BRALETTES ARE BACK
Bella, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Halsey, Kendall
The bralette is back. The blouse is optional.
First gaining massive popularity in the late 1960s/early 1970s, the bralette took the bra from the inside to the outside, allowing women to express themselves in a spot where the wiry & restrictive foam bras of yesteryear previously did not allow them to. Moreover, it gave women the freedom to put their breasts where they wanted to – not where society told them they should be. It’s interesting to note how the first wave of bralettes appeared during the bra-burning women’s liberation movement of that time, and have once again gained popularity in the recent #MeToo era.
Perhaps as a sort of precursor to the recent wave of bralette mania, we first started adjusting our eyes to the barely-there silhouette when sports bras began popping up at gyms uncovered in the mid-1990s. One could say that athleisure paved the way for the bralette to become more and more acceptable as stand-alone fashion in today’s world. To aid the movement even more, we began seeing the chopped & crocheted variety at Coachella and other music festivals across the world.
Now more than ever, luxury fashion houses are getting in on the game. Because it isn’t bound (literally) by the traditional restrictive underwiring of the classic alternative, the bralette is decidedly no-fuss – which makes it prime material for creative design freedom. By definition, the bralette champions soft and malleable material, which means luxury fabrics are perfect for high-fashion options.
Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty brand is an obvious first choice for women seeking out the bralette style, seeing as how the singer’s lingerie line has gained exponential popularity in recent years. Even better, Savage X Fenty champions women of all shapes and sizes, meaning that literally anyone can make their own liberating statements. Bralettes have also found their way onto the catwalk, with designer houses like Givenchy, Gucci, and Alberta Ferreti (just to name a few) all showing their own versions of the sexy-yet-tasteful garment.
It’s clear that the bralette style is here to stay, and it’s making a big cultural impact to boot. A sexy wardrobe addition that can be worn in an infinite number of ways (over a white tee, poking out from under a blazer, or simply solo and proud), the bralette is a piece that’s hard to get wrong. It’s quite liberating to see the comeback of a piece that packs such a big statement into such little coverage.
