let's learn about lingerie

Lesson 4: let's learn about bra cups

What are the different styles of bra cup?

The cups of a bra may be categorised by the amount of the coverage they offer, as illustrated in Figure 4.1:

Figure 4.1: Types of bra cup: a) full cup; b) three-quarter cup; c) half cup; d) balconette; e) plunge; f) quarter cup

full cup

A full cup bra, also known as a full coverage bra, covers the entirety of the breasts, extending high up the chest. Such bras are well-suited to larger busted women who want support and shaping, offering a greater sense of security thanks to allaying concerns about the breasts spilling out of the top or the sides. This design places the straps closer to the centre of the chest, whereas the gore is higher, and any underwires are longer. As a result, a full cup bra tends to separate the breasts, resulting in minimal cleavage. Although this style can give a natural shape, its high neckline makes it incompatible with lower-cut clothing.
three-quarter cup

A three-quarter cup bra has a slightly lower cut than a full cup bra, with the top edge of each cup curving over the upper half of the breast. That allows this style to be concealed under slightly lower-cut clothing while still providing support and shaping for larger busts. As with a full cup bra, the underwires are relatively long, although the straps tend to be positioned further apart. Because the gore is high, this style doesn't lend itself to cleavage.
half cup

A half cup bra, also known as a demi cup bra, covers only around half of each breast. The lower gore is combined with cups that are generally tilted inwards slightly to help enhance the cleavage while also providing lift. Compared to full cup and three-quarter cup bras, a half cup bra has shorter, shallower underwires, and provides less support. However, the lower neckline and wider positioned straps allow it to be worn with more revealing clothing.
balconette

A balconette bra is similar to a half cup bra in terms of coverage, but the top edge of each cup is horizontal. This style lifts the breasts from below while keeping them separate, making them appear fuller and more rounded in a manner that may be described as resembling “two cakes on a plate”. Such bras are sometimes referred to as balcony or shelf bras because of how they present the bust, the idea being that the cups cannot be seen from above. Like half cup bras, with which they are sometimes confused, balconette bras have straps that are attached to the outer edges of the cups, with their lower neckline again allowing them to be worn with a wide variety of clothing.
plunge

A plunge bra has cups that are much lower in the centre than at the sides, pressing the breasts together to create a pronounced cleavage. The gore is correspondingly lower too, with the resulting neckline allowing this style to be worn with similarly plunging clothing. Plunge bras generally offer a comparable degree of coverage to other half cup styles, with the angle of their cups meaning they still provide support to the sides of the breasts. In addition to their lower position, the underwires of a plunge bra are shorter than in other styles, which can be more comfortable for some women. Despite their effect on the bust, plunge bras should not be confused with push-up bras, which will be discussed later.
quarter cup

A quarter cup bra has cups that only cover the underneath of the breasts, leaving the nipples exposed. Having less fabric than fuller styles, this provocative design provides less support, but what material there is nevertheless lifts the breasts, making them appear more perky. Better suited to the bedroom than situations that require modesty, quarter cup bras are also known as chopper bras or, confusingly, shelf bras, the latter for the same reason as balconette bras, even though their cups are much more daring. Some may have additional straps or lace to highlight what is missing, without diminishing their suggestiveness.
cupless

A cupless bra has cups that are only present in the form of an outline, and so offer next to nothing in the way of coverage, although their underwires and straps may provide a small amount of support to the base of the bust. This style is typically not worn for practical reasons, but rather to provoke with what it reveals. Cupless bras may also be referred to as open cup bras.

Some styles of bra do not fit neatly into this categorisation. A bralette has less structure than a regular bra, and may have triangular cups or be more akin to a croptop in design. Bralettes emphasise comfort rather than support or shaping, with their more relaxed, casual fit meaning that they may be worn as loungewear or even outerwear. A bandeau bra has still less structure, being a strapless band of stretchy fabric that may be regarded as a minimalist tube top. Again, such bras provide only limited support and shaping, but their smooth, seamless design makes them suitable for wearing under off-the-shoulder tops and dresses.

Conversely, a bullet bra is defined by its distinctive conical cups, which are given their exaggerated shape by means of circular or spiral stitching. In addition to offering support and coverage, this vintage style creates an unmistakable silhouette under clothing, with the breasts being pushed upwards and outwards. Bullet bras are often worn with shaped pads to ensure that their cups remain pointed rather than wrinkling if not fully filled.

How are bra cups constructed?

Breasts curve, but fabric is flat - something that the design of a bra must accommodate if it is to closely follow a woman's bust. One approach is just to use material that stretches, as is employed in the band of a bra, but this may not provide satisfactory support. Instead, bra cups are generally either:

cut and sewn

A cut and sewn bra, also known as a seamed bra, has cups that are constructed from more than one piece of fabric, sewn together to create a rounded shape. A balconette bra may have one, two or even more vertical seams, whereas styles with fuller cups may additionally have a horizontal or diagonal seam, separating the upper cup from the under cup. A common design uses two pieces of fabric at the bottom and one at the top, resulting in a three-part cup. A shallow cup may only have a partial seam or dart at the bottom to give it shape, but in general, the more seams that a cut and sewn bra has, the better its support and fit.
moulded

A moulded bra, also known as a contour bra, has cups that are given shape by thin, curved foam that is encased in more elastic material. The cups of such bras do not have any seams, which can make them more comfortable, as well as reducing concerns about what might show through clingy clothing. As a result, these bras are also called T-shirt bras. A moulded bra can be used to disguise slight differences in breast size as well as the nipples - indeed, the cups keep their shape even without anything filling them. Because of the foam's stiffness, however, such cups may not fit as well as those of a cut and sewn bra, nor provide the same amount of support.

Cut and sewn bras may be unlined or lined, depending on whether their cups are made of a single layer of material or have additional fabric or foam to provide greater opaqueness, structure or support. A lined bra may be fully lined or partially lined, with the latter having lining only at the bottom of each cup and the top perhaps being sheerer. A bra that is lined with thin material is said to be lightly lined, whereas one that uses thicker foam may be described as padded. By this definition, all moulded bras are padded, that padding taking the form of a single piece of foam, but there are also padded cut and sewn bras, in which the foam accompanies the fabric in being stitched together.

A lightly padded bra adds little in the way of bulk, such that even larger busted women may prefer to wear them for reasons of comfort or modesty. Some bras have more padding than just a thin foam lining, however. To make the breasts look bigger, if not lift them up or press them together, a bra may have crescent-shaped padding built into the bottom of its cups, or internal pockets that accept removable inserts or pads, the latter sometimes referred to as cookies. Both may be made of foam, which is lightweight, or filled with silicone gel, which is non-absorbent and has a more realistic feel, but there are also inserts that are inflatable. Bras that uses strategically placed padding to lift the breasts are known as push-up bras. Such bras are not necessarily the same as plunge bras, which use the shape of the cups to press the breasts together, although there are push-up plunge bras that combine both effects.

Some bras have additional support at the outer edge of each cup, referred to as side support. This encourages the breasts to point forwards rather than splaying out towards the arms. Side support may consist of a narrow padded panel, known as a power bar, that forms part of the cup, running vertically down the full height of the outer edge from the apex. Alternatively, a cup may have an additional piece of fabric, a side sling, that serves the same purpose. This may be concealed on the inside, as a partial lining, or on the outside, perhaps using a different fabric to form a distinctive part of the design. These features help stop the breasts from spilling out from the sides of the bra. Side support bras may also be worn for a fuller forward projection in profile and a correspondingly slimmer silhouette when viewed from the front.

How do underwires affect a bra?

Many bras add structure to their cups using underwires, curving wires that are intended to follow the very edge of the breasts - that is, they are wires that sit underneath them. Such bras are said to be underwired or wired. Underwires are often made of metal, tipped at the ends with a plastic coating to stop them poking through the casing they are sewn into. Some bras use plastic underwires instead. This may be for reasons of economy, despite the greater tendency to snap, to avoid rusting, as is the case with bras that are intended as sports or swimwear, or for women with sensitivities to metal.

Underwires are shaped according to the cups they form part of, from the long, deep curves found in full cup bras to the shorter, shallower ones used in plunge bras. Like bra cups themselves, they also come in a range of sizes, with the underwires used in larger cups tending to be sturdier, so as to accommodate a larger bust without being bent out of shape. Nevertheless, underwires are slightly flexible, allowing them to follow the curve of the body when the band of the bra is pulled taut.

By imposing a curve on the bottom of the cups, underwires shape both them and their contents, as well as making the bust appear more symmetrical. Because the breasts lie within the underwires in a properly fitting bra, this also helps contain them. Moreover, underwires make the band of a bra more supportive by creating a cantilever that lifts the breasts up in addition to distributing their weight more evenly. Depending on the height of the gore, underwires can also serve to separate the breasts, stopping them becoming squashed together.

Soft cup bras, also known as wireless, wire-free or non-wired bras, do not have underwires. Soft cup bras generally use softer, more elastic fabric for a more natural, relaxed shape, relying on aspects of their design such as the shape of the cups, strategically placed seams and elasticated edging on the band in order to provide support. Although soft cup bras do not lift the breasts like underwired ones do, nor separate them in the same way, many women find them to be more comfortable and less restrictive. Because such bras provide less support, however, women with larger breasts may reserve them for loungewear or sleepwear, or else look for deeper bands to compensate.

let's learn about lingerie

Lesson 4: let's learn about bra cups

What are the different styles of bra cup?

How are bra cups constructed?

How do underwires affect a bra?

Exercises for lesson 4