Tomima Talks: Do You Have a Sheer, See-through Bra?
Let’s be honest. Don’t we all do a bit of a double-take when we think we see something sheer being worn on a person? I’ll admit that I do. Sometimes it’s in disbelief, but many times I’ll take that second look simply because it’s alluring. My staff and I monitor your site questions and we’ve seen an uptick in customer inquiries by both women and husbands regarding sheer bras – particularly since COVID. It got me thinking. Do HerRoom customers fully understand the benefits and perks of a sheer bra? There are several!
Why Wear a Sheer Bra?
It’s a rather curious bra category. A sheer bra supports and covers like a traditional bra, but due to its light and see-through quality, little if any bulk is added to your bustline. Yes, they also have that “peek-a-boob” feature that many partners love, but practically, it also acts as a window to the inside of your bra cups. Unlike any other bra style, a bra with cup transparency instantly shows the wearer she needs to adjust her breast tissue. One areola up to the right while the other pointing downward gets a quick fix in short order! Likewise, empty or wrinkled cup areas flag the need to pull more of your breast tissue into your cups. And, you can instantly tell if you’re wearing your bra too low (see my prior Tomima Talk about this issue).
Today’s sheer bras give great breast support. And, like traditional seamed cups, they take your malleable breast tissue and mold it into a flattering shape, but with transparency, so both you and others can admire your newly transformed breast shape.
Textile technology has figured out how to fabricate sheer light fabric that is also strong and rigid. I did a quick check on fabric contents for many of the sheer bras we offer for sale. Most are around 80% nylon with a hefty 20% spandex. Now, this will sound counter-intuitive, but the higher the spandex content, the firmer the fabric. Here’s a practical example; today’s stretch jeans. Their spandex content is only around 3% because the goal with stretch jeans is simply to maintain their shape and not stretch out while being worn. A jean with double-digit spandex content – if you could get them on – would start feeling like a tourniquet because instead of having light comfort stretch, they would instead have a restricted stretch.
I also noticed that several of my vendors who specialize in larger cup sizes (DD(D2) and larger) include polyester in their fabric contents; roughly 65% nylon, 20% polyester, 15% spandex. Polyester is an incredibly strong and rigid fiber, so its inclusion in the make-up of larger cup sizes ensures support and shape will be sustained in sheer bras while still looking light and ethereal.
Here’s another fun fact. Europeans call nylon polyamide and call spandex elastane when listing fabric contents.
Full-on Sheer Bras
Now, more than ever, we have a large selection of sheer bras in a wide selection of colors. Starting with the sheer basics, we have seamless sheer bras with no seams and no cup adornment – completely sheer cups. Below are some of the styles we carry. Of note is that we are forced to edit out the breast apex to avoid being considered pornographic or offensive on the web. But, should you love this style of bra but want a little modesty where it counts, we offer a variety of nipple covers in our accessories department.
The next elevation is the addition of embroidery to sheer bra cups. There are many absolutely beautiful examples. Manufacturers are sensitive to keeping their embroidered designs flat so as not to show through form-fitting clothing, but not all. Why? Because most European women demand that their beautiful embroidered bras show through their clothing. For them, it’s a status symbol. They are wearing beautiful and expensive lingerie and they like others to know it. We Americans have yet to fully grasp this European aesthetic.
It used to be that the most beautiful laces had to be created by hand. Well, no longer. New textile technologies have figured out how to merge both lace and mesh to create amazingly beautiful lacy lingerie fabrications. And again, many of the laces have been designed to be flat which makes them invisible under clothing.
Modesty Sheer Bras
Like the idea of sheerness yet want opacity in your cups where needed? Well, you can have it both ways. More and more bra manufacturers are working sheerness into their bra designs – the upper area of the cups, the side wings, the center panel. A see-through element on a bra is not only seductive, but it creates an illusion of less. A full-coverage bra will no longer look huge on your frame if sheer details are incorporated. By way of example, here are a few bras we offer with sheer sections. On the left I had one of my editors make the entire bra opaque. On the right is the true bra style. I think you will agree, adding sheerness gives a bra the look of lightness and a touch of seduction while maintaining coverage, support and shape.
A quick comment on that “itch”, “scratch” or “stiffness” that used to be associated with lace and embroidery. This issue is pretty much a thing of the past. Manufacturers are acutely aware that women want softness to their bras. That stiff feeling in the past was mostly a starch used to stiffen the fabric to allow for more accurate sewing. Now, most lingerie manufacturers have figured out how to do away with it. But know that a quick soak or wash in fabric softener is always a quick fix.
I encourage you to consider a sheer bra. They remove any hint of a “harness” while providing the benefits of fuller coverage, great support, sexiness, and lightness while accentuating your natural shape without any added bulk
A Final Thought…
Can you believe everyone is talking about the Christmas Holidays and it’s just now November? I fear those days of families gathering during Thanksgiving and sharing gift ideas may be falling by the wayside. But, in the spirit of the fast-approaching holiday season, here’s my early gift to you – a sneak peek at my Christmas Gift Guide. I filled it with all the gifts I love to give and get. You are the first to see it. And you’ll delight in knowing that all the dogs are personal pets of our employees! I hope you enjoy it!
Fondly
Tomima Founder & CEO
