Various Types of Bra
Types of Bra
Types of Bra
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Armstrong]Wayne Armstrong
When the bra was first invented I'm sure that the inventor couldn't
begin to imagine that by the 21st century there would be so many bra
types available to purchase that it would become quite confusing.
Here are some bra types currently available:
Adhesive - the adhesive bra comes in two types, the paperless disposable
bra, and the silicone type. The adhesive bra does not have any straps
or bands and it adheres directly to the breast. It provides little in
the way of support but can enhance the size and shape of the breast. The
adhesive bra is particularly useful when wearing a backless dress.
Bandeau - the bandeau bra consists simply of a band of cloth that goes
right around the body over the breast area. The bandeau bra is not
designed to provide support or shape, simply coverage. It is a popular
form of bikini top.
Balconette - the balconette bra is a 1930's invention that was designed
to lift the breasts to enhance shape. It became popular during the
1950's.
Bralette - the bralette is a pullover type bra that is usually unlined
and unwired. It is normally used by teens as a training bra.
Bullet - the bullet bra is a bra that has cups in the shape of the tip
of a bullet. They are usually worn such that the breasts are pushed out
perpendicular to the body. The bullet bra is normally associated with
outlandish costumes with decorations to enhance shape, such as
concentric circles radiating out from the nipples.
Convertible - the convertible bra has detachable straps and bands that
can be arranged in different configurations so that the same bra can be
worn with different sorts of clothes, such as strapless and backless
dresses.
Cupless - the cupless bra is designed exactly as it sounds, and has no
cups. Usually worn as exotic lingerie, the cupless bra provides very
little support, but can sometimes enhance the nipples beneath other
garments.
Front Closure - the vast majority of bras have fasteners on the straps
worn at the back. As the name suggests, the front closure bra fastens at
the front. This has the advantage of making the strap at the back
almost flat against the body, making the bra less visible beneath tight
fitting clothing.
Full Support - this is the typical kind of bra worn by fuller breasted
ladies as every day under garments. They offer maximum support for
ultimate comfort throughout the day.
Mastectomy
- these bras are specially designed to hold in place a breast
prosthesis for women who for one reason or another may have lost one or
both breasts.
Maternity - maternity bra is a wonderful invention for mothers who are
breast feeding their children. The maternity bra's cups can expand over
time to accommodate growing breasts during pregnancy and the cups
themselves can be unfastened allowing access to the breast for feeding.
Minimiser - this type of bra is designed for larger women who may want
their breasts to appear smaller. The bra compresses and shapes the
breast into a more compact shape.
Padded - this is one of the best improvements to the bra since its
invention. The padded bra has compartments built into the cups that
house cloth or foam pads. The compartments can be below, around or over
the breast area to enhance shape in different ways. Where women used to
push things inside their bras such as tissue paper or other material in
order to give the appearance of a larger breast, with the advent of the
padded bra, this was now no longer necessary.
Plunge - the design of this bra, as the name suggests is such that the
line plunges down between the breasts meaning that it can be worn with
even the lowest of necklines. Because of its shape, the plunge bra, when
worn with a low cut dress or t-shirt can enhance the appearance of the
breasts.
Posture - again, this is a bra that does what it says in the name. The
posture bra is structured in such a way as to help the wearer have a
better posture.
Push Up - the push up bra is designed to lift and push together the
breasts. This gives the impression of an enhanced cleavage, which again
is sometimes desirable when wearing a low cut dress or t-shirt.
Racerback - the racerback bra has straps that come down the back in a V
shape and the straps themselves are therefore much closer to the neck
than traditional bras. The advantage is that the straps will not show
when wearing sleeveless tops and dresses. The racerback design is also
popular for sports bras as the placement of the straps provides more
support meaning less bounce when running for example.
Sheer- this type of bra is made from fabric which is translucent and therefore allows the breast to be seen through the bra.
Shelf - the shelf bra again does what it says by having a rigid band
which fits under the bra thereby pushing the breasts upwards. They also
only have half cups so the nipple and most of the breast area is exposed
and therefore gives the impression that the breasts have been placed on
a shelf.
Softcup - the softcup bra has no underwiring or other type of rigidity
to it. It simply relies on the strength of the material itself to
support the breasts.
Sports - the sports bra is specially designed for active women and
provides maximum support for the breasts to prevent them from bouncing
during exercise, which can be painful, especially for larger breasted
women.
Strapless - this type of bra has no shoulder straps and so is
particularly useful when wearing clothing that reveals the shoulders of
the wearer.
T-Shirt - the idea of the t-shirt bra is that it has no raised seems
hand tend to have fasteners that do not cause the straps to be raised
which means they can be almost invisible when worn beneath a t-shirt or
other tight fitting item of clothing. T-shirt bras will also sometimes
have a small amount of padding in order to prevent the shape of the
nipple from being seen.
Training - these bras are designed for girls who are starting to develop
breasts. They offer little or no support and are really only designed
to allow girls to get used to wearing a bra.
Underwire - an underwire bra has a metal or plastic band or wire running
within the fabric underneath the breasts. This allows the bra to give
much more support to the breasts than relying on just the fabric itself.
Water and Gel Bras - this design of bra is essentially an evolution of
the push up bra in that it has compartments in the bra cups that contain
padding, but rather than the padding being made from cotton or other
material as in the push up bra, the compartments have pads that are
filled with silicone or water. Because this substance is less rigid it
allows the breast to move around more freely so that the breast is
enhanced but remains more natural looking.
Wayne Armstrong is the owner of the [http://www.newundies.co.uk]New
Undies website. Come along and check out the latest underwear styles
from the World's best known fashion names at great prices. We have lots
of different bra types to choose from, so there is bound to be something
to take your fancy.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Types-of-Bra&id=6040232] Types of Bra
