Put a gang of women and a team of professional fitters in a roomful of bras and what do you get? Some giggling. A lot of sampling. And this big revelation: A full 80 percent of Real Simple testers started out wearing the wrong size. Enter Susan Nethero, founder and president of Intimacy lingerie stores, and three fitters, who suited up our testers in bras assessed for support, comfort, and appearance. The result? Bras so appealing, they lifted spirits along with busts.

The Five Styles Tested

Seamed: Cut-and-sewn cups provide the bust with support and a natural-looking shape.
T-Shirt: These are lightly padded to prevent show-and-tell under even the tightest shirts.
Convertible: Adjust the straps and this style suits everything from halters to backless clothes.
Minimizer: By reducing the projection of the bustline, this style makes breasts appear smaller.
Padded Push-Up: Padding defines the cleavage, taking you from wee to wow!

In This Story

Large Bust: For full cup sizes, C and larger.
Small Bust: For average cup sizes, A to C.