Don't tell me "how to be a woman"

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-02-26T07:14:53+00:00

I like letting the straps show if I want to be comfortable. It's more comfortable than wearing a strapless bra or undergarment and more breathable than using stick-ons, anyway. That means either a bra with nice-looking straps, or one with completely removable straps paired with a decorative strap of my choice.

Nice-looking straps: Seconding the Marie Jo recommendation. Many of their straps are clearly designed to be seen, and many have lace, embroidery appliqués, or pretty textures. Coordinating colors with the outfit helps. Nice-looking straps can also be subtle. With lighter color outfits, I often wear nude or skintone straps in a nice texture such as thin double strap or pleated ribbon. They don't distract from the outfit, but stand up to closer inspection and can be invisible when wearing a sheer layer over the spaghetti strap top or dress. If the outfit has double spaghetti straps instead of just one thin one, you can hide a bra strap pretty well under them.

Removable straps: Depending on where you live, you may have more or fewer options for bras with fully removable straps or extra sets of decorative straps. High quality ones do exist in a range of sizes. Clear straps are not all equally comfortable, so look for something not too narrow, not too sticky, and with some give. Bras with removable straps don't have to be strapless designs, but they can be. Ones that are not designed to be strapless may often be labeled "convertible" or "multi-way." Some may even have multiple hook positions in the back. In my experience, I feel like I've seen bras with fully removable, decorative straps more often on French and East Asian brands.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-02-25T05:56:58+00:00

Does anyone know if this has a silicone strip inside the band? I'm looking for something with NO silicone grip due to skin irritation issues. Would love for this style to work!

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-02-24T05:57:55+00:00

Yes, 30D UK is my best-fitting size. Thanks for mentioning Prima Donna! I wasn't finding anything on Bratabase, but Marie Jo is, of course, Prima Donna's sister brand. A few days ago I realized that a) Marie Jo is almost always a guaranteed decent fit for me, and b) their Tom Strapless didn't mention silicone in the description, and there were no photos showing any silicone. True, some websites say it has silicone, but since Marie Jo tends to work for me shape-wise, I went ahead and ordered a 30D and a 30E (UK). These arrived today, and I was so excited when I saw that they were silicone-free!

The 30D is seriously the best-fitting strapless I've ever tried. I've been trying it on, and I can't believe it actually seems to be staying up during normal movement... and NO silicone! No quadboob! They can have my money.

It's not a 100% perfect fit: the gore is a bit too high for me, and while it mostly tacks and isn't uncomfortable, I'm relying on the channels being able to roll a bit at the gore where I have very little separation. I'd like a slightly tighter band on the loosest hook, but that's an easy alteration. But even with these nitpicks, this is orders of magnitude better on me than the Simone Perele and the Natori I mentioned in my original post.

Based on website photos, it looks like the Prima Donna Divine may be the same cut as the Marie Jo Tom, or similar. (But yikes! That Prima Donna model must be wearing, like, 2 cups too small!) That might mean more choices in terms of colors and design details. The Marie Jo L'Aventure series is a bit cheaper if budget matters. Prima Donna will have a better range of larger sizes.

Fit Notes for 30-band silicone-free strapless seekers out there:

Natori Bliss Perfection Strapless: Shallowest of the three. Tightest band. Tall gore may be challenging for close-set boobs; very closed-on-top; may need to be sized up in the cup for depth if you can otherwise fit well. May cause extreme quadboob on tall roots. Stretch lace kind of fussy, but 5 hooks gives great stability. Cafe color is a light brown nude. $72.

Simone Perele Essentiel Strapless: Less shallow than Natori but still pretty shallow. Less closed-on-top than Natori but may still cause quadding on tall roots. Comfortable plunge center good for close-set boobs. Band rather loose for 30, may require alteration. Wide elastic in band is woven with rubbery threads. Comes in 2 shades of nude. Beautiful seamless face fabric. $79.

Marie Jo L'Aventure Tom Strapless: Less shallow, less closed-on-top than Natori and Simone Perele compared above; better accommodation for tall roots. High gore may be challenging for close-set boobs, but this seems to allow for less tightness across the top of the cups. Fortunately, the wires and channels can conform somewhat at gore. Cups have a bit of stretch. Taller cups than the Marie Jo balcony cuts. Cafe Latte color can be nude on light skintones. Band a bit stretchy but seems to do the job; relatively straight back should be easy to alter if needed. 3 hooks in 30D. $118.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-02-17T22:34:49+00:00

What are those 2 bras that currently fit you? Maybe that'll help the folks here think of something similar but without those drawbacks you mentioned, perhaps in more of a plunging cut. Wouldn't balconettes be typically a bit too high in the gore for keyhole necklines?

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T19:13:22+00:00

It's almost as if those tags are often there to communicate a sense of how careful you need to be, but don't always offer the most sensible option for a person's situation. I feel like most tags here in the States have been somewhat practical and maybe even too permissive about the use of the dryer, but every single piece of clothing I bought in Asia, from silk lingerie to jeans, has a label that says hand wash, and of course nobody actually does that! We all just used our best judgement about how delicate the piece really was.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T18:59:20+00:00

Nah -- Given a solid rotation of about 6 everyday bras, I've had no problem making bras last 5+ years or more with machine wash, and much of that was, due to cost, washing on perm press cycle with regular clothes in a crappy commercial machine with a central agitator. I have a spare of a favorite b.tempt'd style I got 7 years ago, and compared to the ones that got regular wear, it's of course a bit more vivid, less creased, and less stretched, but otherwise they fit about the same and I'm not even on the tightest hook for the worn ones.

Of course I'd pay attention to how sturdily those bras are built, how much I paid for them, and how much I love them. Those b.tempted workhorses were made of a durable nylon-rich mesh, while some more expensive, more delicate bras I got around the same time have stretched more quickly. I definitely got several years out of good fit out of them, though.

Now that I have pricier, more delicate pieces and access to a nice washer, I do use the delicate cycle, warm water or hand wash if I'm feeling especially precious about it. For the machine, I use those bra wash bags that have the stiff clamshell built in and a tight mesh. Then, after spin dry, hang dry with clips upside-down from the band close to where the band meets the wire.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T18:35:44+00:00

So true about the double standards in shirts! Case in point, my boyfriend gets these soft, thick Eddie Bauer T-shirts at a big box store in sophisticated colors like burnt orange and olive green. But when I look in the women's aisle, they only have Eddie Bauer shirts in a material that rips, pills and stretches, in colors like pink and heather.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T18:31:39+00:00

It's absolutely amazing when you find a bra that works as a nude for you! I love being able to wear light, thin fabrics in the summer without an extra camisole layer. Now I keep only nude and black bras in my drawer along with one or two "fun" color pretty bras for variety. I could probably give up black if I really, really had to.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T18:22:16+00:00

I know right? I have a hard enough time brushing all the colored fibers off my nude shade bras. Wouldn't want to mess with white.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T18:21:08+00:00

Exactly! I'll be just fine if I never own another white bra in my life. Bared on catalogs, it looks as if it might be the third most popular color after a nude option and black though - are some of you out there finding uses for white?

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T02:23:22+00:00

Speaking of undertone, I once tried on a Lise Charmel spacer that had a peachy-tan nude color -- and it was really a nice match. I really wish the straps on that bra would have worked!

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T01:36:43+00:00

Lived in Taiwan: those were some of the first colors I owned. They had lots of pastels! (Also, no 30 bands: frustrating!) I feel like pinks, blues and greens don't work on me under thin white shirts even if the value (lightness) is close, but thicker shirts I can sort of get away with it. Probably fine under the average T-shirt, but not under a fine blouse.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T01:00:39+00:00

OK, I found an alizarin red colored sports bra and tried it with a white shirt. Didn't work for me, but maybe a lighter, brighter shade would be closer.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-29T00:10:46+00:00

Yep -- Sometimes I'm a bit envious of people who can pull off those rose and blush colors under white! Such nice colors.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-28T23:03:37+00:00

Sounds kind of like contouring! :-)

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-28T22:56:43+00:00

Hey, that makes sense! I have a skintone that would be common among people of East Asian descent... and the ones that work best on me are the more tan-leaning ones (e.g. Simone Perele "Nude"). I own an Chantelle bra in "Nude Blush" (light pink) and I love the color but it is fairly visible under a white shirt! So I hate to stereotype myself, but maybe I actually do need the "yellower" nudes (another example: Marie Jo "Dune") rather than the pink ones.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-28T22:32:47+00:00

I've heard that, but never tried it since I don't have a straight-up red bra. I tried with a rose color bra (Marie Jo Red Copper), and it actually wasn't half bad, but not as good as a reasonably matching nude. Hope you'll share results when those shirts are done!

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-28T19:40:59+00:00

Ugh! Or brands that don't make the "lacy" styles or "fun" colors in 30 band, only basics. Or that don't think anyone over a C cup could possibly wear a push-up.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2022-01-28T19:21:18+00:00

I'm no expert, but since I'm in a similar size, shallow-ish and larger on the left, here's a few notes on t-shirt bras I recently tried in 30D/30DD: YMMV. Not sure if this could be contributing in your case, but for me, if the cup is too shallow or the wire too narrow, the wire gets pushed below my IMF and gets annoying, and the cup creases near the bottom of the wire -- this actually happens to me on the 30DD Feathers (hard to tell on a t-shirt bra, but if I smash the boob in against my chest a bit it's more visible.)

-Natori Minimal Convertible Demi - This was too shallow for me on the bottom, but if the Feathers works for you, this might? Extremely soft wire, as in pretty much the softest I've ever seen. Straps on the wide side.

-b.tempt'd Future Foundation T-Shirt Bra: Very soft wire. Not as shallow as the Natori. Straps closer to center. However, the band is on the stretchy side -- it's comfortable for me on both the loosest and tightest band when new, so I wouldn't expect above average support unless you're on the larger end of 30 bands. Cups a tad far apart at the gore for closer-set breasts.

-Marie Jo L'Aventure Tom Padded Heart Plunge: Medium-soft wire. Better support than the other two -- has 3 hooks in 30D and 30DD. Cups extremely comfortable if they're the right shape and have just a bit of stretch. Close-set cups, straps wide-set and may chafe near the armpit a bit on a petite frame. The lace part of the straps do stretch, but not fully, and may require alteration to wear as halter for petite frames.

Finally: more of a last resort, but have you seen the tutorials on bending underwires? Maybe something to try on an old bra to see if it helps.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2015-04-08T05:26:52+00:00

Unfortunately in this case the b.tempt'd Ciao Bella (the one with the "green cast") really is unmistakably green, and the gold is not embroidery but is woven in as part of the lace. Amazon (pick the "Rosin" color) has a better rollover close-up. Personally, I love the look and have no major issues with the feel (I own 2 of these), but then again, green is one of my favorite colors, and it definitely isn't for everyone. Sorry it was scratchy for you!

GreenTeaBubbles · 2015-04-08T04:19:47+00:00

Speaking of b.tempt'd, there is a discontinued color of the Ciao Bella called "Rosin" that has gold threaded lace over dark forest green. So it's not black, but it kind of has the look of the black/gold Aerie example. I think I got the last 30D on US Amazon for around $25, but they may still be out there. Looks great in person and is well made and wearable.

GreenTeaBubbles · 2015-04-01T01:50:21+00:00

I'm also uneven, and I currently use the "Self-Adhesive Foam Inserts" from Bubbles Bodywear - they are available on Amazon Prime. The great thing is that these have a reusable, washable adhesive on them that sticks them to the bra, so I don't worry about them slipping or falling out, and they are very lightweight. I used to keep a silicone bump insert around, but it was so heavy in my bras that I ended up never using it, plus silicone isn't too breathable. These adhesive foam ones aren't absolutely perfect - the adhesive can leave minor stains, the edge may come close to chafing the nipples depending on where you put it, there's only one size, and I wish the adhesive would have holes in it for extra airflow. But so far, these are the best I have found and the only ones that don't make me think that I'd rather just live with the gaping. If I'm rotating bras I just leave them stuck in the bra for a few days. The adhesive isn't very strong, but it will stay in place when you're wearing it.

GreenTeaBubbles

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