After months at home, many need to return to their places of work. It's a switch of mindset, and a switch of wardrobe. We can't go to the office in pajamas (well most of us can't), but we can find ways to change our perceptions of what is workwear, what is necessary to look professional, and embrace some of what we learned about comfort and productivity during the shutdown. I think the one item women are most concerned with are bras. Let's face it, few of us look forward to putting on a bra every morning. Many of us have spent the time at home without a bra or wearing more comfortable options like bralettes, sports bras, and wirefree bras. Is it possible to look professional without having to go back to underwire bras? Below I share my suggestions for wireless bras, ones that will feel good and look good. Let's use this time at home to change the perception of what is necessary to be a professional and polished woman; here are some bras for our new normal.
Before You Bra Shop, Get Fitted
The main reason bras are uncomfortable is because the bra is not the right size. Did you know your bra size changes regularly, even if you are still the same clothing size? Weight loss and gain, age, gravity, diet changes, fitness changes, health changes... these all affect your bust. You should be fitted once a year to be sure your bras are the right size for the current you. While it may not be possible to get fitted in person at a bra boutique, there are ways to find out your current bra size at home:
A correct-fitting bra will be more comfortable. As someone with large and heavy breasts, I find myself most comfortable in a bra... that is the right size and isn't old and worn out. Which comes to my next topic...
Old Bras Are Not Comfortable Bras
Let's stop and think about bras. They are made of delicate fabrics with a lot of technology and structure and hardware. They are worn directly against our body, snuggling right up to the places where our body gets the warmest, where the body gets sweaty, and where the body rubs and moves against itself and anything on the skin. The heat breaks down the elastic, the rubbing wears down the materials and shifts things like underwires. Then we wash them, usually in a machine, sometimes with a lingerie bag on a delicate setting, sometimes not. Whether we hand wash and dry flat or throw in the washer and hope for the best, that laundering breaks down the fibers even more. If you put your bras in the dryer, you're degrading them and misshaping them even more. Then we take them and sometimes turn the cups inside-out to shove them into a drawer. It's ridiculous to think that such a garment can last more than a year with such wear and tear, yet most women are wearing bras that are long past their expiration date. Sometimes it's because bra shopping sucks, sometimes it's because bras are hella expensive, but often it's because these old worn-out bras seem comfortable.
If they were so comfortable, you wouldn't have stopped wearing them the past months at home.They may feel more comfortable because the straps aren't digging into your shoulders after being worn down. They may feel comfortable because the cups have lost their structure and therefore the underwires aren't as noticeable. But likely the reason they feel more comfortable is that you didn't buy a comfortable bra in the first place and comfortable bras do exist. The thing is not everyone is comfortable in the same brand or type of bra. We don't all like the same shoes, we don't all like the same jeans, why in the heck would we all like the same bras when this is one part of your body that is the most unique?
Finding the Right Wireless Bra for You
Okay, so we've gotten ourselves measured, we've gotten rid of those bras that are the wrong size (I highly recommend donating them and any worn but still functioning bras to I Support the Girls), and we're ready to find bras that are comfortable and work for our new normal. A bra that gives the shape and support that you are comfortable with, and works with your wardrobe. This can mean a lot of different things, and I think it's very important to not feel that just because you're returning to the workplace or out and about in society that you have to return to societal expectations that don't benefit you. I doubt your company dress code states all women need to have their busts up to their necks, perfectly shaped, separated, and at attention. Figure out what matters to you working with the clothing that you will be wearing. It may be jiggle reduction, reducing the visibility of nipples, having fabric or space between the underside of your bust and your torso, having fantastic cleavage, minimizing size, increasing size, shape and separation... we all have different goals and they can be achieved with a variety of different types of bras, bralettes, and other intimates.
You May Also Like: Sports Bras for Large Busts Review (with photos)Wireless Bras for Heading Back to Work
The majority of emails and comments I have received from readers in the past month is where to find a wire-free bra that is comfortable, but still gives some shape to the bust. After months of not wearing bras and enjoying it, it makes sense to find something that is a step up while still maintaining comfort. Below are wire-free bras that I own, that you readers recommend, that women I know have used, or I have researched and they get great reviews on a variety of sites. I also looked to find a variety of pricepoints and link to reputable retailers. I am separating them by general category; I have the links and then carousels of images below them. If you click on the images they will open in a new tab or browser window at the retailer's site. There are arrows on the sides of the image carousels to advance to additional options.
You May Also Like: The Best Comfort Bra for Large BustsWireless Bras for Weekends and Working from Home
While the above category focuses more on shape and definition and being invisible under clothing, this is the category of bras for just being comfortable. Comfort goes beyond not having anything dig into you. Comfort can be taking the dog for a walk without having to change the bra you were wearing while binging a series on Netflix, it can be having separation between your breasts and your ribcage for airflow, it can be your clothing fitting properly for your work Zoom call without underwires.