How to Wear a Bralette

Co-authored by Hannah Park

Last Updated: March 31, 2021 References

Bralettes are essentially the comfortable answer to annoying and painful bras. They are lightweight and easy-to-wear, but they don’t provide a lot of support if you typically wear a larger bra size. If bralettes are right for you, they are great because they can be worn in a variety of ways. To wear a bralette, find the right bralette for you and then choose a style that makes you feel beautiful and confident.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Choosing a Bralette

1
Look for a bralette with cups if you have bigger breasts. Bralettes typically aren’t recommended for people with large breasts because they don’t provide a lot of support. A lack of support can become painful if you plan to wear the bralette for more than an hour. Look for a bralette with cups and underwire so you can rock it no matter if you have small, medium, or large breasts.^{[1]
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- Keep in mind that even a bralette with underwire may not be big enough and provide enough support if you wear a larger cup size—like a D cup and up.
2
Choose a simple cotton bralette for a casual look. Look for a plain cotton bralette in a solid color. This type of bralette is about as simple and comfortable as you can get. Cotton bralettes are great with a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers.^{[2]
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- Wear a black cotton bralette under a white T-shirt with black denim pants for a day or night look, depending on what accessories you choose.
- They can also be worn to bed.
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3
Go for a lacy bralette. Lacy bralettes are great for a sexy and feminine look. You can choose a bralette that is trimmed in lace or made almost completely out of lace. This type of bralette would look great under a dress, but it would look just as good under a T-shirt.^{[3]
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- Put on a lace bralette under a partially unbuttoned button-up shirt with a pair of black pants for a night out.
4
Try a bralette with a pattern. This is a great choice if you want to show off your bralette and style. A patterned bralette should be worn under something that reveals a lot of the bralette or worn as the shirt. Choose a pattern that shows off your personality, whether it be edgy, quirky, or girly.^{[4]
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- Wear a low cut shirt with a bralette patterned with dinosaurs or bugs for a cute and quirky look.
- Put on a lace dress with a bralette patterned with flowers for a lovely, feminine look.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Styling a Sexy Bralette

1
Put on a low cut shirt with the bralette. A low cut shirt is a great option to wear with a bralette. This is a sexy look that can be worn in a variety of ways—from super casual to dressed up for a night out. You can control how much skin you wan to show with this option. You could only show the top of the bralette or wear a very low cut shirt to reveal all of the bralette.^{[5]
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- Wear a low cut T-shirt with a lacy bralette and skinny jeans for a nighttime look.
- Put on a low cut tank top with a patterned bralette and a skirt.
2
Wear the bralette under a blazer. This is a sexy look that may be a little too much for work. Wear a bralette as a shirt underneath an open blazer. You can pair the blazer with a pair of matching pants or nice jeans.^{[6]
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- You can also pair the bralette with a high waisted skirt if you don’t want to show as much skin.
3
Choose a sheer shirt to wear over the bralette. This type of shirt is a way to show off your bralette without wearing it as a shirt. A solid bralette would show through a lace shirt the best, but you can wear a lace bralette. Any type of sheer shirt will work.^{[7]
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- Wear a mesh black shirt with a solid black bralette and a pair of pants in a pastel color for a night out.
4
Wear the bralette as your shirt. As long as you feel comfortable with it, bralettes can be worn alone without a shirt. You might want to wear a solid bralette unless you’re comfortable with showing a lot of skin. Wear the bralette with a skirt, jeans, or high waisted pants.^{[8]
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- Wear a solid black bralette with a long, high waisted skirt and sandals for a day out.
- Put on a lace bralette with loose, boyfriend jeans and nice sneakers for a daytime look that would be great to run errands or go out with friends.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Going for a Modest Style

1
Wear the bralette under a semi-sheer sweater. Use the bralette as your shirt under the sweater. This is a good way to completely cover up but show off a little bit of your cute bralette. You can choose how see-through you’d like your sweater to be. A sweater with fairly large holes is a good option to reduce the amount of skin showing, but reveal a bit of the bralette.^{[9]
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- Put on a long, semi-sheer sweater with black pants and black boots for a day or night look.
2
Show only a peek of the bralette. You can show off a little bit of the bralette while staying modest. Wear a V-neck sweater or shirt that doesn’t come down very far, but does reveal some of your chest. Make sure the top is low enough so that it would show the top of your bralette.^{[10]
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- Choose a bralette that is trimmed in lace. Wear a V-neck shirt that shows only the trim of the bralette.
3
Go for an off-the-shoulder look. This works best with a long-sleeved shirt or sweater. The shirt should be fairly loose on you, and allow the shirt to fall off one shoulder so that it reveals the strap of your bralette.^{[11]
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- Wear a cotton sweater with the sleeves rolled up. Pair the sweater with white pants and sandals for a day out.
4
Wear a button-down shirt over the bralette. This is a great option because you can control how much skin you want to show. You can unbutton one or two buttons to show only the trim of your bra. Or unbutton the shirt enough so the top of the bralette shows.^{[12]
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- Wear the bralette with white button-down shirt, black slacks, and brightly colored stilettos or ballerina flats for a night out.

Expert Q&A

Question

Is it ok for your bralette to show?

Hannah Park
Professional Stylist
Hannah Park is a professional stylist and personal shopper with experience in e-comm styling, celebrity styling and personal styling. She runs an LA-based styling company, The Styling Agent, where she focuses on understanding each individual she works with, and crafting wardrobes according to their needs.

Hannah Park

Professional Stylist

Expert Answer

Yes! Don't be afraid to be daring! Bralettes tend to be really low-cut, so if you want to show it off, you'll need a low-cut top or dress. You could also wear it with an unbuttoned button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, or you could show off your bra with a mesh shirt or a shirt with a lot of holes in it.

Warnings

Keep in mind that it may go against dress codes at work or school if you wear the bralette completely exposed or as a shirt.

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