Tried and Tested: The Comfiest Bras (With a Bit of Support)
I’ve been on a mission for the past couple of years: to find the comfiest bras that still offer some sort of support and that create a bit of shape. I’m probably asking for a miracle, because by their very nature the comfiest bras are glorified bands of stretchy cotton that look a bit like a crop top: alas many of them offer little to no support and, if they do give a bit of lift, they often squish everything together unattractively into one big breast wodge. A monoboob. (For reference, I’m 32DD.)
I am fanatical about being comfortable at home. I think I’ve probably taken it a bit too far, actually, because quite often now I feel panicked if I am forced to put proper clothes on. I don’t like anything that constricts, especially around the gusset area, and I don’t like elasticated bands that press into my rib cage or - ARGH - into the flesh of my stomach. Seams cannot be ill-placed, I must not be able to sense them. Bracelet sleeves and capri pants are out and I cannot have a middle seam on trousers that garrottes my nethers.
You’re all going to be diagnosing me at this point but don’t. It is completely normal for a person to want to feel comfortable, we’ve just forgotten this because we’ve had years of being brain washed into pointy shoes that have knackered our feet, and jeans we can’t breathe in, and knickers made of LACE. LACE! Can you think of any other material less suited to being pressed against your most delicate of areas? You may as well wear sandpaper pants.
I have trouble dressing on the best of days, it stresses me out and it always has done - I’d be a prime candidate for one of those shows where they throw out your entire wardrobe and pick you three outfits to wear for the rest of your life. But add to this all of the fabrics that make me feel physically sick and we have a real problem on our hands. Fuzzy materials that create fluff that sticks to my face. Itchy types of wool. Too-stiff denim.
Too-stiff denim! Why, I ask you? Why would I want to encase my legs in something that won’t allow me to bend at the knee? Do I need the durability of a fabric that has been designed to endure five-score brutal winters in Montana? No I do not.
Tights! I’ve almost done away with them entirely at this point. And the bras I’d been saving for “when I felt sexy again”: they have all gone into the clothes recycling point outside the kids’ school. (They’re going to get a shock, let me tell you! Good bit of vintage Agent Provocateur went into that metal bin!)
Anyway, I’ve found a new bra to add to my “comfy yet supportive” collection. To recap on the current members of the team, we have:
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1. the Skims Naked Scoop bralette.
Ultra-light, to the point where you genuinely forget you have anything on. Washes well. Adjustable band but no adjustable straps, and I have to say that they do stretch after a couple of years of constant wear and wash. Nevertheless, a strong option if you’re after ultimate comfort with a lovely, smooth shape. Slight monoboob issue but not anything as bad as you’d get with a crop top. You can find it here online - I wear size S-DD which was the recommended size for a 32DD.
2. the Honeylove range, specifically the Silhouette and Crossover bras.
Cor. These give immense support, even for larger cup sizes and manage to give some separation to the boobs and lots of lift to bring them up and away from the rib cage. My Honeylove bras have worn and washed very well - my only (slight) issue is that they can get very hot to wear. I’m pretty sure my 20% discount still works for Honeylove, you just need to click this link and it’ll apply at checkout. (Ignore other offers that pop up.) I made a whole video about Honeylove bras last year - I’ve popped it at the bottom of the post, in case it’s of interest.
And now, drumroll, we have the third member of the girls-band:
3. the Boody Seamless T-Shirt Bra.
This seamless bra kept popping up on my Instagram feed - I must have had twenty ads served to me before I finally succumbed. But the model’s boobs looked so excellent! I couldn’t believe that a little slip of a bra would create such a lovely shape, yet be so comfy-looking.
Well, believe. I am all kinds of impressed with this one. I was surprised to find it had padded cups, which initially I hated, but it’s the cups that give the lift and the shape without sacrificing comfort. You have to just get your head around it, if you can - I had imagined it was just a single-skin sort of weightless bralette job and in reality it was more hefty, but it is soft and really very, very comfy. I went back in for another round and bought it in a second colour, too.
There’s no adjustable band on this but it does have adjustable straps. If I were to be annoyingly picky then I’d say that the band and straps could be a little wider, for those of us with bigger norks, but then I think that the version that they do for fuller busts is tweaked with that in mind. My recommended size was a Small, which was quite tight at first but now perfect. I wonder whether I should have opted for the full bust one, though…
I might order another and see. I am so impressed with this that I do not resent doing a repeat purchase! I used the code they sent me when I signed up to the newsletter - 15% off, you can find details on this page. The bra itself (loads of lovely colours) is here, it costs £24.95.
Any recommendations to add to my list of bra trials? I have a few on the go at the moment; many never get a mention because they’re crap. I would love to put the M&S Flexiform crop top back on my winners’ list, for example, but every single one I’ve had now has come out of the washing machine mangled, after fully following the care instructions. So. Grrr. Will report back.
Here’s the Honeylove video - it was an ad-paid collaboration that I did with them, because I had reviewed their bras before this and loved them and they approached me to show all of the styles on video. So bear that in mind, but it’s helpful to see them on, I think:
I have both the honeyloves and like them a lot but you tempt me to try the Boody!