The 11 Best Strapless Bras for Large Breasts, Tested & Reviewed
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These strapless bras support even the largest chests.
InStyle / Reese Herrington
It’s no secret that behind every remarkable outfit is a well-rounded selection of undergarments. And on the short list of styles that are an absolute must, a strapless bra is somewhat close to the top. From plunging jumpsuits to backless gowns, the outfits that we wear for special occasions and formal events nearly always call for a strapless bra, making the stakes even higher. No one wants a shoulder strap or band popping out in photos. Yet those with larger breasts can often feel like they have to compromise on style, as strapless bras are notorious for falling down and being all around uncomfortable.
After speaking to bra fit experts, we realized strapless bras don't have to let larger chests down. With the right fit and features, a strapless bra can support even the largest cup sizes. To help you in your search, we tested 15 different strapless bras over the course of two weeks. Each bra was worn by two testers, including at least one with larger breasts (DD+). After evaluating the feedback on the comfort, fit, support, and durability of each bra, we narrowed down our list to the strapless bras that provided the best support for those with larger breasts.
Related: The 21 Best Bras of 2023 That Don't Skimp on Support
Best Overall: Wacoal Red Carpet Strapless Underwire Bra
What We Love: Thanks to a wide band and separated cups, this bra doesn’t slip or create a uniboob.
What We Don't Love: We wish it came in a wider range of skin tones.
It’s not often that a bra has a cult following. But when it comes to Wacoal’s ‘Red Carpet’ design, its accolades are well earned. The wider the band, the stronger the lift, and this one features a four-hook band to keep even large breasts secured. Our DD+ breasts felt lifted and supported, and we didn’t have the dreaded uniboob, thanks to the well-spaced, molded cups. The band did feel a little tight, but we find that preferable to a strapless bra that feels like it might fall down at any moment. And thanks to the padded band, the bra stayed up without leaving marks on our skin. Even after washing and wearing, the quality stayed the same — no stretching or piling. With detachable straps and an undetectable look, this might be the perfect strapless bras for larger chests, except we wish it came in more than four shades to suit a wider range of skin tones.
Price at time of publish: $76
Size Range: 34B - 44G | Colors: 4 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Wacoal Testers
Tester one wears a 32DD. With a small back and large breasts, she needs a bra that is extremely supportive and tight. The Wacoal bra provided the support she needed — in fact, she’s already bought three of these bras on her own.
Tester two wears a 40DDD. She’s constantly on the hunt for the bra with the perfect fit and material and typically wears strapless bras for special occasions.
Best Budget: Victoria Secret PINK Wear Everywhere Strapless Push-Up Bra
What We Love: It comes in an expansive size and shade range.
What We Don't Love: The band isn’t seamless.
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. When it comes to Pink’s wallet-friendly ‘Wear Everywhere’ strapless bra, the old adage couldn’t be truer. It has a versatile silhouette that isn’t too low cut or full coverage and a push-up design gives your girls a subtle lift. To prevent any outfit malfunctions, it features no-slip grips at the side and along the top and bottoms, too. The Wear Everywhere bra comes in a wide range of colors that go beyond the classic black and beige, including chocolate brown, tan and white for any brides to be. Unlike some of the more expensive options on this list, the band isn’t seamless along the edges, so consider if that’s a trade-off you are willing to make for a more affordable style.
Price at time of publish: $37
Size Range: 32A - 40E | Colors: 5 | Additional Straps: Yes
Best Splurge: Spanx Up For Anything Strapless Bra
What We Love: We forgot we had this bra on — it was so comfortable and didn’t slide down.
What We Don't Love: The molded cups are a bit bulky, making our chest look twice as big.
Spanx is revered for its shapewear, so it makes sense that the brand’s ‘Up For Anything’ bra made the cut. Designed with the brand’s innovative SmartGrip technology, this bra didn’t move an inch, even when we wore it for six hours on end. We were shocked. And no, the bra didn’t put us in a death grip — it was so comfortable, we forgot we had it on. A strip of silicone kept the bra in place, yet it didn’t irritate or leave marks on our skin, like so many other designs do. The underwire and molded cups made our already voluptuous breasts look twice their size — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — but stops us from wanting to wear this bra every day. If you prefer a more natural look, consider Victoria's Secret Lightly Lined Strapless Bra.
Price at time of publish: $74
Size Range: 32A - 40DD | Colors: 2 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Spanx Tester
Tester one has a cup size between E or F and went with the 38E in this style. She rarely wears strapless bras because she finds them more cumbersome than helpful. She prefers a more natural look and isn’t used to wearing bras with molded cups.
Best Plus-Size: Curvy Kate Luxe Strapless Bra
What We Love: Our breasts felt defined and secured.
What We Don't Love: You can definitely feel the underwire.
Designed for cups sizes D to L, this strapless bra addresses all the issues from plus-size shoppers. One is the lack of lift and definition —aka the uniboob — from a strapless bra. This design has well-placed, seamed cups that lifted and separated our D cups. Another issue we’ve faced in strapless bras is feeling like they barely reach above our nipples, allowing for a potentially nip-slip. The cups provided enough coverage that our breasts didn’t spill as we danced around. In fact, even as we lifted our arms above our head and bent over, the wide band didn’t budge. We will admit this bra felt snug like a corset, but when you need to lock down your look, that can be exactly what you are looking for.
Price at time of publish: $77
Size Range: 28D - 40L | Colors: 4 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Curvy Kate Tester
Tester one typically wears a 36C but went with a 34D in this bra. Comfort is her priority, and she typically wears T-shirt bras, sports bras, and bralettes.
Best Plunge: Cosabella Never Say Never Plungie Strapless Bra
What We Love: The romantic lace trim and low cut makes it a great underpinning for date night.
What We Don’t Love: There’s only two basic colors to choose from.
Every well-dressed woman needs a lacy bra in their arsenal. Why not tick two boxes in one with a plunging bra that works with low-cut tops and dresses? Despite the lacey band, the bra stayed invisible under our clothing. Yet what we really loved about this design was the fit. Not too tight nor too loose, this bra didn’t move around at all. Even under low-cut tops, our DD breasts felt secured with just the right amount of coverage. The band does have boning on the side for support, but it didn’t bother us due to its flexibility. In fact, we found this bra comfortable enough to wear daily. Lace tends to be more delicate, yet the fabric didn’t stretch or pill after wearing or washing. Even the removable straps impressed us by not moving around or unlatching while wearing. Like with some of the other bras, the color options are a bit lacking.
Price at time of publish: $72
Size Range: 30C - 36F | Colors: 3 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Cosabella Tester
Tester one has a 32DD cup size. She wears strapless bras often in both professional and casual settings, when she doesn’t feel comfortable going braless. She wore this bra one to two times a week during the testing period.
Best Full Coverage: ThirdLove 24/7 Classic Strapless Bra
What We Love: The bra offers full support and coverage even during more rigorous activities.
What We Don’t Love: If you’re already a fan of ThirdLove’s bras, pay attention to the 24/7 strapless sizing as it differs from other styles.
Strapless bras don’t have to be reserved for your occasion wear. In fact, styles that offer full coverage work just as well under the classic white tee or tank, as they do your pieces with thin shoulder straps. We wore this strapless bra to a pottery class, and were pleasantly surprised how well the design held up despite all the hunching over our work. With full coverage, memory foam cups and a wide four-hook band, this bra offers ample support without being overly uncomfortable. The bra also looked seamless under clothes, and the quality was top notch, with no stretching after some wear and tear. The sizing is a bit different from other bras we tried from the brand, so be sure to check the size guide and consider ordering a couple sizes to find your best fit.
Price at time of publish: $72
Size Range: 32A - 44E | Colors: 2 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The ThirdLove Testers
Tester one typically wears a 40DDD, but found that a 42F fit her best in this style. She wears strapless bras mainly for special occasions and wore this bra three different times for about four hours each during the testing period.
Tester two typically wears a 38D but ended up going with a 40C in this bra. She usually wears strapless bras under formal dresses or shirts that have cold shoulders. She wore this bra for 10 hours, two times a week.
Best Wireless: Soma Enbliss Wireless Stay Put Multi-Way Strapless Bra
What We Love: This bra gives you all the shape and support without underwire.
What We Don’t Love: There’s no dark shades besides black.
If you’re someone who despises underwire, you should give this bra a chance. In fact, our tester who typically hates strapless bras ended up falling in love with this one. Thanks to the wire-free design, the bra was extremely comfortable to wear on a day to day basis. Nothing was digging, sliding, spilling, or gapping, even while wearing it to a 12 hour wedding. The inside of the cups have a slightly sticky feeling — similar to adhesive bras — which help keep it in place without irritating the skin. The contour cups looked amazing under our bridesmaid dress, both in real life and in the wedding photos. We love it so much, we plan on wearing it with the detachable straps with halter and racerback tops as well. Our only complaint? The shades were too light for our skintone, despite the five color options.
Price at time of publish: $62
Size Range: 32A - 42G | Colors: 5 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Soma Testers
Tester one wears a 32DD. Due to her size, she struggles to find well-fitting strapless bras and tends to avoid them altogether.
Tester two typically wears a 36C or 34D. She usually wears strapless for formal events.
Best Color Options: Aerie Real Sunnie Strapless Lightly Lined Bra
What we love: You can shop this bra in fair to deep skintones.
What we don’t love: It only goes up to size 40D.
Despite how far bras have come, we are still surprised by the limited number of shades to match different skintones. While some designs only come in two to three colors, Aerie actually makes a strapless bra in five different skintones, ranging from fair to deep. On top of the inclusivity, this was extremely comfortable. For our DD tester, it was the first strapless bra that she could wear for extended periods of time without being uncomfortable. The four-hook band was tight enough to hold up the girls yet didn’t dig or leave marks. Lightly lined, the design provides enough coverage without feeling bulky or showing under clothes. In fact, we could finally wear that one top in our closet that we could never find the right bra for! We wore this bra for a night of dancing and it didn’t move nor did the material make us sweaty. While we loved this bra all around, we do recognize it only goes up to 40D, which doesn’t cater to the widest range of sizes.
Price at time of publish: $37
Size Range: 32A - 40D | Colors: 5 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Aerie Testers
Tester one wore a 36DD, her typical size. She normally does everything in her power to avoid wearing strapless bras since they usually don’t fit and are uncomfortable for her chest size.
Tester two is typically a 34B, but because she was breastfeeding, she sized up to 34C in this bra. She typically wears strapless bras with formal dresses or outfits in the summer.
Best Lightly Lined: Victoria's Secret Sexy Illusions Lightly-Lined Strapless Bra
What we love: This lightly lined bra is extremely comfortable and doesn’t add bulk.
What we don’t love: It has a lot of tags.
A strapless bra that’s comfortable enough to wear all day? Sign us up! As one of the most comfortable strapless bras we’ve tried, this one from Victoria’s Secret was actually one we didn’t want to take off. Featuring the brand’s non-slip cups, the bra lifts and separates without slippage. And if you’re not a fan of those silicone strips that are often used in strapless bras, you’ll be glad to know this design doesn’t have them. A wide band offers extra support and side smoothing, yet it wasn’t obvious under clothing due to laser-cut edges and a lightly lined cups. Plus, it continued to look great after wearing and washing, with no major piling or stretching. Like most Victoria’s Secret products, this bra has four tags that are more annoying than helpful, but you can easily snip them off.
Price at time of publish: $50
Size Range: 32A - 38DDD | Shades: 4 | Additional Straps: Yes
More About The Victoria’s Secret Testers
Tester one wore a 36DD, her typical size. It’s hard for her to find the right fit in a strapless bra, so she typically avoids them. She wore this bra five times during the testing period for six hours at a time.
Tester two is typically a 34B, but because she was breastfeeding, she sized up to 34C in this bra. She wore this bra three times a week, during her eight-hour work day.
Best Backless: Felina Body Veil Longline Strapless Bra
What We Love: The bra scoops down in the back, allowing you to wear it with low-back tops and dresses.
What We Don’t Love: It runs small.
Proving that strapless bras have the ability to offer full coverage and still be sexy, Felina’s ‘Body Veil’ design is equal parts modest and aesthetically pleasing — making it a sound investment that goes well beyond the bedroom. Silicone strips, molded cups, and wide power mesh wings give you all the support and shape you are looking for. Though it offers more coverage in the front, the design swoops down in the back, finally allowing you to wear a bra with low-back tops and dresses. Apart from working hard in your top drawer collection, it will double as a chic layering piece for a night out. The longline design works well under blazers with high-waisted trousers or a maxi skirt a lá the latest runway trends. Just add an ornate adornment like a floral, rosette choker to top off the look. The brand says it tends to run small, so keep that in mind when choosing your size.
Price at time of publish: $50
Size Range: 32C - 38H | Colors: 2 | Additional Straps: Yes
Best Convertible: Soma Stunning Starlet Strapless Multiway Bra
What We Love: It has flat-hook fastenings that lay smoothly against the skin for a seamless look and easy wear.
What We Don’t Love: It tends to run small.
As the name suggests, Soma’s Stunning Starlet Multi-Way bra is a great place to start if you’re looking for a more versatile option. This strapless style is made for complete coverage with a satin v-shaped panel down the front — which works especially well layered under plunging necklines. It, of course, comes complete with removable shoulder straps that can not only be adjusted to find your perfect fit, but allows the bra to be worn at least five different ways. The brand’s website suggests sizing up to balance its particularly snug fit.
Price at time of publish: $62
Size Range: 34B - 44G | Colors: 2 | Additional Straps: Yes
Our Testing Process
To test the best strapless bras for large chests, we first spoke to experts and researched the most promising products on the market, narrowing down our list to 15 top strapless bras to test. We then gave each bra to two testers, one with a cup size between A-D and the other with a fuller bust (DD+). The testers wore the bra over the course of two weeks for at least four hours at a time. We wanted our test to mimic real life, so our testers wore the bras to work, special events, around the house, and nights out. Each tester also washed and dried the bra according to the brand's instructions. We measured the bands before and after to see if they stretched out from wearing and washing.
Once the testers rated the products on fit, comfort, support, and durability, we analyzed the results. For this story, we paid special attention to the feedback from the testers with larger chests. After examining all the data, we narrowed down our list to the top eight strapless bras that performed best on larger chests. We also added three additional bras that we are confident will serve larger chests based on customer reviews, personal experience, and expert advice.
What to Keep in Mind
Sizing
From the width of your back – aka the band size – to the cups, finding your correct size is key.
“A strapless bra will feel a little different since it doesn’t have the straps, so you need to ensure that it isn’t slipping down or moving around and isn’t creating a bulge over the top or sides,” says fit expert Caroline Peaslee. “First, get yourself measured or measure yourself, and then try on a variety of styles. Choose the one that gives you the look you want, fits well, and feels most comfortable. If after trying on your true size, you find that it doesn’t fit, work with a fit specialist to help you with a different size.”
Trying it on IRL, when possible, is ideal, but those shopping online should make note of the brand’s size guide – that way you can determine whether sizing up or down is required.
Cup Shape
Before fully committing to a style, one must first consider the shape that they’re going for; which is often determined by the type of clothing you’ll be wearing it with. For those that want the perfect underpinnings for a low-cut gown or top, a style with a plunging neckline, like Cosabella Never Say Never Plungie Strapless Bra, will be better than one that offers full coverage, like ThirdLove 24/7 Classic Strapless Bra. Alternatively, if your outfit is low-cut in the back, go with a backless bra like Felina Longline Backless Bra.
Comfort
While function and fit are of top priority, the way the strapless bra feels is just as important; and in a lot of cases, they go hand in hand. In order to find a style that’s as comfortable as it is supportive, you’ll have to pay close attention to not only the sizing but what the bra is made from. Look for styles that are made with memory foam cups, padded sides, and mesh panels to keep you cool. For instance, we loved how the material in the Aerie Sunnie Strapless Lightly Lined Bra was so breathable, it kept us sweat-free while we danced the night away.
Your Questions, Answered
Is it better to size down in a strapless bra?
When it comes to finding your perfect fit in a strapless bra, there’s no one size fits all solution. But contrary to popular belief, sizing down is not the answer. “Always go with your true size,” says Peaslee. “Never try to adjust the work and function of a bra by sizing up or sizing down. The bra should be working for you, not the other way around.”
How do you prevent a strapless bra from falling down?
According to Peaslee, preventing your strapless bra from sliding down requires you to do your due diligence and find your perfect fit. “Start with the right size,” she advises. “Look for styles that have side boning and/or a silicone grip strip at the top to help keep it in place.” A wider band, like in Wacoal Red Carpet Convertible Strapless Bra, also helps a strapless bra stay up, especially on those with larger chests.
Why Shop With Us
Shelby Ying Hyde is an InStyle contributor who writes for Harper's Bazaar, Refinery29, The Cut Shop and more. Before entering the editorial world, she worked as product copywriter for two large luxury e-commerce companies, where she became well-versed in fits, fabrics, and other unique selling points that make an item special. Emily Cieslak is an associate commerce editor. Before working as an editor, she was a bra buyer for a major online retailer and learned the ins-and-outs of bra fabrics, construction, and fit.
In addition to analyzing the feedback from our strapless bras test, we consulated the following experts for additional insight on how to shop for strapless bras when you have a large chest:
Caroline Peaslee, expert bra fit specialist for Cosabella, the luxury lingerie brand world-famous for its exceptional artisanal quality and known in the industry for over four decades.
Paula Marie Freo, Intimissimi Training Specialist for Calzedonia USA.
Related: The 9 Best Strapless Bras of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
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