Finding the Styles that Fit...You

• Demi Cups
• Balconette Cups
• Contour Cups
• Foam Cups
• Full Cups
• Lined Cups
• Minimizer Cups
• Molded Cups vs. Seamed Cups
• Nursing Cups
• Padded Cups
• Push-Up Cups
• Soft Cup Bra



A demi cup bra has less breast coverage. The industry generally cuts a demi cup to 1" above the nipple point. Most push-up bras are demi cups to show more cleavage. The underwires of a demi cup are much shallower or shorter. Also, most demi cups are designed with a slight tilt to push the breasts towards the center for more cleavage and remove breast tissue from under the arms. The demi cup design is great for petite women who have issues with their underwires poking.


Balconette is another name for a demi cup bra with a little less coverage. However, manufacturers use this name on many styles that are not balconette. A true balconette cup will be cut horizontally just above the bust line and give ones breast the look of fullness and uplift. A balconette cup usually has a little padding to enhance bust size as well. The name balconette comes from men in the balcony of a theater looking down upon women -- a balconette bra could not be seen from above.


Contour cups hold their shape, even when not worn. The cups have an underwire and fiberfill or foam lining molded into a specific shape. Contour cups are a perfect choice for any woman seeking a sculpted silhouette, as they offer a specific round and symmetrical breast shape. A contour bra can also add definition (not size) to the breast, a smooth shape, and elimination of nipple contours.
Contour Bras are a good choice for in-between bra sizes, or a woman with uneven breasts.








Foam cup bras hold padding made of foam in the cup of the bra.  Such padding does not bunch up during washing and gives a smooth look to the cup.









Full cups completely cover most of the breast, offering both more coverage and more support than a demi cup bra. A full cup bra will not cause a crease or indentation along the top of the breast.








Lined cups give additional support and added opaqueness to the cup.










Maternity Cups - Pregnant women need support and breathability in their bras. Maternity cups come with inside underbust bands and full coverage. Maternity cups are also made in fabrics that breathe to prevent breast tissue irritation.



A minimizer cup gives the appearance of reducing the projection of your breasts. This allows women to wear front-button shirts and blouses without gapping. A minimizer bra distributes the breast flesh more towards the underarm and the center front. A minimizer only shifts the mass in areas other than directly in front. No cup can actually reduce your volume of breast tissue.








A nursing bra is a bra with specially designed cups that open to allow access for baby to nurse without mom having to take off her bra.







A padded cup bra has fiber-fill in the cups. This padding adds size and definition to give a well-proportioned look to smaller bust lines.









Push-up cups enhance a woman's bust line by creating cleavage and the look of fuller breasts. Designed primarily for C cups and smaller, push-up cups are shaped like a demi cup with significant padding at the bottom of the cups.  The cups are angled inward so that the breast tissue is pushed towards the center, thus creating cleavage. An elliptical shaped pad at the bottom of the cup - called the bump pad - is s ometimes removable. Placed on the bottom outside area of the cup, this pad causes your breast tissue to be pushed up and inward. Most push-up bras also have wide-set straps. Setting the straps toward the outside edge of the cups will further assist in directing the breast tissue towards the center to create more cleavage.

A recent design change in push-up cups is a new pad in the shape of a wide "U". This U-shaped pad rests both at the bottom and along the outside just inside the cup. Designers feel this pad design gives more extreme push-up and cleavage. HerRoom has several bras with this kind of padding.




Molded contour and seamless cups are a fairly recent addition to the lingerie industry. A molded cup is seamless and has a pre-formed breast shape molded into the cups fabric. The factory takes nylon or polyester tricot fabric and heat forms it over various breast molds to achieve the cups shape without seams. Molded cups can be a single piece of fabric or fused with a thin layer of foam or fiberfill for a more rigid non-collapsing cup shape. These more rigid cups are called contour cups. Molded cups are very popular today because they virtually disappear under t-shirts and form-fitting tops. Also, if one breast is smaller than the other, a contour molded cup tends to hide this fact.

Because the shape of a molded cup bra is pre-determined, their shape may not always be a good match for your breast shape. These pre-shaped cups can be rigid. If you have wide breasts, a molded cup may not encase your breast fully. Women with implants often find that contour molded bras do not fit well because their breast shape is not as malleable as a natural breast so will not conform to the contour cup shape. Contour bras can also be a challenge to store since the cups must not be folded or crushed lest they incur wrinkles that are very difficult to remove.



A seamed cup bra has a cup made with 2 or more fabric pieces. Before molded cups, seamed cups were the only bra cup option. Seaming on a cup allows more variations in cup shapes. Vertical and diagonal cup seams add to the cups support and tend to be more flattering to one's breasts. Seamed cups (especially 3 section cups) will always be more supportive than a molded cup. A bra cup with seams can be made out of many more fabrics such as lace, satin, silk, etc. Bras with beautiful details are almost always made with seamed cups. And, if you need subtle altering for a better fit, seamed cups are the way to go.

The drawback to seamed cups is that they may be visible under t-shirts and form-fitting fashions. For this reason, women should have both styles of cups in their lingerie wardrobe.

Caring for your molded cup bras: Rigid molded cup bras need special care. Do not fold one cup inside out in order to nest the two cups together. This will deform the shape of the reversed cup. Do not allow these cups to become smashed. Wrinkles and bumps can quickly form thus giving the bra a strange shape. When traveling, try and fill each molded cup with a pair of socks or rolled up pantyhose to keep their shape in packing. If the cups do wrinkle, it is possible to remove these wrinkles by placing the wrinkle between your hands and rubbing the area. You can also try using a steamer. Directly ironing a wrinkle will not work and could possibly damage the bra.




A soft cup bra is a bra with molded cups and no underwire or padding. This lack of structure makes it very comfortable to wear. It's most popular with A and B cup sized women.








Keep reading. Next section: Lingerie Essentials: The Complete Lingerie Wardrobe