, omg

July 3, 2008 11:04 AM

Can you recommend any good, supportive, strapless bras for a large chested women?

My breasts are somewhere between a D and DD (I usually wear DD's, though DD's bras can sometimes be a wee bit big in the cup, but spill over D's), and vary between a 36/38 depending on the bra. I'm short, petite, but a little chubby, and just always thought there's no way in hell I could get away with wearing a strapless bra, and be comfortable doing so.

So a few months ago, I bought a strapless bra (along with a couple of others) on clearance from Maidenform. I decided to give it a go yesterday, and holy crap, it was an amazing success. I have never in my life worn a strapless bra, let alone felt supported, comfortable, without having to re-adjust but once in the middle of the day. But that bra is no longer available, and I'm now entering a world of new bra (and clothing) possibilities, and don't know where to start/look.

I'd like to invest in another quality strapless bra or two, without breaking the bank. And feel supported/comfortable wearing it. Can you recommend any brands/styles/specific bras?

(Most likely they won't be worn with a halter, but with spaghetti strappy tops, dresses, tanks, etc, or a one shoulder dress.)

posted by raztaj to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

Best answer: Here's a good site. I'm the same size as you, and always find a good selection there.
posted by Liosliath at 11:17 AM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: If you really liked that model, check ebay - a lot of people sell new-with-tags bras, especially discontinued ones.
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:22 AM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: It's always worth search Ebay for clothing that's no longer in stores.
posted by ceri richard at 11:25 AM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: I actually prefer Figleaves to Bare Necessities (Liosliath's link) -- they have free returns (they pay for return shipping) and they have ratings so that you can see what other people have to say about the bras (and how supportive/comfortable/attractive they are). No actual strapless recommendations here, sadly -- my chest does not allow such a thing. For non-strapless, I've had great luck with Panache. They do make some strapless bras. But like I said, returns and exchanges are free, so order a bunch of different ones and try them out!

(Bare Necessities is also good, but you pay for return shipping, so it's better if you know exactly what you want.)
posted by pluckemin at 11:27 AM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: Bravissimo - lingerie, clothing and swimwear for big boobed women!
posted by triggerfinger at 11:49 AM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: All of those sites have previously been recommended to me as good places to look. I'd also recommend the Goddess brand. I had 36Ds or 38Ds or something or other (this was *ahem* a while ago), and for my wedding I was very comfortable in my Goddess strapless longline bustier for several hours. Not that you'd need a bustier, but the brand worked very well.

Head on over to a Nordstrom's, if you have one in your area. They'll be super helpful.
posted by Madamina at 12:17 PM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: Looks like you're in Boston, which means you should go to a Lady Grace. The women who work in those places are, like, career bra fitters. They will manhandle you and adjust things and reprimand you for the bra you walked in with - but they will also eyeball you for a few seconds and then pull a box off a shelf that contains the perfect strapless bra.
posted by moxiedoll at 12:58 PM on July 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I second going to a lingerie boutique that specializes in fitting women with the right bras (avoid Victoria's Secret, go to a boutique store that really cares). In my experience, it's an incredibly great investment of time and money. The right support and fit will automatically make you look better and feel SO much better about your body. I really can't express what a difference it made for my self esteem when I found what really worked right. Angels sang. I swear.
posted by miss lynnster at 1:10 PM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: I second getting fitted correctly. Makes such a huge difference in the comfort of any bra, but especially a strapless. If you have a Nordstrom anywhere near you, I'd recommend getting measured at their lingerie dept. Victoria's secret had been measuring me incorrectly and I had been wearing a size too small for years!

I generally frown upon anything in Victoria's Secret's store, but once you know your cup size for sure, maybe try one of their "stick on" strapless bras. They have the tape-like tabs on the side under the arms, leaving a completely open back. Being a big-cupped girl, I was surprised by the amount of support.
posted by snotloc at 4:01 PM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: In a similar position recently, I went to Bra Smyth and wound up with a Le Mystere model. It's a 32DD where I usually wear a 34D, but it certainly hoists 'em high. A strapless dress worked great with it but the real test was that I can wear it with a spaghetti-strap tank top and it looks merely hot, not weird.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:35 PM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: I'm almost exactly the same size as you (also a 36-38 D to DD) and I just bought an awesome strapless bra yesterday. I just bought a dress for which I had to buy a strapless bra so I went with the brand that I've had the most experience with and confidence in -- Wacoal. Their bras are pretty and very, very supportive. So I headed to Bloomingdales and picked up this Wacoal strapless bra in 36 DD (the biggest size they had). It's much much more supportive than any other strapless bra I've seen, comes with straps if you want to use them and doesn't have any of that extraneous padding that many strapless bras come with. Highly recommended.
posted by peacheater at 6:17 PM on July 3, 2008

Best answer: Le Mystere makes a really good no slip strapless (it has a stickky band beneath the cup that helps it stay up) that works for me. A little pricey though.

Also, in a pinch I just bought a Sweet Nothings strapless at Wal-mart and it was fantastic! It was pretty much the Le Mystere sans the sticky band. I had no problems with it and it cost about 1/5 of the Le Mystere.
posted by my_thai at 7:59 PM on July 3, 2008