According to online bra company True & Co.’s fit test, I’m “a cerise.” According to me, I’m pregnant, had a not-small chest to begin with, and have no idea what’s about to happen in the space between my chin and ribs from week to week. Will they change in size? Shape? Is my skin going to protest coming in contact with anything harsher than the whisper of an especially timid unicorn?
I do need to leave my house on a semi-frequent basis, though, so I needed some new bras. I’d heard about True & Co. and took its online quiz to discover the True Body V Neck Bra as the most flattering and supportive fit for my chest. I was taken aback, though. Being large-chested, I’m no stranger to eyesores of underpinnings, but this is wow. It’s a seamless pullover that’s not sized by cup and band, but instead, is a one-piece, full-coverage, sports-bra-looking thing that looks nothing like the souped-up trendy ones that you’ll see in the front row at SoulCycle. Without the patience to try them on in person, though, I selected the skin-toned “dulce” and checked out.
When it arrived, I discovered that, yes, it’s truly fugly (other reviewers on the site note the same), but I also discovered that I loved it. Unlike any bra I’ve ever tried as a larger-busted woman, it supports my chest without back bulges, strap-tugging, or quadraboob (when your bra cups are so tight, your boobs ooze over the top). Made of the softest fabric, it also gives the comfiest fit; it’s the sweatpants of bras. While truly an eyesore when worn on its own, it’s incredibly flattering under clothes (meaning 99 percent of the time).
What’s really key about the bra, for pregnant women whose breasts will continue to grow in a short amount of time, is that, unlike a regular bra, it contains no underwire. Much like a sports bra, it’s made of body-hugging nylon and elastane that will expand as your chest does. I’ve never been able to wear a bralette (see above regarding my chest), but this is what I imagine the comfort of a bralette looks like.
Maybe you’re pregnant. Maybe your weight is fluctuating. Perhaps you’ve had enough of the bra-industrial complex and are ready to quit playing cute. This bra will give you support — in every definition of the word — through it all.
(For our full list of the best maternity clothes, click here.)
Writer Nora Whelan adores the Wacoal strapless bra for big boobs: “Seamless with a wide band, convertible straps, and most importantly in my eyes, four (four!) rows of hook and eye closures, this bra stays put no matter what. Unlike the Victoria’s Secret– and Target-bought strapless bras of my early 20s, which lost their shape quickly, slid down constantly, and rubbed along the seams, I have never once had to readjust the Red Carpet Strapless Bra (or my chest) through workday wears or evenings out on the town.”
Writer Lisa Ryan considers the Enell the best sports bra for big boobs: “[I]t’s truly the most effective sports bra I’ve ever worn, and looks fine poking out of a chunky tank top. I tried the bra out at a high-intensity interval-training class that involved a treadmill and weights, and my boobs stayed in place the whole time (with no chafing, thank goodness).”
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