Bodies, and the breasts that belong to them, come in all shapes and sizes. What fits and feels great on one woman, may be terribly uncomfortable for another. And it’s not just about cup size as many other factors play a role in achieving a flattering fit.
Lift and side support are two key factors that can help match a bra to your shape, naturally contouring and providing reinforcement where you need it most. Let’s look at what each does and how you can find the right style to maximize both your comfort and confidence.
What Does a Lifting Bra Do?
Lift. It’s a promise many bras make, but few actually deliver upon. At True&Co, we design our construction (hi, wirefree channel) and develop our materials (hello, buttery soft True Body microfiber) to achieve up to a full inch of lift, supporting and stretching to keep shape all day.
Natural Breast Shaping
Rather than feel constricted in a bra with rigid cup design, True Body Lift styles shape breasts naturally, embracing curves. These second skin styles don’t force your body into a pre prescribed shape but instead allow your natural, beautiful form to shine through.
Reduces Look of Sagging
Let’s face it, sagging is an all too real reality that unfortunately, we don’t have much control over. Time, gravity, normal weight fluctuations (especially from pregnancy and nursing), are all components that lead to breast sagging (sleeping in a bra? Nah, that’s just an old wives tale). And while a bra can’t reverse it, a good lifting bra can reduce the appearance of sagging by raising your breasts up to their natural resting place.
Doesn’t Add Volume, But Shapes
While a push up bra does lift, a lifting bra isn’t necessarily a push up. In fact, most of our styles forgo padding to avoid adding volume and instead focus on shaping breast tissue in a natural, comfortable and flattering way. Many women seeking lift aren’t looking to make breasts look bigger, but rather best manage the volume they already have.
What Does a Side Support Bra Do?
Another common bra woe occurs not in the front nor back but on the side(s) of ones bra. Depending on how the “wings” of the bra (the material that connects the cups to the back side) are cut, one might experience spillage, especially annoying with tanks and sleeveless tops but also under tighter clothing. A bra designed specifically for side support helps combat this issue, shaping and even possibly reducing the overall breast size appearance.
Avoids Side Spillage
Key to dealing with side spillage is finding a bra made with more material in the wing area (whether or not the bra clasps in the back or pulls over, making it one connected piece vs two wings that attach at the closure). A seamless design can deliver a smoothing effect by covering the area without cutting in.
Shapes Breasts
In the same vein as the smoothing effect described above, a bra constructed to support from the sides can also help to shape breast tissue, ensuring it stays within the bra cups. Engineered to elevate breasts while embracing your shape, side support bras further contour for a natural appearance.
Can Make Breasts Look Smaller
If you’ve ever tried to reduce the overall size appearance of your chest, you’ve likely heard of a minimizer bra. Rather than gathering breast tissue to project towards the front, this type of style is made to distribute it across one’s chest, something a side support bra can also help with (bonus points for smoothing the back side as well for an overall sleeker fit).
Our Best Bras for Lift and Side Support
It’s hard to pick favorites, especially when a portion of our lineup, True Body Lift, is made specifically to do just that (up to a full inch). But for the best of the bunch combining lift and side support to ensure the right fit for your body type, you can’t go wrong with these styles:
Scoop Adjustable Strap with Lift
A more traditional style, our classic scoop with adjustable straps delivers the same lift and comfort as the above, and is also designed for DD+. Both options approach sizing with a two pronged approach, first matching your standard band number and cup letter to a range from XS-XL then allowing you to select a cup range (A-D or DD-DDD). This allows for a better fit that can fluctuate with you whether it’s during a monthly cycle, pregnancy or other natural breast size fluctuations.
Wide Strap Scoop Neck with Lift
With over 1200 reviews, its easy to see why one of our originals is still a crowd favorite, especially among women looking for lift and side support. The lower neckline and complementary rounded back make our quintessential scoop a wardrobe staple. And ten colors ranging from skin tone neutrals to bold patterns give you plenty of options whether you need it to disappear or add a pop of color.
Racerback V Neck with Lift
Looking for the support, comfort, every day ease and super soft material mentioned above but prefer a V neck? This one’s for you. We especially love the racerback which gives this style an even smoother appearance all around.
Finding the right bra for your body shape can be tricky, especially for those who seek added lift and side support. True&Co designs with your shape in mind to deliver comfort at any size.