Aleesha Badkar
We've worn strapless bras from every major label to find out which brand has the very best strapless bras that actually stay up, and stay in place, all day and look as good as they feel while wearing them.
Finding a good strapless bra is one of the most difficult underwear purchases you can make, because while the bra can feel and look good when tried on in a shop, you often don't know whether it will actually stay up and stay in place until you've worn it for the first time. By this point, it's too late to return it, even if you spent the whole day feeling the annoying thing slowly slip down your rib cage until you're wearing it like a waist belt.
Trying to find the best strapless bras is no easy task—particularly if you've got a bigger bust. Not only does a strapless bra need to look great under clothes, but you also need it to stay firmly in place for the duration of the day or night. Since so many elements go into a quality strapless bra, we've rigorously tried and tested the best bras without straps on the market to help you find the best strapless bras worth spending your money on.
Comfortable strapless bras do exist, and we've found 10 of them…
The best strapless bras we've worn this year
To help you make a more informed purchase, we've rounded up the best strapless bras, and considered fit, quality of materials and design elements in our decision-making process. We've tested the best strapless bras from leading brands, including Wonderbra, Curvy Kate, Freya and Wacoal among other authorities in the space. We then assessed the pros and cons—all unique to different cup sizes.
Each cup of the Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bra looks roughly the same size as my head when I take the bra out of its packaging, which also makes this one of our best bras for large busts. But while Wonderbra’s iconic strapless number may look pretty huge at first glance, the majority of the bra’s extra bulk is in the band, making for a supportive and budge-free fit. The inside of this band, and under the bust, is peppered with tiny silicone dots to ensure it won’t inch down during the day.
The Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bra’s real selling point is its “hand-shaped system,” which is molded into the cups, lifting and boosting your bust from the inside. While you can see the outline of this from inside the cups, no one would be any wiser from the outside. Full marks for lift and support, but it’s not the most comfortable of bras if worn for a long stretch of time. However, those with bigger busts will appreciate this high level of spill-proof security.
See our full Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless Bra review
As one of the best strapless bras, the Curvy Kate Luxe Strapless bra is a joy to wear—the fit is perfect, and its silky satin feels luxurious against the skin. The cups have a smooth shape that will work underneath dresses and T-shirts alike.
Balconette bras are designed with the cup cut horizontally, which creates a lift upwards rather than inwards. This works well for a strapless style. The classic balconette style moves away from a deep cleavage towards a natural lift, with sturdy, adjustable straps, a three-part seamed cup, and light padding.
The brand has a great range for bigger busts sized D-KK, designed to lift and support with design features tailored specifically for bigger busts, such as extra hook-and-eye fastenings and more supportive straps.
Admittedly, it doesn't have the greatest size selection—leaving this super-soft wireless bra strictly to those searching for the best bras for small busts. But if that's you, and you're looking for a supportive, wireless bra with some serious cleavage-boosting ability, then you're likely to love this one.
Intimissimi's Gioia super-padded underwired bandeau bra in smooth to the touch microfiber lifts and enhances cleavage without the uncomfortable rigid bits that can come with other wireless bras. (Read: no red welts from the underwire digging in, no awkward adjusting throughout the day.)
Available in a choice of five colors, do be warned that although sizing goes up to a D cup with this one, larger busts will likely find the heavy padding and shallow cups to be too low on the coverage front.
We really rate the simplicity of this failsafe strapless bra, which is super streamlined with smooth, seamless cups. We found that this nicely shaped bra gave us one of the most flattering silhouettes when worn under clothes of any of the bras on this list, which helped win this product its place on our best strapless bras list for 2022.
Silicone-coated elastics keep this bra in place without slippage, even when worn for a whole day, and we found this strapless bra had a really secure fit with a supportive waistband - which is great if you have a bigger bust.
Although more minimal in its design that other bras on this list, the plunging style of the Boux Avenue strapless bra results in a natural cleavage and it feels sexy to wear. This style lends itself to wearing under evening or occasion wear and we even wore it under a bridesmaid dress - and it didn't let us down!
It’s also refreshing to see so many different variations of the classic “nude” shade catering to different skin tones. Reviewers agree, with multiple shoppers praising Boux Avenue’s inclusive approach to colors, happily expressing how it feels good to find a bra that works for their skin tone at a reasonable price.
This Wacoal strapless bra feels immediately supportive when you put it on thanks to a small sticky strip that lines the edge of the whole bra - from the cups to the strap right round the back. This technical design element helps the bra to feel secure and also does the job too, keeping it in place so there’s no slippage while wearing it. We tested it on one of the hottest days of the year and even when sweating, this strapless bra did not slip or need readjusting.
To test whether this bra would be a one hit wonder or whether the sticky strip would still be as effective after multiple uses, we put the bra through a cold 'hand wash' setting in our washing machine, following the recommended washing instructions.It was just supportive and 'sticky' on the second wear and subsequent washes did seem to have an affect on how well this strapless bra stayed up either, suggesting this would be a purchase with good longevity.
It also comes with straps that you can add to the bra, meaning you can get multiple different uses and wears out of it on a more regular basis.
The first thing that stood out to me about this strapless bra is that it’s substantially sexier than almost every single other strapless bra I tried and tested for this guide. And while the primary function of a strapless bra is support and to help what you wear over the top of it look good, there’s something to be said about a strapless bra that can do both - and still have a sense of allure when the clothes come off at the end of the night.
We liked this bra aesthetically but more importantly, when worn under clothes, the bra still gives boobs a nice shape and looks smooth under fabric, despite the pattern.
This Freya bra fits comfortably around the back and is true to size. It also comes with multiway straps, giving you more opportunities to wear this fabulous new addition to your underwear drawer.
The standout feature of this comfortable and smooth strapless bra is the fact that it’s completely wireless but still manages to provide ample support and even some lift for your bust while wearing it.
The design of the bra gives the cups structure and definition, but the soft fabric and careful padding ensure a comfortable fit without any wires or metal bits digging in to your chest or under your armpits - which is often a problem with traditional underwire bars and puts people off wearing them.
Despite not having the sticky tape on any part of the bra that other products in this guide relied on to keep the bras in place, this model stayed put and remained supportive all day, even whilst wearing when mildly active.
One of the great things about M&S bras is that they’re easy to wash (no faffing around with hand washing or delicate cycles with this one - you can chuck it in with the rest of your laundry at 40 degrees) and they will last.
I was initially a little reluctant to include this in the guide because, naturally, as a bandeau style it's more similar to the best bralettes and it’s far less sturdy than other options. However, M&S has always been one of our best bra brands, so the double lining and light padding does offer something in the way of support in comparison to other bandeau styles. For a relaxed afternoon at home, this pretty bra did the job nicely, and I’d be tempted to wear it with a strappy summer dress and floppy hat on holiday, but when it comes to providing enough support day to day underneath my usual outfits, I’d say this is a no-go.
For those with smaller boobs, the light padding may provide enough support, but for those looking for a reliable strapless bra in anything above a C, I’d consider one of the other options in this guide.
This isn’t so much a ‘strapless bra’ as a stretchy bandeau with padded cups - but it doesn’t claim to be. Chantelle’s self-proclaimed ‘padded bandeau’ isn’t designed with the same level of support in mind as other bras in this list such as the Wacoal or M&S staples bras. Instead this bra leans into comfort and what it lacks in support it makes up for in the kind of easy, thrown-on wearability that isn’t often associated with strapless bras.
That being said, this isn’t a strapless bra for anyone with big boobs. The lack of support and bandeau style means it’s liable to slip throughout the day if worn on a bigger chest. The bandeau design also creates a less than flattering sillouhette on bigger boobs, creating a horizontal line across the top of your chest that looks unshapely under most styles of clothes. On smaller boobs however this bandeau style is a much more flattering fit, sitting smoothly under strapless tops or dresses and providing just enough shape and coverage over the boobs to warrant wearing it undies skimpier clothes if you don’t fancy going completely braless a La Jennifer Aniston throughout the nineties.
This bra provides a fantastic, clean shape, with plenty of support—a winner if you’re wearing a fitted shirt, dress, or T-shirt, making this one of the best t-shirt bras too. The cups are padded and full; there’s no danger of spillage. I comfortably wore this bra all evening and, to be honest, forgot I even had it on. The material is soft and malleable, so the bra adjusts to your shape rather than the other way round.
This clever bra is also multiway, with handy detachable straps for that extra bit of support, if needed—and it’s a steal compared with some of its multiway rivals on the high street.
How we tested to find the best strapless bras
We spent weeks wearing bras of all styles without straps, from a variety of brands, to find the most flattering, supportive, comfortable and very best strapless bras for any occasion and outfit
To find out which brand has the best strapless bras worthy of adding to your underwear drawer, we tested over twenty different bras and judged them against the following criteria:
- Fit - One of the most important elements – if not the most important part - of any bra purchase is how comfortable it feels whilst wearing it. We all know how good it feels to take off your bra at the end of the day, but no underwear is worth buying if it feels uncomfortable from the moment you put it on. With strapless bras, a key part of this is also how well the bra stays in place whilst wearing it, as there's nothing more annoying than constantly pulling the bra up and manoeuvring it back into place all the time.
- Support – We tested each bra for how well they supported us and how secure we felt whilst wearing the bra. It's one thing for a strapless bra to stay up and in place all day and another for it to feel supportive enough that you're not worrying about how you move throughout the day.
- Look under clothes – How flattering was the bra on? Did the bra look smooth and seamless under our outfits and have a natural appearance, or did the style of the bra enhance or obscure our natural silhouette? We considered these points and tried the bras on under multiple different outfits to test how they looked under everything from t-shirts to bridesmaid dresses.
- Quality of materials - A better quality fabric will keep its shape for a lot longer than a cheap or weaker fabric and will have less chance of riding down. Plus, as with any piece of underwear or lingerie, we want to ensure the materials used don't irritate our skin and only add to the comfort of the bra.
- Design elements - The best strapless bras are designed to support, lift and stay up all day. We judged not only the design elements that help the bra achieve these three important factors, but all aspects of the bra's design that made it look good - both on its own and under clothes.
Just a small selection of the strapless bras that we tried on and tested for this guide.
How to choose the right strapless bra for you
In recent years, high-end brands and our more affordable favorites alike have really stepped up to the plate when it comes to strapless bras—offering an array of options that not only look discreet under clothes but also offer a variety of other clever features like detachable straps, lifting mechanisms, supportive fabrics, and pillow-soft foam cups.
But in such a saturated market, how do you pick the best strapless bra for you? Use this guide to help narrow down you selection of the best strapless bras and then consider the following:
- Choose a high-quality product - With bras you often get what you pay for. Strapless bras are more of an occasional - rather than everyday - item, so you can afford to buy fewer products but spend a little more getting the best quality. This include choosing a strapless bra with foam or molded cups with good coverage to fully encase the bust and a firm supportive underband - as all the support is coming from there.
- Pick the right size - It's always helpful to be fitted by a professional when buying a strapless bra as anything too big will be more likely to ride down but too small and you will never feel comfortable in the bra when wearing it for any length of time.
- Look for rubber or silicone support - Good strapless bras will usually feature a layer of rubber or silicone around the band to help keep it secure against skin while wearing. The wider the elastic on the underband with a silicone trim the better the support will be and the more minimal the adjustments will need to be when wearing it.
- Pick the right bra for your bust size - Don't select a bandeau if you have bigger boobs or opt for heavy underwiring if you have a smaller bra size. For bigger busts, look for a firm wire and strong supportive fabrics for maximum support.
- Think about the neckline of the clothes you will wear the strapless bra under - Most strapless bras are balcony-shaped to avoid showing under clothing, but some designs and bandeaus especially have a flatter neckline which may show under some outfits, such as strapless occasion-wear. So make sure to try the bra on under the clothes you intend on wearing it, to ensure it won't show at the front or the back.
Should you go down a cup size when buying a strapless bra?
Paula Skarratt, technical manager at Bravissimo, told woman&home, “You may want to experiment with a different size, as we hear from some of our customers that they like to go for a size smaller in the back and up one cup to keep it feeling super secure, but the most important thing is that the bra feels comfortable.
“When wearing a strapless bra, you want to make sure the backband is firm but comfortable. As there aren’t any straps to keep you in place, the backband needs to be firm enough to keep you lifted, so you feel confident and amazing.”
