How To Choose The Right Bra Style For Different Breast Shapes (Bra Tips)

Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by Morah Rose

You may have wondered what bra type is best for your breast shape, or have been self-conscious about your breasts at one time or another.

Well, in this article we are going to be discussing how to choose the right bra style for your breast shape, and tips to help you:

Know what to look for in a bra, depending on your breast shape

This will help you understand why you have trouble properly/comfortably fitting some bras.

It will also help you understand why you have always struggled to get the right bra even with the right bra size.

Learn what bra type is best for your breast shape

In order to find the best bra type for your breast shape, you need to know exactly what you want to achieve.

For example, do you want to get a good cleavage, a good lift, or generally just good support from the bra?

Wearing the right bra for your breast shape helps make you feel comfortable, confident, and great wearing the bra.

Finding the right bra is not all about figuring out your bra size but also your breast shape.

How To Dress To Minimize A Large Bust.

Sports Bra VS Regular Bra: Which One Should You Wear?

Below are different types of breast shapes and their recommended bra type/style.

NOTE: There are many breast shapes. These are just the most common ones.

Table of Contents

Types of breasts shapes
Can you have more than one breast shape?

Types of breasts shapes

1. East-west breast shape

These types of breasts are usually pointed in opposite directions. That is east and west as seen in the image below.

This is because the breast tissues are usually on the outer edge of the breast.

Best bras for east-west breast shape

I’d recommend getting bras that tend to have some side support.

The side support is important because it helps bring your breasts from the sides and thus they are able to stay up and in a center position.

NOTE:

The upper breast cup helps shape the cleavage.

The bottom or lower breast cup supports and helps shape the breasts.

The side breast cup helps shape the breasts because it projects the breast tissues forward and gives you some side support.

Plunge and contoured bras are great for ladies with east-west breast shapes because they help bring them up and inwards to the center position.

Full-coverage bras, balcony-style bras, and push-up bras are also great options for a center and uplifting look.

2. Close-set breasts shape

These are the breast types that hardly have any room between them, as seen in the image below.

Best bras for close-set breast shape

The best bras for close-set breast shape are those with a low center gore (the bridge that separates two breast cups on the bra) as seen in the image below.

A good bra would therefore be a plunge or a wireless bra.

How To Know Your Swimsuit Size (Shopping Tips With Pictures).

3. Wide-set breast shape

These types of breasts are normally further apart from each other.

It is, therefore, possible to see the center of the chest between the two breasts because the space is also quite noticeable.

Best bras for wide-set breast shape

For a wide-set breast shape, the bras should have a high or middle center gore such as a balconette bra or a full coverage bra.

If you want more cleavage, then I’d recommend you go for a push-up bra because it helps push the breast tissues together thus giving you good cleavage.

4. Round shape breasts

Round-shaped breasts tend to have a full density at the top and bottom of the breast.

They are basically equally shaped because of the equal density from the bottom to the top.

Best bras for round breast shape

The best bra for round-shaped breasts would depend on what you want to achieve because any bra would work well with these breasts.

Ladies with round-shaped breasts, therefore, tend to have many bra options to choose from.

5. Pendulous breast shape

The breast and the nipples of the pendulous breasts tend to face and point downwards, and lie on the chest.

Additionally, they usually have a low density at the top.

Ladies who have pendulous breast shapes are mostly those who have just lost weight because it makes the breasts stretch.

Pendulous breast shapes can also be a result of not wearing a supportive bra whenever you are exercising or it can also be genetically related.

Best bras for pendulous breast shape

The best bra for pendulous breasts is a full-cup bra because it gives them more shape, good support, and coverage.

The breast cup should fully cover your breast density.

Another great option is a balcony-style bra because it offers great breast support and better shape.

6. Bell-shaped breasts

The bell-shaped breasts are usually fuller or heavier at the bottom than at the top, and for some ladies, the nipples point upwards.

Ladies with bell-shaped breasts tend to have less rounded cleavage.

Best bras for bell shape breasts

A balconette bra shape or an underwired push-up bra would be perfect if you want to have good cleavage.

That’s because these types of bras tend to push the breasts up thus giving you a better and more desirable cleavage.

A balcony bra is also great for ladies with bell-shaped breasts as it provides great support for their breasts.

Another good bra type for ladies with bell-shaped breasts is the full-cup bra.

7. Athletic breast shape

Ladies with athletic breast shapes tend to have breasts with less fatty tissues, which makes them small.

Best bras for athletic shape breasts

I’d recommend push-up or plunge bras.

The push-up bras are great for ladies who want to make their athletic breasts look bigger because they tend to have silicon cups/dollies.

On the other hand, a plunge bra is best for ladies who are looking to give their athletic breasts more shape and definition.

8. Asymmetric breast shape

Asymmetric breasts are different in size, where one is smaller or bigger than the other.

For some ladies, this can be a slightly different size but for others, the difference in sizes is noticeable.

Asymmetric breast shape is quite common in ladies. According to Verywellhealth, these breast shapes can be a result of hormonal changes, puberty, genetics, and some other conditions.

Best bras for asymmetric breast shape

If you have a slight asymmetric breast shape, a balcony or a full coverage bra will work well for you because it gives you better side support and brings the breasts upwards.

If the size difference is noticeable, then I’d recommend you go for bras with a padding option to add more padding on the smaller breast side.

T-shirt-style and bulky-style bras are also great because they tend to give good coverage. However, I’d also recommend you get a breast cup for one of the breasts to balance it out.

Can you have more than one breast shape?

Yes. It is possible to have a combination of different breast shapes.

For instance, you could have a combination of pendulous and asymmetric or bell and asymmetric.