I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again; American women are pretty much the only women in the world who dislike the look of bra seam show through. European women in particular relish visible bra and trim outlines and consider it a status symbol; others know she’s wearing both an expensive and beautifully made bra. All bra manufacturers are aware of our American preference and have developed construction techniques to make their seams and ornamentation flatter over the years. Today, it is unusual to find a bra where efforts to mitigate show through have not been considered. For those times when you want your seamed cup bra to be invisible, here are some great solutions.
Dark Colors/Loose Clothing/Layering
Perhaps this is obvious, but dark clothing does a nice job of reducing the outline of a bra underneath. Similarly, a top with a print or one with front embellishments, such as ruffles and lace, provides masking as well. Clothing with a looser fit is an obvious solution. As is layering with a blazer, sweater, and even a scarf.
Shaping Camisole Over Seamed Bra
A winning solution is to wear a formfitting camisole with some spandex for shaping over a seamed cup bra. To prove this, we had one of our models from our fitting lab help us demonstrate.
Our model is really a 34C+ bra size. This means that sometimes she does not completely fill out a D cup size. For this demonstration, we put her in 34D sized bras. We selected this Wacoal bra 855186 because of its supportive transversal seam which runs horizontally across the widest part of her breasts. There is some minor rippling at the apex of her breasts – a tell-tale sign the cups are a smidge big for our model.
We then gave her this form-fitting t-shirt made by Only Hearts. (FYI – shameless plug for this top. I own it in every color. Soft, stretchy, and ¾ sleeved, it’s a fantastic and polished-looking layering piece for me). White was picked since it’s the hardest color to mask anything. Clear rippling along her bustline can be seen. Next, we gave her this Hanes shaping camisole from a 3-color, 3-pack (with sizing up to 4X) to wear over this bra and under the same top. Just a very minor bit of pucker visibility remained on her right breast. Barely detectable. And the shaping camisole provided the added benefit of smoothing her torso and giving her a streamlined look.
Shaping Camisole Over Seamed and Embroidered Bra Next, our model put on this beautiful, seamed cup 34D bra with multi-colored embroidery by Pour Moi.
And here is the result under the same white Only Hearts top. Signs of embroidery and seams are visible. Next, we gave her this Maidenform shaping camisole (up to 2X). I like this particular camisole because of its unique design feature. It has stronger shaping around the torso and then transitions right under the bust to a thinner less shaping and stretchier knit over the bustline. You can tell this by your ability to see the two-tone lace showing through.
And now, with the same white Only Hearts t-shirt layered on top. Only a subtle vertical seam is slightly visible on the model’s right underbust, and this is primarily due to the shadow-inducing light setup in our studio.
Both above examples demonstrate the many benefits of wearing a shaping camisole. I consider having one in your wardrobe a must. It can be at the ready when you want a smooth look and/or some additional torso and back smoothing. Oh, and I should mention these two camisoles in my examples both have a nice tall back to reduce back bulging as well. So, when making your selections, be sure to review how the back, too, is designed so you can get the coverage you desire.
Other Unique Shaping Camisoles Manufacturers are always clever when it comes to making variations. Here are other shaping camisoles for you to consider. Each has a unique call out.
My last Talk was about hiding a saggy bottom, and this Talk is about hiding bra seams. I write about solutions that you, our customers, frequently ask about. Though no one has said this to me, I do not wish to write on any topic that contributes to the body shaming of women. I’m on your side.
YIKES! & YEAHS!
Speaking of being on your side. I hope our YIKES! and YEAHS! section has educated and encouraged you to replace your bad fitting bras with those that empower and make you feel comfortable and confident all day long. Test your expertise on this set and click through to see if you have correctly identified these YIKES! and YEAHS!
Fondly,
Tomima Founder & CEO