No Man’s Land: Buying and Filling a Bra

Choosing a style

Bras come in almost every conceivable style, size, shape, fabric and price range, to accommodate the tremendous variety in feminine shape and taste. Your needs will be determined very much by your choice of breast form and the extent to which your overall shape needs adjustment.

Underwire bra	Soft-cup bra	Long-line bra
Underwire bras give good support to breast forms and come in almost every size and fabric. Some have moulded cups to give a definite shape. Sized wrongly, though, the underwires can be uncomfortable	Soft-cup bras work well for self-adhesive forms, but some styles will provide good support for non-adhesive ones as well.. They rely on clever shaping and stitching of the cups to provide support.	Long-line bras come in underwire and soft-cup styles and extend well below the bustline to help shape your figure.

Other variations on the basic bra include:

• the push-up: works best if you have something to push up! Don’t despair; you can tape your bustline to develop some cleavage. Add a pair of breast forms in a good push-up for some pretty spectacular results!
• the strapless: relies on a snug fit, boning and fabric that grips the skin for support. Designed for wearing under wide-shouldered or strapless dresses.
• the padded: add anywhere from one to three cup sizes. Some come with insertable pads to vary the degree. Others are water-filled or can be inflated to the desired size.
• the “no-bra:” these look like two stick-on underwired cups. They’ll curve and push up whatever you already have and may work with bust enhancers, but can’t support a full breast form.
• the halter: a single strap around the back of the neck supports both cups; best under similarly-styled tops or dresses.
• the plunge: offers a deep décolletage for those low-cut necklines.
• the front-closing: good for a low neckline, but also a smooth back under knits or T-shirts.
• the cross-strap or T-back: these bras work with dresses with narrow backs or under spandex jogging tops.
• the low-back: these bras come in halter or strapless styles and some can leave your entire back bare for those sexy evening fashions.
• the sport bra: these give comfort and secure support without binding. Most are designed to minimise movement.
• the convertible: essentially a low-back bra with detachable straps, this can be worn in several ways, including conventional, halter and strapless.