Shopping is not on my list of favourite things to do. As I type this I realize this must sound highly improbable considering the substantial amount of black handbags alone I have in my possession but there you have it: I like owning nice things, I just do not like the actual acquiring part of it. And bras definitely used to be at the top of my list of ‘things I hate to go shopping for’.

Horrible shops with bad lighting, wonky mirrors and cramped fitting-rooms aside, having to struggle in and out of a gazillion ill-fitting bras really gets a woman down and in a sweaty red-faced mess. Having different sized boobs (and yes, most women do) just add to the aggravation, especially when looking for the underwired kind of bra. The minute you are pleased as punch to see rightie has finally found a snuggly spot, you notice leftie is making a run for it. Sideboob may be fashionable but spilling out of a wired cup just isn’t all that comfortable.
So what does any sane woman do once she has found that one bra that just fits? She buys the same boring bra over and over again. For years. And naturally throws a fit when it gets discontinued.

Miraculously, this particular little horror ended for me a while ago. You see, I shrank. I really was not all that big to begin with, but I happened to lose weight and it just never came back on. And so I discovered the magical world of the bralette: no wiring, no pinching, no heaving a sigh of relief at the end of the day when the bra comes of. Instead just carefree soft whispery lace.

There is just one downside: where to find these bralettes without breaking the bank? There are plenty of expensive lingerie brands out there that carry the exact styles I like but it really is just not on buying 100 euro bras when 2 boys practising 3 different kinds of sport continually need new gear, is it?
However, walk into any Dutch generic and less expensive lingerie store and all you see is underwired. With padding. The consensus seems to be every woman not only needs support but also ‘a little bit of extra’. But they do exist so i did a quick round-up of my favourite less expensive black lacy bralette styles.

You will find H&M has some very nice ones but mind you, I have never found them in store, only online:

 

 

And if you don’t mind walking inside the glittery teenagey world called Monki, you can certainly find some nice styles there too:

Dutch brand Love Stories (check out their flagship store in Amsterdam) has a variety of bralettes but I like this one in black lace:

Online store Asos has a rather chaotic website to my eye but type in ‘bralette’ or ‘bralet’, scroll for a bit and there are a few styles you might like, click here.

Minimal brand Cos occasionally does some really nice lace bralettes but you would have to check their site regularly as they seem to sell out immediately. Their simple soft bras are of very nice quality and fit by the way so these are also worth looking at. Click here for their site.

H&M’s trendier sister & Other Stories shows some nice soft bras on their site, see here.

A bit pricier so perhaps out-of-place in my list but oh my, how sexy are these bralettes at For Love & Lemons? For their full range, click here:

To wire or not to wire…I would love to hear your opinion so don’t be shy.

Sevi

Title image: Sex Kitten bralette from the For Love & Lemons Skivvies Collections
For info on styles shown click on images