Bra Guide: Types of bras to make you feel your sexiest

Lingerie should make you feel sexy. It should drape you in luxury and awaken your desires every time you put it on. Lingerie should transport you from the ordinary, take you from a regular day to one full of sensuality and wonder. 

We know that the right type of bra makes all the difference. Not only is style and color an important factor in making sure you feel your best, but also wearing the right bra for your shape so you feel gorgeous and comfortable in your lingerie look. It’s time to dream yourself into new adventures, romances, and true self-love with the perfect lingerie for you.

Below, we’ve put together a bra guide to help you find the right fit for you. Each of the different types of bras we’ve collected have recommendations for the wearer they’re best suited for. The eight well-known breast shapes are listed at the bottom, so if you’re not sure which one you are, be sure to take a look there. We’ll help you find your best well-fitting bra that gives you support and makes you feel even sexier. We also have onhand Kimmay Caldwell, Undergarment Educator at HurrayKimmay.com and founder of Bra Confidence & Comfort with some of her very own expert bra advice.

Types of bras right for your shape

There are various types of bras out there, and it’s important to find the right one for your shape. If you wear the wrong style of bra, you may run into issues with gaping at the top, wires that dig in, and lumpy lines under your clothes. A well-fitting bra should always support you and sit comfortably across your chest.

We asked Kimmay Caldwell to share the most important thing to remember when finding the right bra: 

 

‘When it comes to the "right" bra, I teach women to wear what fits first. Fit is the key to comfort. I love beautiful bras but if they don't fit it's hard to enjoy the beauty of it. A bra that fits well feels great, supports, and shapes the body as the bra was designed to do. So first thing is first: focus on fit.

Next, I also encourage people to say "I am #MoreThanMyNumbers". In other words, don't get hung up on the size. We have so many stories within us that we've learned over the years about what sizes are too much or not enough, or what a certain size means about us. But the truth is that size on the tag is just a number we are so much more than that. Focusing on fit instead of the size helps us release any shame or worry about "being" a size so that we can be who we truly are: divinely created, beautiful, valuable humans. Hurray!’

 

Perfect for: Side-set, relaxed, athletic and bell-shaped breasts, and sometimes teardrop breasts too. 

Balconette bras are a classic. They’re ultra sexy and supportive, providing a gentle lift and showing off your cleavage. They work best for those with wider set shoulders as the straps are often set further apart. They’re not suitable for some breast shapes as if you have a breast fuller on the bottom you may struggle with gaping at the top when wearing a balconette bra.

We love the variety of sexy, ethereal and even bondage-inspired balconette bras out there! Our designers put so much care into this wardrobe essential. The design of a balconette bra is the perfect lift and support, while still being a sexy piece of luxury lingerie to add to your wardrobe.

• Montana Leather Balcony Bra is a bolder option, a statement leather piece with removable straps, perfect for styling into different looks.
• Cerelia Balconette Bra is a luxurious Spring or Summer lingerie edition, with gorgeous green adjustable straps and delicate embroidery. It can also be paired with a matching thong and garter belt.
• Flora Balconette Bra is perfectly underwired but completely unlined, instead the cups are crafted from embroidered tulle. This is an ethereal yet supportive balconette bra option.

Full-cup bras

Perfect for: Rounder breasts, particularly round, relaxed, and east-west. Teardrop and bell-shaped breasts again can also be suited to this shape, but be careful of bra-gaping at the top.

Full-cup bras can be mistaken for not being as sexy or stylish as other bras, but it’s really about finding the right design for you. Full-cup often known as t-shirt bras are perfect for fuller coverage and shaping. They’re well-fitting bras, perfect for supporting the wearer and comfortable for a day at work, but meaning you still come home feeling like the goddess you are. 

Afterall, there’s nothing sexier than a confident woman who feels comfortable in her own skin.

• Demetria DD - G Cup Bra is perfect for larger breasts and fuller coverage and support. A luxurious and romantic supportive lingerie piece, this bra will become a go-to for your romantic evenings.
• Ondina Double Cup Bra is a uniquely designed piece, offering ample support with equal amounts of luxury and beauty. The Ondina collection also features numerous matching panty options and garter belt.

Plunge bra

Perfect for: Athletic, side-set, teardrop and bell-shaped breasts. 

This iconic bra is for the powerful woman who dominates her day. You don’t let life control you, you control it.

Plunge bras enhance your cleavage by the placement of the wires. They’re sexy, stylish, and will make you feel supported in the most luxurious way. We love a classic black plunge bra, so we’ve found you two modern takes on the iconic bra.

• Xena Plunge Bra is a stunning half-padded piece, crafted with French Leavers lace, an exquisite Swarovski Pave Crystal dropper pendant in 9K gold, and stretch Italian satin for the perfect fit. Complete the look with the Xena Garter Belt and Lace Thong.
• Juliette Black Lace Lingerie Set is a classic look that is unforgettable - soft floral lace in seductive black and scalloped edges that add to the romance. 

 

Bralette

Perfect for: Everyone!

We’re big believers that bralettes can be for everyone, not just for people with smaller perkier breasts as they’ve previously only been designed for. There are so many fantastic plus-size bralette designers, and many bralette designers for all sorts of breast shapes and sizes. 

Bralettes are often a more sensual approach to lingerie, awakening the dreamer in you who falls in love with lace, embroidery, velvets and tulle. Romanticize your mornings as soon as you put on a bralette.

We’ve put together a few of our favorites below.

• Flora Soft Cup Bralette is a luxurious and vibrant piece full of floral blooms and made of silk and embroidered tulle.
• Gawa Curvy Lace Lingerie Set combines romantic French lace, delicately framed in soft velvet. An open back design with eyelash lace adds to the beauty. It’s both supportive and romantic.
• Eros Bandeau Bralette is a slightly different take on the classic bandeau style. This lace and satin bandeau bra provides a natural shape, while the side boning adds some structure. 

 

At Anya Lust, we always want to make our lingerie goddesses feel whisked away to a dreamland of romance and sensuality when they look through our website and buy any of our pieces. We hope we’ve helped and inspired you in this bra guide with a number of types of bras that are right for your breast shape. To top this feeling of feeling radically gorgeous, you could wear a beautiful necklace or hoop earrings to add to your glow. 

Kimmay Caldwell agrees that it is so important to find the right bra for your breast shape: ‘It can take time and effort to get to know your body and your breast shape, for sure! And it's totally worth it. I've seen bra fit clients literally try to stuff their bust into a bra cup shape or bra style that just wasn't designed to work with their gorgeous body. Because it didn't match they didn't get the look or comfort they desired, and often felt like something was wrong with them. So quickly we assume we and our bodies are the problem, not that the bra just isn't the right shape, fit, or size for us. There are millions and millions of different bra styles out there and finding the shape that gives you the level of support, silhouette, and comfort you desire is so key. After all, I always teach that putting on a bra - right over your heart! - is a sacred and important first step of most folks' days. So wearing something that fits well and feels great can start that day with empowerment and love!’

Ultimately, you should always wear whatever you love the most, and feel most confident and happy in.

  

Bra Guide: Understanding your breast shape*

Round: The breasts are equally full at the top and bottom.

East-west: The right and left breasts go from the center of the chest to the sides, with the nipples often pointing in opposite directions.

Side-set: The breasts are set apart, not touching from the center, and tend to be voluminous at the sides.

Teardrop: The breasts are round, but slightly less full at the top and heavier on the bottom.

Relaxed: The breasts are long and narrow, and the nipples point downwards.

Athletic: Wider breasts with less volume at the top.

Bell-shaped: The breasts are large and full at the bottom and slimmer at the top.

* It’s also important to note that most women don’t have equal breasts, often one is slightly larger than the other, so sometimes the nipples can sit at different heights due to one breast being heavier or various other reasons. If you have a significant difference in breast size between your breasts, looking for removable cups or bras with moulded cups can be ways around the size difference.

 

 

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