How The Hell Do I Wear Off The Shoulder Clothes And Also Wear A Bra?
It’s possible. IF you do these 3 things.
by The Candidly Team
There is something that deeply appeals to us about the idea of the off-shoulder top. The way it shows only a hint of skin in a spot where we don’t harbor a bunch of insecurities. The way it cancels out the slobbishness of a baggy sweater or a boring top by being a smidge sexy.
And all of this is actually even more true for us since passing the age of 40. What better way to smolder and feel chic at the same time than to dip a toe in a dramatic neckline?
I mean, just stare for a moment at some of the “moments” off-shoulder has given us:
But, of course, there is one very big problem. How the eff do we wear an effing bra with it? How do we make wearing off-shoulder things easy? Worry-free? And, most importantly, comfortable?
Well, believe it or not, we’ve thought A LOT about this. We’ve even run a little in-house lab to test what works. And what we found was 3 things that made it possible for our non-22-year-old, sagging-at-attention chests look (and feel) lovely in off-shoulder things.
And here is precisely what they are:
1. Choose tops with a fold that acts as its own built-in boob coverage.
Why: A long foldover neckline completely hides any lines of any strapless bra and won't create uniboob if you wear a bandeau, which is the most comfortable kind of strapless bra.
Aritzia Wilfred Nola Sweater
See? Look at that deeeep fold. Skinny ribbing is also like a little magic trick to “hold everything in.” This entire sweater is soft and sleek and doesn’t add an ounce of bulk. Plus, the color selection is the stuff of dreams.
Price: $98
Abercrombie Long-Sleeve Off-The-Shoulder Mesh Top
We bought this top after watching THIS show where every outfit was *chef’s kiss.* The ruching on the side makes it 17x easier to wear something tight, and the mesh sleeve and neckline makes it so you can wear literally any strapless bra (or possibly even no bra?), because the stretchy material underneath keeps things in place.
Price: $28
Rumored Fireside Maxi Dress
How did we live this long without owning a gown-like sweater dress? The endlessly long fold-over neckline on this one will make you weak. And the chunky ribbing conceals any lumps and bumps right down to your toes.
Price: $148
Tuckernuck Black Ponte Danielle Shirt
Finding a top you can wear out out is weirdly impossible. This one takes all the work out of it. The structure is perfect on a belly pooch. And it sizes up to XXXL.
Price: $168
We The Free Iris Layering Top
Pick any color of this tee, tuck it into a pair of wide-leg, high-waist jeans with THIS belt and poof, you’re the most casually chic version of yourself.
Price: $58
AFRM Maxine Bodysuit
With a loooong column skirt or a drapey high-waisted trouser, we are finally ready to go out after 6pm.
Price: $68
2. Choose things that are spacious and peekaboo instead of exposing both shoulders at the same time.
Why: You won't have to keep readjusting the sleeves and worrying your boobs will fall out. And you can even choose a comfy, lacy bra or bralette because the top isn't fitted so it won't show any lines or texture, and the strap will look cute peaking out whenever a sleeve droops off.
Marcella Lauren Sweatshirt
A sleek, spacious sweatshirt we can wear with any jeans and sneaks and somehow still be the chicest person in the room. Yes, please.
Price: $88
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Boatneck Sweater
100% buttery soft cashmere at an incredible price. And you can easily switch back and forth between a peek-a-boo shoulder or wearing it as a boatneck.
Price: $80
Free People One To Beat Pullover
On days we feel bloated and meh, we slip this on with the world’s softest leggings and our fuzziest footwear, and let that one exposed shoulder do all the work of making us feel like this:
Price: $78
3. Just get yourself a halfway decent strapless bra and wear whatever your heart desires so long as it's designed not to slip.
Ok, we’ve reached that inevitable part of the article where we tell you all your problems will be solved if you just find the right bra. But we all know this is a lazy lie. No bra is gonna feel as good as no bra. However, we can find one that doesn’t do terrible things like gape and stab our ribs and slip off our upper breasts and make us hate our decision to not just wear an enormous crewneck sweater and a sports bra. We can find one that’s the closet thing to a second skin but that gives us the lift and shape we need to feel confident out in the world. And to that end, there’s hope in the strapless bra department. And when you own one, it opens doors to all kinds of off-shoulder fun.
For zero gaping
Skims Fits Everybody Strapless Bra
The way it smoothly and fully cups each side and positions us to perfection is a glorious breath of fresh air after trying so many bad strapless bras.
Price: $11
For max comfort
No digging. No seams. Just pure bandeau bliss. And it sizes up to 4X.
Price: $28
And with the right bra, you can wear things like this:
Tuckernuck Black Feather Miranda Off The Shoulder Blouse
It’s all just a bit of fun, isn’t it? But also sooooo flattering on arms and bellies.
Price: $198
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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