Types of Bras as of 2012-11-18 19:04:56

People have told you you should stick to a certain cut. Or you are reading about cuts everywhere and want to figure out what they mean and how they differ. Or you’re starting to become truly obsessed with bras. :D

So let’s find out about different types of bras and their characteristics.
We sorted them by cup cut, strap material, underwire presence and cup material.

By cup cut

Plunge

This is probably the best known cut of bras and the one you will find most often in bra stores. It’s also very easily identifiable - it’s the one with the very low center gore.

Examples:

Push-Up

A push-up bra is a bra that is designed to make your breasts look bigger: It achieves this by sewn-in pads, usually made out of gel. It can be in any cut.
Be careful! These pads may, when worn over an extended period of time, deform your breast tissue. A lot of women who always or mostly wore push-up bras report similar or better effects on their breast shape by well-fitted bras.

Examples:

The Freya Deco Halfcup

Halfcup and balconette

There is some confusion between the halfcup and balconette cut. We can say that both have their straps far from the center of the cup and close to the armpits. Both usually have pretty low-running cups.

Examples:

Fullcup

The fullcup is often believed to be the only alternative for women who have not yet found the big size spectrum that is available in all cuts! It has relatively centered straps and the cups go very far up. It provides a lot of coverage and support.

Examples:

Sports bra

Sports bras are designed to inhibit strong motion to prevent pain and other effects, like jiggling around.
There are two main types of sports bras: Compression and encapsulation bras. Compression bras work by pushing your breast tissue as close as possible to your torso. Encapsulation bras separate your breasts into preformed cups and support them from beneath.

Examples:

The Shock Absorber Max Sports bra, working by compression
The Freya Active Underwire Sports bra, working by encapsulation

Maternity/Nursing bras

Nursing bras are designed to provide easier access to your breasts for when you want to nurse your child.

Examples:

Minimizer

Minimizers work by compressing your breast tissue and pushing it to the sides and under your armpits. They’re designed to make your breasts look smaller. Very similarly to push-ups, they may distort your breast tissue when worn for extended periods of time.
To all women who think there are only minimizer bras in their size: Your size is totally normal! You don’t have to wear minimizer bras! There are lots of options for you. :)

Examples:

The Wonderbra Seamless Minimizer

By straps

Bras without straps are sensibly called strapless bras. They are designed to be worn beneath tops/dresses which aesthetically work better without straps beneath them.

Examples:

By underwire presence

For sleeping, feeling comfortable or for various health reasons you may prefer a bra without underwires. These are usually called soft cup or wireless bras.

Examples:

The Panache Sophie Support

By cup material

Molded bras

Molded bras are preformed by a heating process of their material and they will keep their shape when you take them off. They're seamless, which is why a lot of T-shirt bras are molded bras.

Examples:

Padded bras

Padded bras have a lining in their cups.

Examples:

The Curvy Kate Tease Me

Unpadded bras

Unpadded bras do not have a lining in their cups. They may be see-through.

Examples:

Resources and further reading