To Bra or Not To Bra
(A Pictorial Guide)
Lately I have been seeing a hideous sight on the streets of Melbourne. Women who, from the front, look perfectly presentable in their high-necked frocks. They pass you, and you glance back to check out the rear view of the dress you have just admired.
Shock! Horror! The dress is backless/low cut/features a keyhole cut-out/is criss-crossed with straps … and the woman is wearing a bra! What is worse is when the bra in question is grey with age. Even more heinous in evening dress than daywear.
Why? Why, why, why why? Why would anyone do this? It’s ghastly!
I am flummoxed, bewildered and most of all bothered.
There is nothing more elegant when a well-cut garment that is demure in the front is cut away in the rear, revealing a woman’s beautiful bare back. A woman who wears such a gown should be bold enough to dispense with the bra. If she is truly chic it will not even cross her mind to wear one. On the other hand, if she is that timid to go braless, then perhaps she should rethink her decision to purchase the gown. Period. Observe:
Yet another crime against chic is the clear plastic bra straps that attach to strapless bras. They are ugly. Do away with them. Even more frightening, it has come to my attention that one can purchase clear plastic straps which have been bedazzled! (Do I need to state: stay away from those tacky accessories unless you want to be mistaken for a grid girl?)
If my sage words are not enough to convice you, Ines de la Fressange, in her book Parisian Chic has this to say of them (under the heading of ‘Fashion Faux Pas’):
No-one ever gets used to them. A stylish visible bra is far sexier, and if you really want to wear a strapless dress or top, how about a strapless bra too?
So, wear the strapless bra as it is meant to be worn: strapless, under a strapless, or spaghetti-strapped garment. If it is a good quality piece of lingerie, and fitted correctly, it will hold you up. (Just remember not to jump up and down too much or something inadvertent and horrible may happen to you: scroll down to see.)
