Glossary of Bras & Related Terms

Confused by bra terms and hoping to find out what they mean? Here are the 23 top bra-related terms that you should know.  

There are so many bra-related words that making the right choice can be a daunting experience, especially for first-time shoppers. 

To help you better understand the different design and marketing terms used by lingerie makers, here are the top bra-related terms and their meanings.

23 Top Bra-Related Terms 

• 3-piece Cup –A bra cup made from 3 pieces of garment sewn together. The goal is to create a cup that is both comfortable and adjusts naturally to fit the breast. The seams are strategically located to provide support and shaping. Plus, the upper part is often made from lace or some other decorative material.
• Balconette Bra –A bra style that pushes up the breasts, while exposing them with a low cut and often square neckline. They provide less coverage than full-cup bras and are good for wearing lower-cut dresses or tops.
• Bandeau –A strapless bra or top that is made from a band of fabric worn around the bust. It is usually slipped-on, made from an elastic material, and can include pockets for padding.
• Boning –Any rigid material that is added to the bra to help maintain its shape or prevent wrinkles. It is very useful for strapless bras.
• Bralette –A bra-crop-top or halfway garment between a typical bra and a vest top. It is designed to provide the comfort and support of a bra, but without wiring, padding, or cups.
• Bullet Bra –1950s conical-cup bra. They were worn with tight-fitting outerwear to emphasize their shape and are great for women with smaller breasts.
• Contour Bra –A bra with fully padded cups that are designed to shape the bust, instead of the other way round. It is usually molded, often has an underwire, and has a permanent shape, even when not worn.
• Convertible Bra –This is a bra that can be worn with or without straps. You wear them with straps to provide full support, or as strapless bras when you need to wear a matching dress. Some will additionally let you fix their straps in flexible ways.
• Cupless Bra –Designed solely for erotic purposes, the cupless bra has no cups, although it features underwire frames to present the breasts in a sexy way.
• Demi Cup –This is a bra that only partially covers the breasts. It can provide support or a push-up effect, but unlike a full cup that covers the entire breasts, the demi bra covers just half or ¾, but never everything.
• Foam Cup –Bra cups that are made from foam material to provide padding, support the breasts, and provide a form.
• Full Cup –A bra design that covers the entire breast.
• Full Support Bra –This type of bra is especially helpful to women with large breasts. A full support bra provides all the support, coverage, and comfort that the wearer needs while lifting the breasts and providing a fuller figure. This also means no sagging, bulging, or spilling out of the breasts.
• Halterneck Bra –A bra that suspends from straps that go around the back of the neck. Halterneck bras can come in different styles and for different functions, such as matching halterneck dresses, workouts, and so on.
• Marquisette –A lightweight and sheer fabric that is used in making sheer bras and bralettes. It helps to heighten the sexiness of lingerie and can be made from silk, cotton, polyester, and other fabrics.
• Camisole –A loose-fitting garment for the upper body. The camisole normally extends to the waist and is held up by shoulder straps. It can be made from stretchable fabrics and worn as lingerie or innerwear beneath sheer tops.
• Opacity – A bra's level of transparency. A totally opaque bra is the opposite of a totally transparent one.
• Pushup Bra –An increased cleavage bra design that comes with cushioning to lift the breasts upwards and inwards to make them look fuller. They are popular among women with smaller A and B cups and are often demi or ¾ cups.
• Racer Back –A bra with the straps crisscrossing on the back to either form an X, Y, or T pattern. Racer back bras can be full of half-cup bras, bralettes, sports bras, or more sensual lingerie.
• Sleep Bra –Designed for wearing at home when relaxing or sleeping. They provide no support but are stretchy, soft, and comfortable. These bra types can also be suitable as an everyday option for women with smaller busts.
• Strapless Bra –As the name suggests, this type of bra comes with no straps whatsoever. But they can provide good support for the breasts because they have a wide band. Strapless bras are ideal for bare-shoulder dresses that expose the upper torso.
• Underband –This is the part of the bra beneath the bust that encircles the torso. It provides the most support for the breasts and is additionally supported by the straps. The number part of bra sizing usually refers to the band length, while the alphabet part refers to the cup size.
• Underwire –A firm piece of wire that is sewn into the bra at the area where the cup meets the bra band. It helps to provide support and give better lift, especially for women with larger breasts. 

Conclusion 

We've come to the end of this list of the top 23 bra-related terms and I hope you have learned a thing or two to help you make the right bra choice.