The One Bra You’ll Never Need

We were heading out to visit Emerald Bay this week when I narrowly missed having a wardrobe malfunction. It wasn’t fatal but as I gave my outfit one last look before going out, (always a wise thing to do) I was surprised to find I hadn’t taken my own advice.

If you’re like most women you have slips, camisoles, plus panties and bras in a multitude of colors and styles. Lingerie should make us feel pretty, clothe our private parts, and serve a purpose.

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing nude bra from Soma at Emerald Cove
WHITE TEE on sale // STRIPED PANTS // TOTE BAG // HAT // MALA NECKLACE similar// SANDALS // VEST sold out

Bras should provide comfortable support, look smooth under clothes and conceal your nipples (if you’re modest). There are push-up versions to enhance cleavage, T-shirt to smooth and conceal nipples, minimizers to reduce volume, sports bras to prevent movement, demi bras to wear under low cut tops, racerback to wear under halter and tops with close-set straps and on and on.

The bra no women needs to own is a white bra. Do I have some? Sure, but I can’t remember why I bought them.

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life showing two bras from Soma
WHITE BRA ON LEFT – NUDE BRA ON RIGHT

The problem is a white bra always shows under light colored and white tops. If your intent is to showcase your pretty white bra under a sheer or thin top, go for it. I never say never about fashion anymore but for now, I prefer to have my lingerie work itā€™s magic invisibly.Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing nude bra

The best alternative to a white bra is nude. Your nude! I have pale rosyĀ skin so my nude is often ivory and sometimes very pale pink. If you have tan or dark skin look for a nude that closely matches your skin. They’re your best bet for having nothing show throughĀ under your semi-sheer and light tops.

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life exploring Emerald Bay
WHITE TEE on sale // STRIPED PANTS // TOTE BAG // HAT // MALA NECKLACE similar// SANDALS // VEST sold out

While we’re on the subject of lingerie…I also prefer to have my panties be invisible and demand they be comfy. These areĀ Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life exploring Emerald Bay

And on the subject of EmeraldĀ Bay, we’ve lived within a 4 hour drive of this gorgeous spot for over 40 years and were thrilled to finally see it. Put it on your must-see list when visiting Lake Tahoe.

Does your lingerie drawer hold many whiteĀ bras?

Thanks for reading ladies and have a great day.

 

Affiliate links within this post may generate income for AWSL.

46 Comments

  1. You are right on with the bras not showing. I see many women who don’t consider their undergarments when out in public. I think it’s a trend among younger women with lace showing. The women I see are not young yet their clothes are nice. ???
    My bras include whites too. There ok under sweaters and thicker fabrics. I think I buy them out of habit. We didn’t always have skin-tone bras. Well no more for me after they wear out.

    Thanks for the post.

    1. It may take several shopping trips to find the right nude, but you’ll never look back once you find it.

  2. Paulette Levy says:

    Well I’m taking your advice- actually have been since first following you….So, not one white bra in my armoire! Nude, deeper nude and black are the bra colors . I thought I bought a pale pink at one time, but it has vanished, or I never actually bought it…..

    I do invest a lot if time and energy on my hair. It’s still blonde, with highlights and lowlights and I’m using anti frizz and leave in conditioners which are new….align with mousse at the roots in front for a bit of lift.
    My clothes? Needing help again.

    1. Your blonde is gorgeous, Paulette.

  3. I canā€™t believe this post! Last night I dyed a whole stack of white underwear! And I dyed them beigy nude. I own the white bras because they were my size (32C), which is not easy to find for a reasonable price. And my panties come in sets, always with a white one. Been sitting there for a year. I bought dye (for man-made fabrics) and threw everything in a big pot and boiled (yup, boiled) til the color was right and voila! Wearable underwear.

    1. I often wear nude under dark clothes too because they donā€™t show šŸ™‚

  4. Hi Jennifer, Iā€™m curious if you have tried Third Love bras? If so, would you write a post on your experience with the fit. Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

    1. Iā€™ve seen their ads but not tried them myself. Iā€™ll have a look and let you know, thanks!

      1. I recently bought my first Third Love bra and LOVE it. Best bra I own, really! I will be buying more. So comfortable and very well made. Highly recommend!

      2. Thanks Libby for the feedback!

  5. I had answered the statement before ever reading your post. So glad we agree and wish more women would heed your advice.

    1. Iā€™m donating mine as soon as we get home! Many women forget to donate bras and thereā€™s a great need for them.

  6. I have a red bra I wear under red tops (of which I have too many) and I just love the thing!

    1. So fun! Iā€™ve never owned a red bra but then I donā€™t own any red tops either;)

  7. Right? It should be illegal to sell them. I tossed mine a while ago and am thrilled to see better attempts to match more skin tones. Hurrah!

    1. Iā€™ve noticed so many new shades of nude it gives me hope that brands are really listening to our needs!

  8. No matter what color or brand a bra may be as soon as I find one that fits and is comfortable the manufacturer will discontinue it! Does anybody else have this problem? Bra shopping is a mine field.

    1. It really is! Sort of like that amazing lipstick color we finally find that gets discontinued;)

  9. I love that you identified nude as “your skin tone”! Thank you!

    1. My pleasure! Women come in every size and color of the rainbow and thereā€™s a nude bra to fit all of us.

  10. I like white bras & pretty panties. They have a clean look. But, I never wear white under white, instead choosing nude/blush. I think I wear my black bra & panties the most. I quit buying coloured sets about ten years ago and just buy white, nude & black. I still buy a couple of thong panties, as then there are no panty lines.

    1. I wear my black much more in winter months. Iā€™ve about given up on thongs now. I find the panties with silicone strips stay put and are just as invisible. Itā€™s all about comfort sometimes šŸ˜‰

  11. Could you possibly do a post about your ā€œmust havesā€ in your travel bus? We are talking about getting one and it occurred to me there are probably things that are must haves I donā€™t know about.

    Thanks

  12. I have mostly nude bras, but I recently got a ā€œblushā€ color that matches better to my skin tone. The nudes are too yellow or dark. Iā€™m also wondering if bras have been sized differently, like clothes?

    1. Each brand seems differently sized to me. When I know the fit of a bra I canā€™t buy them online easily.

  13. Great post! Bras are tricky. I have a tired white sports bra that came with the black one on the same hanger. I wish it were grey. Aside from that, I don’t have white bras or underwear. I was recently sized and discovered at age 55 that I am not a 36C but a 34DD. And that being a DD is normal. Ever learning…

    1. Thatā€™s a great reminder for all of us Lois. Things shift and our body changes do itā€™s smart to be refit often.

  14. I have one white camisole bra that Soma used to sell and I wear it under very low cut tops as a pop of contrast. And to hide the cleavage. All my other bras are nude or black.

  15. Nope…no white bras in this girlā€™s closet. Nude, Smokey gray, pale pink, black. I got caught up in a light bra under a garment that made it shine through in a photo once and that was that. Lesson learned.

    Emerald Bay is fantastic. A friend married in Tahoe and the weekend was really memorable. Must go back.

    1. Thatā€™s enough to cure one of white bras. I need to donate mine! It is stunning. We went in by boat yesterday too. Magical spot.

  16. White bras were probably designed by men šŸ˜‰

  17. I Agee totally I always end up removing the white bra and replace for a nude with most of my tops, somehow the bra is the biggest problem, wrong seams wrong color no coverage in knit tops etc.
    Also we are considering buying an RV for future national park travel, do you have past posts on your choice of RV and Why.

    1. You can check under the travel tab above but Iā€™m not sure I covered why we choose what we did. Basically we bought the lightest trailer our SUV could pull so we could test the lifestyle without making a huge investment. We have also found the smaller your unit, the more campgrounds you can fit into (and the higher the cabin fever quotient) We have a Passport Ultralight 28ā€™

      1. Thatā€™s a good point, Jennifer. We travelled south in our 34ā€™ towing a 12ā€™ Harley trailer a few years back. There were many state campgrounds that we were too big for and they happened to be on or close to the water. But, if you like big RV resorts, youā€™re in. We did not! We also found that navigating around cities/towns was difficult. Many a time my husband dropped me off and I shopped for groceries while he circled. We havenā€™t come south in a couple of years but when/if we do it will be in a smaller unit. Also, I would feel more comfortable driving if the need arose.

      2. I hate maneuvering ours in small towns. Itā€™s just nerve wracking!!

  18. Yes, they’re a funny concept, aren’t they? My few white bras are worn under darker clothes, particularly the one with satiny stripes in the weave which caught me out unexpectedly under indoor lighting!

    Luckily the shade called ‘nude’ works whether I have a tan or not. Some of them have very pretty details, but ‘nude’ never looks pretty to me.

    1. I agree ā€œnudeā€ isnā€™t the prettiest color. Maybe thatā€™s why I huntdown blush and palest pinks when I can. Pretty details help

  19. Cathy J Eissler says:

    I do have a couple of white bras but seldom wear them. My drawer is full of different shades of nude, a few black and believe it or not a few grays! I have found them useful with loose weave sweaters with grays and such.

    1. Loose weave sweaters are so popular. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m seeing many woman showcase their with lace under. Gray sounds like a fun option.

  20. I think I may have bought white bras years ago but I can’t recall when. They are neither useful or pretty so not for me! Lots of nude and coloured ones though!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *