Eleven of the Most Comfortable Underwire Bras
Underwire bras are by far the most popular and best-selling type of bra on the market. Women love them because they give you the best support, lift, and they help give your breasts an excellent shape.
Unfortunately, underwire styles aren’t generally known for being comfortable, especially for women who wear larger cup sizes. An uncomfortable style is often the result of poor fit, but other issues like straps, design, and fabric can also lead to discomfort.
To help you find the best options that will feel amazing to wear, will look good, and will last a long time, we have rounded up 11 of the most popular underwire bras on the market that are known for their comfort, quality, and price.
1. Thirdlove 24/7™ Perfect Coverage Bra
If you haven’t heard of them yet, you have to check out Thirdlove’s bras. This brand is obsessed with helping women find a bra that fits perfectly, so they offer half sizes, and they go up to a cup size H and a band size of 48.
They also have extensive information on how exactly to find the right product for you with their Fit Finder on their website that only takes 60 seconds to do. Not only will you get a good fit, but these designs are also supportive, super comfortable, come in a good range of colors to match different skin tones, and they look amazing on. At one point they had a waitlist of 1.3 million for their 24/7™ Perfect Coverage Bra, so it’s pretty clear that women love these styles.
Check the price at Thirdlove.com
2. Warner’s Women’s This is Not a Bra Full-Coverage Underwire Bra
The Warner’s Women’s This is Not a Bra Full-Coverage an excellent option if you are looking for comfort, especially for larger cup sizes. It is inexpensive and looks great under t-shirts or thin tops. If you get the correct fit, you won’t get any spillover because of the full coverage cup.
You also shouldn’t get any back bulge issues due to the Nylon and Elastane mix fabric in the band. What makes this design work so well is that it has a little bit of padding and structure at the bottom of the cup, which helps with support and lift.
The cup itself has a light to medium padding and is known for being very comfortable. The underwire is designed to prevent any digging or poking.
Check the price at Amazon.com
3. Maidenform Women’s Comfort Devotion Embellished Bra
The Comfort Devotion Embellished style is one of Maidenform’s best underwire t-shirt bras. Maidenform also makes a lot of great underwire cups that are known for being comfortable, providing excellent support, and lasting for a long time.
The Comfort Devotion Embellished Bra has a light foam lining, which gives it the right amount of protection, so you don’t get any show-through if you are wearing a thin top. It is gorgeous with a center bow and lace trim that also won’t show through your shirts.
The band and cups are soft with a bit of stretch to them, which helps prevents any bulging out at the back or the underarms. It is a hook and eye closure with adjustable shoulder straps (adjusts at the back, not the front).
Available on Amazon
4. Vanity Fair Women’s Body Caress Full Coverage Underwire Bra
Another perfect full coverage product to consider is Vanity Fair Women’s Body Caress Full Coverage Underwire Bra. This design has formed soft cups that give you great shape and lift, while also being super comfortable.
The microfiber in the band helps to provide a good stretch so you can avoid bulges and smooth out the back area. It comes with a pretty satin trim outline on the cups and the straps.
You can convert the straps to crisscross for more support or leave them as regular style, depending on what you find the most comfortable. It comes in lots of different colors and sizes.
Check the price at HerRoom.com
5. Wacoal Women’s Awareness Underwire Bra
The Wacoal Women’s Awareness Underwire Bra is another popular choice for larger sizes. It provides excellent support and shape, which is sometimes hard to find for bigger cup sizes.
The quality is so good that most women find that this style will last a long time if washed and cared for properly. The one downside to this design is that there isn’t any padding; it just has two layers of fabric, so some users may find it not enough to stop from showing through.
It is a hook and eye closure, with the number of hooks varying from between two and four depending on the size of the cup. The straps are full for comfort, and they adjust in the back.
Check the price on Amazon
6. Elomi Women’s Caitlyn Underwire Side-Support Bra
The Elomi Women’s Caitlyn Underwire Side-Support Bra is one of the prettier underwire styles that also offers excellent support. There is no padding in the cup, so there is some chance of show-through with this design.
The fabric is satin on the lower half of the cup, with the top bit being an embroidered sheer material. By most accounts, the material is incredibly comfortable to wear with none of the itch that can sometimes be an issue with the prettier lace styles.
From the image above, you might think this bra might look a bit lumpy under your shirt, but many reviewers note that it is surprisingly smooth. It has excellent side support and is known for being very comfortable.
Check the price at BareNecessities.com
7. Bali Women’s Passion for Comfort Underwire Bra
Bali has some comfortable underwire options to choose from, with this Passion for Comfort bra being one of the most popular. It comes in a wide range of colors and sizes. The cups aren’t padded, but instead, have a double layer of fabric made from 76% nylon and 24% spandex, so the cups have a little bit of stretch to them.
Bali makes the cup lining with polyester and spandex, which should assist with modesty. It has a hook and eye closure; the smaller sizes have two rows of hooks and the larger sizes having three rows of hooks. This Bali design also looks great under clothes because it is seamless and very smooth. The straps are light and cushioned, making them very comfortable on the shoulders.
Part of the magic to this product is that Bali covers the underwire in a way that makes it difficult to notice or feel while wearing, making it super comfortable.
Check the price at Walmart.com
8. Hanes Barely There Women’s Invisible Look Underwire Bra
If you are looking for an inexpensive option and you are a smaller cup size, a favorite for a lot of women is the Hanes Barely There Women’s Invisible Look Underwire Bra. It gives a natural look with a thin layer of padding to help with shape (not size) for smaller cup sizes.
The straps are convertible and can be adjusted in the front. If you have a larger cup size, I would skip this style as it probably won’t give you enough support.
Check the price on Amazon
9. Prima Donna Women’s Madison Full Cup Bra
Often when you are looking for comfortable, supportive cups, you have to stick with basic plain designs that aren’t the most attractive options. If you like a little bit of lace on your underwear, check out the Madison Full Cup Bra from Prima Donna.
Prima Donna markets itself as experts on larger cup sizes, so not only is it designed for support of larger breasts, it looks terrific and has excellent shaping qualities. The Madison comes in some cute colors with checks on the cups and lace on the straps.
The elastic lace is smooth and can be worn under most fabrics, although if you are looking for a smooth t-shirt style, this isn’t it. It is a little pricier than other options, but it will last a long time, and many women find the cost to be worth the results that you get from this style. Be careful if you order this product online, it goes by European sizing which is entirely different than US sizes
Check the price on BareNecessities.com
10. Goddess Keira Banded Satin Bra
If you are looking for a slightly different style, check out the very popular Goddess Keira Banded Satin Bra. Goddess bras have a considerable following; they make good quality products for larger sizes that lift, separate and give a natural shape while still being comfortable.
If you wear tight or thin tops, there is some show-through on this design since there isn’t any additional foam or padding.
Check the price on BareNecessities.com
11. Olga Signature Support® Satin Bra
Customers are very loyal to their Olga bras. The brand has a reputation for being well made, comfortable, and having good support (especially for larger breasted women). The Olga Signature Support Satin Bra doesn’t have any padding in the middle cups, just two layers of a soft, cool, and comfortable material, so there is some chance of show-through.
It does have padding around the cup, just not in the center part of the cup. The straps are thick and won’t dig into your shoulders, and the cushioning on the underwire stops any digging or poking into your ribs.
Check the price at Walmart.com
Benefits
Underwire bras are wildly popular. The reason for this is that they give you better support, lift, and shape compared to most wire-free cups. Although still called underwire, the rigid material sewn into the underside of the cup can be made of wire, plastic, or resin.
Women with larger breasts that need more support often turn to underwire to help avoid the discomfort that can occur when your bra isn’t providing the amount of support that you need.
Problems to watch out for with Underwire
Lack of comfort is the main problem that you will encounter when wearing underwire options. If your bra is uncomfortable, it probably means that it doesn’t fit properly. When you are selecting a product, you will want to avoid anything that is going to dig into your skin, which is a common occurrence with ill-fitting underwire bras.
Sometimes over the life of the bra, the wire may gradually begin to dig into your skin or become bent, even if fitted properly. If this happens, the product will need to be replaced.
If the bra is poorly made, you may have problems with the underwire popping out. It shouldn’t happen, but if it does and you have some basic sewing skills, you can sew up the area that the wire is showing.
You should not wear an underwire bra if you are lactating or breastfeeding, as the pressure from the underwire could potentially lead to clogged milk ducts.
What to Consider Before Buying
Fit– The most important thing to get right when buying any bra is the fit. If you get the right fit, it will be much more comfortable. If you are trying on bras, you will want to make sure that your breasts fill the cup, gives you some lift, and the straps feel comfortable. The band should lay flat against your breastbone without squishing your breasts. The band should also be comfortable, the underwire should not dig in, and there should be no bulges under your arms or at the back.
Sizing– Another obstacle in getting the right fit is sizing. Unfortunately, sizing isn’t as straightforward as it should be. Some bras are US size, some UK size, and some European. There is even a significant variation within the different US company brand sizing. Because of this, the first thing you need to clarify is what country’s sizing the brand is using and compare it to sizing charts that are available. You should also check reviews to see if the fit is as expected.
Padding– Unless you are looking for a push-up style, you will probably only want enough padding (light to medium) so that you don’t show through.
Straps– Most underwire bras have adjustable stretch straps, if you are larger chested, you will want to look for styles with thicker straps, so you get more support. You should also look for styles that have straps that are easy to adjust, for some that may mean you want straps that you can change in the front.
How will the bra look through thin tops– This is one of the most pressing concerns when buying a bra. You will want a comfortable, lightweight, and slightly padded style. To not poke through, it may require that you buy a cup with a light foam or padding.
Hooks -Underwire bras generally have adjustable hook and eye back closures. There are usually between two and four rows of hooks. The number of rows of hooks goes up depending on the size of the bra.
Last Word
We have barely scraped the surface on the kinds of underwire bras that are available. There are so many options to choose from that use the latest fabric technology that will not only keep you comfy but also looking great as well. The products that are listed above are some of the best quality for the money, the most popular and most comfortable bras that you can buy. Just make sure you get the right fit.
She is from the Midwest, where she lives with her family and 4 pets including 2 dogs and 2 cats who spend much of their time trying to ignore the dogs.
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