{{Short description|Lightweight bra without an underwire}} thumb|A black satin bralette [[File:Victoria_secret_bralette.jpg|thumb|A bralette by Victoria’s Secret]] A '''bralette''' is a lightweight bra without an underwire, designed primarily for comfort.<ref name=Dyett/><ref>Emma Seymour, [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/clothing/bra-reviews/g32406007/best-bralettes/ 17 Comfortable Bralettes of All Shapes and Sizes to Wear at Home], ''Good Housekeeping'', 2020-05-18<br />Bernadette Deron, [https://www.usmagazine.com/shop-with-us/news/mae-plunge-racerback-lace-bralette-comfy-bra-amazon-fashion/ No Underwire Here! You’ll Wish You Bought This Plunge Bralette Sooner], ''US Magazine'', 2020-06-18<br />Abigail Southan, [https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/style/g31927197/bralette/ Best bralettes to shop for women of all bust sizes], ''Cosmopolitan'', 2020-03-27<br />Tembe Denton-Hurst, [https://www.nylon.com/old-navy-bralette-review This $20 bralette actually supports my big boobs], ''Nylon''</ref> Bralettes are also sometimes worn as outerwear top,<ref name=Dyett>Linda Dyett, [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/31/fashion/bralettes-bras-no-underwire.html?auth=login-google The Bralette Is Back. This Time Blouses Are Optional], ''The New York Times'', 2019-07-31</ref> and are also designed as undershirts for girls developing breasts.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/fashion/Bras-for-Grade-School-Girls-Bralettes.html The Playground Set Gets Its Own Bras]; URL accessed August 22, 2020.</ref> The size of the bralette also differs from that of a bra: Instead of band width and cup size, normal clothing sizes are commonly used (S-XL or even larger).<ref>[https://stylespree.com/pages/bralette-vs-bra-and-sports-bra Bralette vs. Bra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304124324/https://stylespree.com/pages/bralette-vs-bra-and-sports-bra |date=2024-03-04 }}; URL accessed July 29, 2023.</ref>
==Popularity== In the 2010s and early 2020s, bralettes and soft bras started gaining in popularity, at the expense of underwired and padded bras.<ref>Georgina Safe, [https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/feb/07/cup-half-full-the-lingerie-brands-ditching-padding-and-underwire Cup half full: the lingerie brands ditching padding and underwire], ''The Guardian'', 2020-02-06</ref><ref name="Dyett" /> Some brands such as Victoria's Secret failed to follow this trend and adjust, as a result of which their sales decreased significantly.<ref>VerityJohnson, [https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/119318478/woke-millennials-didnt-kill-victorias-secret-pale-stale-males-did Woke millennials didn't kill Victoria's Secret, pale stale males did], ''Stuff'', 2020-02-07</ref> In 2017, the sales of cleavage-enhancing bras fell by 45% while, at Marks & Spencer, sales of wireless bras grew by 40%.<ref>Harriet Walker, [https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/markets/article/push-up-bras-prove-a-bad-fit-for-women-in-era-of-metoo-fgfn627px Push-up bras prove a bad fit for women in era of #MeToo], ''The Times'', 2018-10-27</ref> Some have attributed the rising popularity of bralettes to a new focus on the "athletic body, health and wellbeing", more than "about the male gaze,"<ref>Kate Finnigan, [https://www.ft.com/content/69ef346e-6ccf-451b-bee2-03bdf4b77a02 Soft focus: the new lingerie evolution], ''Financial Times'', 2020-07-08</ref> while others suggest a connection to the #MeToo movement.<ref name=Dyett/>
Bralettes also became popular during the COVID-19 lockdowns due to a focus on comfort while remote working.<ref>Alicia Lansom, [https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/comfortable-underwear Trade In Your Underwired Bra For Something A Little More Comfortable], ''Refinery29'', 2020-04-19</ref>
==See also== * Camisole * Bralessness * Sleeveless shirt
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Lingerie|state=collapsed}}
Category:Brassieres Category:Clubwear Category:Undergarments Category:Women's clothing