As if having to wear a bra isn’t tough enough, style guides often tell women that we have to make sure that our bra straps stay hidden. Well, we say nuts to that! If we’re subjecting ourselves to the restrictions of a bra, we think we deserve to be given a few styling privileges at least.
So, we scoured around and found these seven bras that we’d be proud to expose and even flaunt — lace bandeaus, sporty racerbacks, and strappy bikini-like tops that are so cute, it’d be a shame to just keep them concealed. We also found the perfect dresses to wear with them, in styles that showcase the bras at optimum levels.
This spring and summer, just let it all hang out. Here are the bras and dresses from Free People that give you license to do so:
1. A lace bandeau with crisscrossing side and back straps
Intimately FP Essential Lace Bandeau, $20
Wear it with: a dress with deep, low-cut armholes or, better yet, a dress with a T-strap back for maximum bra strap exposure.
Free People “Goddess of the Moon” Maxi Dress, $98 / Intimately FP “Placed” Printed Halter Dress, $88 / Free People “Softly Softly” Apron Dress, $88
2. A floral-printed triangle top
Intimately FP Printed Triangle Bra, $20
Wear it with: a dress in a sheer fabrication so the cute floral print shows through.
Free People “Meadows of Lace” Slip, $198 / Intimately FP “Starry Night” Slip, $78 / Intimately FP “Ride the Rails” Maxi Slip, $118
3. A scallop-lace-trimmed v-bra
Intimately FP V-Bra, $68
Wear it with: a dress with a button front from which the lace can sexily peek through.
Free People “Mylie” Maxi, $88 / Free People “Drippy” Jersey Dress, $78 / Free People “Lou” Button-Down Dress, $168
4. A strappy-back bandeau
Intimately FP Strappy Back Bra, $20
Wear it with: a low-back halter dress.
Mara Hoffman Tiger Stripe Maxi Dress, $246 / Free People Printed Halter Dress, $198 / Intimately FP Strap Back Slip, $48 / Free People “Atlantis” Chevron Dress, $98
5. A bikini-top-like bra
Beach Riot Back Detail Bra, $48
Wear it with: breezy, summery day dresses to match the bra’s beach vibe.
Tigerlily “Hemakshi” Printed Dress, $180 / Intimately FP Voile and Lace Trapeze Slip, $88 / Free People + Mara Hoffman “Dream Sequence” Printed Poncho, $268
6. A harness-chest bra
Intimately FP Strappy Front Bra, $58
Wear it with any dress with a low-cut front, but we can also imagine it immediately altering the look of a strapless dress.
Free People “Solid Kristal’s Maxi” Dress, $98 / Intimately FP Skinny Strap Bodycon Dress, $48 / Dress the Population “Caitlyn Battenburg” Tube Dress, $148
7. A wide-strapped racerback bra
Intimately FP Seamless Racerback Bra, $28
Wear it with: a scoop-back dress that you want to look layered without the added bulk, a dress that you feel needs more coverage, or a dress that you want to give a sporty look too.
FP Beach “Starry Night” Dress, $49.95 / FP New Romantics Breezy Overall Dress, $128 / FP Beach Long-Sleeve Swing Dress, $88