Hello there, bosom sisters! In today’s entry, we will go back to the basics and unravel the world of bras. You may live your lives wearing it every day – you buy it, you wash it, you style it… But, do you actually know the different parts and materials that make up a bra?

Let’s discover five bra-lliant things you probably never knew about your bras. From sassy straps to wide ass band, one cup at a time.

1. Cup

A shelter for our precious breasts – is what we like to call the cup. Cup helps to shape your breast and hold it securely so the family of your breast tissue will not go astray (in most cases they would travel all the way to the arms, the back, or sometimes, they stay at the armpits).

Depending on the occasion, here’s three different cup types --

Full cup is an ideal daily wear bra for the bigger and bustier ladies, as it covers the breasts fully and securely. It hides your cleavage, and helps avoid spillage. In this case, it has higher level of support, coverage and comfort.  

Half cup (also known as demi-cup) are your occasional picks. This bra style gives a little bit more of exposure and is best paired with push-ups and underwire for enhanced cleavage visibility. However, due to the shape of the cups which generally cuts across your bustline, it sometimes might not be the best choice in terms of support because of the lower coverage! A wrong choice of size will result in cup spillage, bulges and softness in breast over a long run. 

Balconette cups are the perfect choice for daily wear and should be a staple in your innerwear wardrobe. Not only it’s the perfect bra for a sexy subtle cleavage, but it has optimal support that comes from the underwire and vertical cut seams. The straps of a balconette bra is also fairly unique. They are set wider apart to provide additional cleavage enhancement.

Browse our full cup, half-cup and balconette cup collection here.

2. Frame and Band

Here we have our favourite pair, frame (or also known as cradle) and band. Generally they work together as a team, but that is not always the case.

For bras with a band and a frame, the band serves as a bridge that extends to the back of the bra.

Meanwhile, for bras with a band but without a frame; the bridge comes in a separate piece and the band is connected directly to the side of the cups.

A lot of people only focuses on finding the right cup yet failed to recognize these two most hardworking parts of the bra.

It’s important to note here that frame provides firmer support while the band holds the cups from sagging downward and avoids wires from poking on your breast tissue. Unbeatable teamwork indeed.

3. Side Shaping Panels and Soft Bonings

As the name suggests, side shaping panels are often found in a bra to top up support from the sides and to prevent the breast from spilling. These panels help achieve a more defined look by pushing your bust from the sides; keep and lock the breast tissues in the cup.

Now that your breast tissues are placed properly, you have to ensure your tissues do not slip off towards the sides and create unwanted bulges. This is where side boning comes to the rescue! Soft boning help to eliminate underarm bulge, further lifting and lending a smooth appearance under any outfit.

The results? Sleek and neat silhouette.

Here's tips on how to wear your bra the correct way.

4. Underwire

Women have a love-hate relationship with this one. It does what it needs to do, lift our breasts - yet it is just undeniably annoying to feel the wires on our skin.

But have you noticed it is the strongest material of them all? Underwires are usually metal and are covered with a soft casing sewn on top of the cup seams. Although fabric itself is able to do the shaping, underwire carries the weight of breasts in its own way and helps to keep the bridge flat against the chest, which separates the breasts.

Now, is it bad to wear underwired bra?

As said by Lynn Daly, from Cancer Research UK: "You would need to wear a bra that was painfully and unbearably tight to have any effect on your lymphatic system, but constriction or applying pressure to an area of the body does not cause normal cells to become cancerous." 

Read more about it here: Fact or fiction? Underwired bra causes cancer

5. Straps

Sadly this is usually the abused part of a bra – straps. If you are one of the people who like to tighten your straps every time you feel like your breast is not supported enough, you might want to stop doing that.

Straps are designed to balance the weight of our breasts and hold the cups from falling downwards.

Although it does contributes to the support, but it should be noted it is not its primary job. The act of tightening the straps to feel more supported will end up hurting your shoulders and it will affect your overall body posture. If your bra feels loose without you abusing the straps, you may want to recheck your bra size.

Chat with our consultants here to know your right size.

You see, a piece of bra is a lot more than just an innerwear and it’s definitely way more than just a piece of fabric to cover our breasts. Share it and pass it down to our next generations – bras are really empowering and supportive once you understand how it works and how to wear it right.

For more of Neubodi shapewear and lingerie, check out the full collections at www.neubodi.com