Does The Perfect Strapless Bra Exist?

Summer will soon be upon us, and that means that fashion necessities change. As the temperatures rise, clothing becomes smaller and smaller. Not exactly the time to be thriving for a Plus-Sized person. While see-through, strapless, and halter style garments are cute and much cooler to wear, they present quite a challenge. What kind of undergarments do you possibly wear with summer clothes that are supportive enough to hold my DD’s high and dry without feeling like a medieval torture device?

Last summer, I began a quest to find the perfect strapless bra. I made a valiant effort, but came up short in successfully finding something that was both comfortable enough to wear all day and created smooth support. In the end, it seemed that perfection was truly impossible, I threw my hands up in despair and resolved myself to be miserably uncomfortable and slightly lumpy all summer.

Fast forward to Spring 2023… Lane Bryant recently began advertising a Comfort Bliss Strapless Bra. Customers claim, “it’s the most comfortable bra I’ve ever worn!” Sigh. Yeah right. But… they continually reminded me that it was on sale for just $30. Temptation kept luring my weary boobs to the website… could it be true that my unicorn had finally emerged? I debated. I took it in and out of my cart multiple times. I wondered if my hope would be dashed again. And then I clicked to order.

The Comfort Bliss bra is the newest addition to Lane Bryant’s multi-way strapless collection. The straps can be completely removed, or configured in seven ways to be worn with different necklines. It is made of lightweight fabric, has underwire support, and a wide comfort bottom band with built-in superior airflow. It also includes a no-slip liner to prevent slippage throughout the day.

Upon initial impressions… it looks exactly the same as all the other strapless bras I have tried. Grrr.

I recently had a long day planned where I wanted to wear a top with a sheer neck. It seemed like a good day to put the Comfort Bliss Bra to the test. I got dressed for the day around 9 AM. The bra seemed soft and stayed in place comfortably. However, it did fold strangely in the middle, due to the proportions of my body. (I realize this is my problem, and not the designers… but I can’t be the only person shaped like me!) It was comfortable enough, I guess… so I moved on to face a long day doing teacher duties.

I met my students, rode a school bus for two hours, then walked around a college campus for five hours… up and down stairs and briskly moving along the sidewalks. Generally speaking, I was comfortable in the bra. I felt well-supported and did not need to keep pulling it back into place. It was a nice day, so I didn’t have to worry too much about sweat. However, by the time we were taking the bus ride home, the plastic boning was digging into my sides and became rather uncomfortable.

By the end of the day, I still wanted to rip the bra off of my body. Perhaps, I flew too close to the sun, thinking this would be comfy forever. Like all other strapless bras, this one still left angry red welts on my back and sides. It took at least 30 minutes for me to feel comfortable after I took it off. The plastic boning structure curled up and will not flatten back out… again because of the shape of me.

Is the Comfort Bliss the most comfortable bra I’ve ever worn? No. Is it the undergarment unicorn which I have been searching for so long? Absolutely not. I will say, it is MORE comfortable than others I have tried. It seemed to be comfortable for longer than usual. However, the structure was basically the same as any I have tried. Really, I think that my body is just not designed to wear strapless undergarments or clothing… so why do brands keep insisting on selling them to me?! Maybe this will be ok for a few hours at a time this summer. Unfortunately for me, the quest continues.