Purpose of a strapless bra – to offer bust support without the use of shoulder straps. They can be worn under strapless outfits, off the shoulder styles, halter-neck tops and dresses and racerback outfits when racerback bras are not effective. Occasionally we can also use strapless bras to support customers with neck and shoulder issues when they cannot tolerate any pressure on the shoulders.
The first step to fitting a strapless bra is to find out if the customer needs it for under a specific outfit and therefore the neckline of the outfit it needs to sit under. Although most strapless bras sit in a balcony neckline, there are some that plunge down in the centre – such as the Panache Faith plunge strapless seen below!!
When trying strapless bras for under a specific outfit, it’s best for the customer to bring the dress or outfit so that we can match the neckline height to the bra, giving her a greater sense of confidence in the style!
Structure of Strapless Bras
Band – The most important component of a strapless bra is a firm, sturdy band as this is giving the vast majority of support. The band is usually wider and more reinforced than a regular bra. The band often also has one or two rows of silicone to grip the wearer’s skin and stay in place. This can be helpful and add to the overall feeling of security when wearing the bra, however, be aware that it may cause skin irritation to some wearers especially if worn in hot and humid conditions. When a customer has an allergy or aversion to silicone, the Prima Donna Figuras strapless is a great alternative without silicone.
When fitting the band of a strapless bra ensure that it is firm and done up on the loosest hooks as usual. It is recommended, if the outfit allows, that you position the band a couple inches higher on the customer’s back than they would usually wear their bra. It is best to start with the bra band sitting high under the customer’s arms and do the hooks and eyes up while in this higher position, instead of doing it up low and trying to lift the band up – which can feel very uncomfortable and is less effective. This can feel strange at first but they should find that this gives them increased lift in the cup and more stability when wearing the bra, as the bra is positioned on the latissimus dorsi muscles and not encouraged to roll down into the customer’s waist. This is ideal, however at the end of the day the customer needs to find the most comfortable and outfit appropriate positioning for their strapless bra.
< Case study
Assessing the fit of this strapless bra –
Features
– Wide band with 5 hooks for band stability
– Silicone grip inside band
– Boning under arm and near hook and eye panel for extra band stability
– Strong, smooth fabric
To get this strapless bra fitting even better
– Undo hook and eyes and lift each side of the band up under customer’s arms
– Then proceed to close the hooks and eyes about 2 inches higher than shown here
– This will increase the stability and prevent the rolling we can see here
Pro Tip – you should see that the band is in a horizontal line around the TOP of the band coming directly from the TOP of the wires under the arm. In a regular bra we would expect to see the band in a horizontal line at the BOTTOM of the band instead.
Cups – Most strapless bras are made with a moulded cup for a rounded shape and to prevent the cup falling or flattening the bust. The most common shape for a strapless bra is a smooth, balcony cup shape (with a high gore and straight neckline) to give the highest level of coverage and support, however we do stock a range of plunge and seamed cup strapless bras at Brava.
Fitting the cup of a strapless bra well entirely depends on getting the band of the bra firm enough. Without the firm band, the cup will fall forward away from the customer, leaving a gaping edge and giving the illusion that the cup is too big. The firm band will also help the cups stop winging out to the side at the customer’s armpits. Once the band is tolerably firm you can fit the cup size as you would usually in a regular bra, ensuring the customer is leaning forward into the cup, scooping their breast tissue in from under the arms, pulling the wire back to encase all breast tissue and swooping all fullness away from the centre gore into each individual cup.
Additional features
Side Boning – this can help stabilise the side of the band and prevent rolling. Customers will either like or dislike this feature depending on how it works with the shape of their body. Encourage your customer to move around and sit down on the seat in the fitting room while trying on each strapless bra to fully test each style and avoid disappointment later on.
Gore – As with an everyday bra, the shape of each customer’s ribcage and sternum will determine their level of comfort at the point of the gore (the wires in the centre of the cups which can press on the sternum). Those customers with protruding sternums can find the higher gore of most strapless bras quite uncomfortable and therefore will need a plunge style such as the Panache Faith strapless or a softer flexiwire style such as the PrimaDonna Figuras strapless.
Underwire – We find the underwire an integral part of strapless bras for fuller bust support. Non-wired strapless bras do exist in the form of ‘boob tubes’ however they do not give enough support for our fuller bust customers and therefore are not usually stocked at Brava. It is understandable that customers will occasionally ask about non-wired strapless options as strapless bras can feel quite heavy on the ribcage. The two avenues to remedy this for customers is to manage their expectations about the comfort level achieved by a strapless bra compared to their regular bra, and to ensure that the band of the bra is as firm as manageable to get the maximum lift and support for the bust. If a strapless bra is fit loosely in the fitting room for comfort and to appease the customer it will only cause them more grief down the track as the wires and the weight of their breasts will sit heavier on their ribs! Communicate this to your customer and help them make a well informed decision.
Positioning
Where is the strapless meant to sit on the body? Everybody will sit slightly different in strapless bras, they are not an organic shape and the moulded cup means that the wearer has to fit herself to it, it will not stretch to conform to her shape. For this reason, customers often question whether a strapless is sitting in the right position. The mid-line of the cup should sit around the mid-line of the wearer’s upper arm, this is halfway between elbow and shoulder. Note: this is also true for everyday bras, the nipple line should on average sit halfway between her elbow and shoulder.
In conclusion, your strapless bra fittings will be a careful and compassionate balancing of your customer’s comfort and the correct fitting techniques to get them the shape, lift and support they need for their upcoming event or outfit!
Pro tip – if your customer is purchasing their new strapless bra for an upcoming event, encourage them to wear it a couple times before the event to break in the fabric and get used to the feeling, just like you would with new shoes!
