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Strapless bras are the perfect undergarment for so many cute clothes (especially during the summer season!). They care also be the ultimate annoyance, due to the constant readjusting they seem to require.
If you’re tired of running off to the bathroom to pull your bra band up to your chest, it may be time to take a good, hard look at your go-to strapless.
Luckily, there are a few ways I make my strap free bra stay in place.
| How To Keep a Strapless Bra Up | |
|---|---|
| Tip 1 | Choose quality material |
| Tip 2 | Ensure rubber lining |
| Tip 3 | Keep the skin dry |
| Tip 4 | Use fashion tape |
| Tip 5 | Sew bra cups to your clothes |
| Tip 6 | Use bras with thick bands |
| Tip 7 | Wear tight-fitting clothes |
| Tip 8 | Use a single strap |
Contents
How I Make My Strapless Bra Stay Up
There are several bra tips and tricks floating around the internet about how to hold up a bra, but they’re not going to do you much good if you don’t have a great, appropriately fitting bra in the first place.
The first step to hold a bra without straps up and in place is to find one that works with your body (which can be easier said than done!). Then, you can try a few strapless bra hacks to give you even more staying power.
Before getting into how to keep your bra up, it’s super important to figure out why it keeps falling down! This way, you’ll be able to address the root of the problem and hopefully find a strapless bra that will stay up for good.
Why Your Bra is Falling Down
Have you ever wondered why your strapless bra tries to become a belt as soon as you leave the house? There are several reasons your strapless bra doesn’t want to sit snugly around your chest, and I’ll get into some of them below.
The most common culprits are due to the bra’s fit.
1. Loose Band
When wearing a normal bra, you get support from both the straps and the band. With a strapless bra, you’re only getting support from the band. This means the band on a strapless bra should be a bit tighter than you’re used to with your day-to-day lingerie.
In fact, it is recommended you buy strapless bras that are a size down in both the band and the cup. If you are already using a great push-up bra for small breasts that is strapless, try going down two sizes in the band.
Sizing down helps a bra stay snug on your chest, while still keeping your breasts in place. The tighter the bra, the less space it has to move.
Just be sure you don’t get a band that’s too small, or else you’ll risk creating bulges—you still want to breathe throughout the day! If you can slide one or two fingers under the band, you should be good to go.
2. Narrow Band
As I mentioned, the band is the only support you get from a strapless bra, so make that band count! The larger your assets, the wider your band should be.
Even smaller chested women may find they prefer a wider band when it comes to a strapless. Think about the support difference between a tiny banded bra and a corset.
The more band you have, the more support you get. Look for bands that wrap around your chest and back and opt for a style with at least 3 clasps (though 4 are better for C cups and above).
While 2 clasps may work to support your girls with strapped bras, that narrow of a band doesn’t always do the trick for strapless. There are surprisingly a bunch of options of bras with 3-4 clasps that don’t sacrifice style and work for boobs of all sizes!
3. Heavy Elements in the Bra
Do you feel fine in your strapless until you look in the mirror and see its entire outline under your shirt? You may conclude the cups are too big or the bra isn’t on correctly.
However, the bra’s style may be to blame for the unsightly lines (and why it’s slipping and sliding everywhere!). Strapless bras with thick padding and molded cups are heavy and prone to slippage.
The heavier the bra itself is, the more likely it will want to move down to your waist (not to mention, that’s additional weight that you have to carry, which can add up after wearing it all day!).
They also leave a visible line under clothes that might slowly move downward as the day progresses. Instead of these styles, opt for an unlined cup that will sit closer to your chest.
If you have bigger breasts and don’t want to make them appear any larger, an unlined cup with an underwire is a great option for providing support without adding additional padding!
4. Worn Out Elastic
Be honest, when was the last time you replaced your bra? Many are guilty of either keeping bras until the wiring is so bent from one too many washes or letting them hang out in the back of the drawer until a special occasion rolls around and you need it.
It’s time to throw all of those away because you should be replacing bras every 6-8 months!
If you replace your strapless bra every 6-8 months, this means it will only last one summer season—which may sound bad until you realize this is a great excuse for shopping!
There are a couple of ways you can improve the life of your bras so they last longer, such as washing them in mesh bags or buying them so they fit on the loosest hook setting.
Remember, strapless bras stay in place when they fit snugly. If your favorite has started to slip, it’s time for a replacement.
How to Know if a Bra With No Straps Fits?
Before you struggle with trying to keep your bra up and on, you first have to find one that fits you well. To help you out, I enumerated here a couple of things to take note of when shopping for a strapless bra.
Try it On
Well, if you want to see if a strapless bra fits you or not, you have got to put it on the first right? You want a tighter fit than usual, but just make sure to keep an eye out for bulges forming near the straps or around the band as those are usually signs of an ill-fitting bra.
The Band Should Feel Tight
Compared to your everyday undergarment, you want to make sure that the band feels tighter around your bust line, as this will be the only basis of support from your whole bra.
You Wear it With Your Middle Hook
When dealing with bra fit in general, you want to make sure you wear it with the middle hook and clasp instead of the first or last one. You will want to have room to adjust and wearing it with the middle hook will allow you to go tighter or looser as needed.
Cups Your Breasts Fully
Since this type of bra will not be relying on straps to hold itself up, you will want to make sure that its cups cover the entirety of your breasts without excess bulges on the sides and tops.
This will ensure that the band will also be able to support the weight of your breasts throughout the day.
How to Make a Temporary Strapless Bra
If on the other hand, you want to turn a regular bra and turn it into a strapless for a single occasion, you can do so as well! You can either opt to slide the straps down, hide them underneath your top, or simply remove them completely!
These would all be great alternatives to a strapless push up bra if you think getting a new one isn’t worth it.
Just take note of all the characteristics of a strapless bra when choosing a regular bra to modify, so that it can still support and lift the breasts as a strapless would!
How to Hide the Bra Straps?
If you do choose to hide the straps of your regular bra, here are a few ways you can do so:
Turn it into a racerback
Use a c clip, s clip, bra clip, or a paper clip to curve your straps at the back and hide it from the sides.
Slip it off the sides
Before putting on your top, simply slide the straps off your arms and keep them within the sides of the top.
How to Make a Strapless Bra Stay Up
Now that I have gone through a few of the reasons your bra may be falling down, let’s talk about what you can do to actually keep it (and your girls) up!
Many of these tips below work well together, so play around with combinations until you find your perfect solution.
Tips to Keep a Strapless Bra Up
Invest in Quality
Strapless bras are not created equal! A high-quality design can help a bra stay in place. Good fabrics, as mentioned above, reduce the potential for shifting and sliding (plus, they feel a whole lot better against your skin).
Having a good bra from the get-go can make all the difference in how to keep a strapless bra up. If you are larger breasted, look for unlined cups and underwire.
The wire will keep everything supported while still allowing you space to breathe. If you’re on the smaller side, a tight, seamless strapless may be the way to go. Be sure you still choose one with a thick band!
Find Rubber Lining
Look for a strapless bra with bits of rubber lining the cups to help the bra stick to your skin. Imagine the feeling when a bit of glue gets stuck to your skin but on your boobs.
Don’t worry though—you won’t have to struggle to peel off the rubber lining as you do with glue on your skin! The rubber will provide a bit more staying power than a band without it, and silicone inside the cups can provide extra grip, too.
Avoid Lotions and Creams
To get the most from rubber or silicone lining, try to keep your skin clean and dry when going strapless. Lotions, creams, and even powders may feel great on your skin, but you’re basically giving your bra permission to slide down your body!
The lotion can rub against the rubber and cause the bra to shift. If you need to use products like these (and you should because SPF is great, especially if you are in the sun a lot) put them on after your bra.
Use Fashion Tape
Adhesive fashion tape is a great way to quickly keep your bra from moving (especially if you’re short on time or want to use the same bra with multiple outfits). Fashion tape is essentially super strong double sided tape and has been used on red carpets for years.
To use your fashion tape effectively, you’ll want to start with clean, dry skin. Put on your strapless bra and adjust it into place, then put a piece of tape under both cups and tape the bra directly to your skin.
For additional staying power, tape the outside of the bra to the inside of your clothes, too. If you’re a larger cup size you may be uncertain about the tape’s staying potential. While certainly not the only solution available to you, a little bit of tape actually goes a long way.
The tape isn’t meant to lift anything up or support the girls like Kim Kardashian’s boob tape trick, but simply it’s to keep everything in the same place that it was at the beginning of your day.
Sew Bra to Clothes
If you only have a couple of articles of clothing that necessitate a strapless bra, consider sewing bra cups into your clothes directly, rather than only using fashion tape. The bra definitely won’t move around using this method!
You can also customize the piece if you need something backless or low-cut, too. Sewing to clothes is not for everyone, but it can be an easy fix for smaller busted women.
Just be sure to use a cheaper bra you don’t mind dedicating to one outfit! If you’re super crafty, you can even find tutorials for making whole dresses with built-in bras.
Opt for Thick-banded Bras
Taping and sewing may be easier for women with smaller chests since less support is needed, but might be a bit less effective for women who wear great push up bras for D, DD, and larger.
Luckily, there are options for support and comfort so larger breasts can fully enjoy the cute styles of summer as well! Thick bands certainly provide more support, and they don’t have to stop at just 4 clasps!
Look for bras that come down lower on your torso. You may even consider trying on a corset-style bra. Again, you want to ensure the bra fits snug while still providing enough space to move and breathe.
Wear Snug-fitting Clothing
Just like having a snug band helps keep a strapless bra in place, having snug clothes works similarly. Try to find tops and dresses that are a bit tighter up top to help keep everything in place.
Try Fit and Flare or Empire Waists
Fit and flare style dresses are increasing in popularity and are super comfortable. Empire waists are also great at providing a tighter top and a flowy bottom, and they flatter almost every figure (plus, if you are shorter and want to appear taller, this type of style is great!).
Find Lightweight Tops
When going strapless, it also helps to choose lightweight clothing so your top doesn’t put too much pressure on your bra. A strapless bra is already working hard to support you; it isn’t fair to ask it to hold up your clothing, too!
Look for garments that are fitted in the waist to get a little extra support. Again, empire waists are your friend!
Use a Single Strap
Wait, isn’t the point of a strapless bra to avoid straps? Just because you don’t have straps on your shoulders doesn’t mean you can’t use them!
If you have a convertible bra, or one where you can remove the straps, you can try using a single strap to help give your bra more support.
Simply wrap the bra strap around the bottom of the bra band and link the hooks together in the back of the bra. If done correctly, the strap will lay flat and give you some extra band support.
And remember, a wider band means more support! This trick is especially useful for those who can’t find bras with thick enough bands or prefer not to wear them.
Related Questions
How Can I Make My Regular Bra Strapless?
Take a bra strap and hook it onto the back and hook it onto the back on the other side. If your bra has multiway straps, you can easily remove the straps whenever you need them or configure them in a way that won’t show through your strapless clothes.
How Are Strapless Bras Supposed to Fit?
Strapless bras are supposed to fit the same way as regular bras. The band should fit firmly from your ribcage and around the back, while the cups must not gape.
How to Choose the Best Strapless Bra?
To get the best strapless bra, make sure to consider a snug band and cups that fully encapsulate the breasts. You may also pick a wired strapless bra if you need breast separation and extra lift.
Conclusion
When it comes to how to keep a strapless bra up, remember that the original fit of the bra is key. Try a few different styles and sizes to see which stays snug at your chest, and play around with some of the tricks I mentioned above to keep your bra up throughout the day!
