Small bust, big heart

Nikita Demi Bra, £75, Agent Provocateur

Sexy, exquisite, beguiling, empowering… Agent Provocateur is on many a woman’s lingerie lust list.  Put it this way, if your man gave you some of AP’s saucy undercrackers, you’d know he was “a keeper”. 

Next to a nice blue Tiffany bag, Agent Provocateur’s signature pink packaging is equally destined to bring joy into a woman’s life, with the added bonus for the present-giver that she will probably want to perform a little catwalk show, leading to who knows what? 

Every time I walk past an Agent Provocateur store, I gaze longingly at the artful window displays and drink in every detail of the gorgeous garms within — but I’ve always assumed AP was “not for me”.  Partly because of the hit on my wallet, but also because I thought they didn’t cater for small-busted girls.  Turns out I was wrong.

Getting the skinny from AP, I discovered that, while the brand does not yet offer bras in AA-cup sizes (woe is me), they do indeed have an array of A-cups and lingerie styles that suit petite-up-top women.  The very lovely people at Agent Provocateur have handpicked the best of the A-cup bunch for your enjoyment:

Love Demi Bra , £85 Created in exquisite French Leavers lace, this boned demi-cup bra gives amazing uplift.  Sumptuous satin ribbon straps are adorned with pretty bows to finish off this stunning bra.

Nikita Demi Bra , £75   This smooth and seductive uplifting demi-bra can be further enhanced with removable pads.  This seductive bra is revealing and extremely sexy yet gives great support.

Fifi Bra , £90  Created in pleated tulle and French Chantilly lace, this lightly padded plunge line bra offers great uplift.

Dascha Bra , £85  Dramatic plunge bra created with sumptuous silk satin and chic matte taffeta. Removable padding creates incredible curves, whilst a black satin bow completes the look.

Tags: AA-cup bra, Acup bra, Agent Provocateur, demi bra, demi-cup bra, padded bra, plunge bra

An SBBH reader asks, “I’m looking for pretty non-padded bra, something lacy and lovely. All AA bras seem to be heavily padded or filled with liquid. I don’t want my bust to look big.”

Say what? You’re happy being small-busted? This seems incomprehensible to a lot of folks — among them, some lingerie manufacturers. But I totally see where this reader is coming from. Not all small-busted women aspire to be more voluptuous. Some are happy with their bodies as they are and feel no urge to “hoist em up” or boost their cup size with padding or gel.

Which leaves lingerie with only one role: to make its wearer feel like a squillion dollars. So, off I trotted to put my reader’s question to some of my favourite champions of small-cup lingerie. And here are their recommendations for unpadded, gel-free, beautiful bras-for-bras-sakes:

Marks and Spencer: “Our Limited Collection bras are very pretty. They are lightly padded, but this is more about giving the bra some shape, rather than giving the wearer a bigger bust.”

Perfectly Petite Lingerie: “Bralettes are great for the petite bust — a cross between a bra and a bikini top. They’re unwired and made from stretch fabric, so they are very comfortable. I recommend the very pretty lace-trimmed Itty Bitty Bralette.”

Palm Print bra, Limited Collection, M&S

Itty Bitty Bralette, Perfectly Petite Lingerie

A Little Something Fit: “Our favorite non-padded bra is Timpa’s Duet Lace underwire demi bra. It’s a beautiful style with cups made from sheer mesh with a scalloped lace trim. The A-cup fits most AA-cups.”

Eve’s Apples: “I recommend the Eberjey India bralette: it’s lacy, elegant, comfortable and versatile. It looks good on all body and breast shapes, including shallow breasts and petites.”

Timpa Duet Lace demi bra, A Little Something Fit

Eberjey India Bralette, Eve's Apples

Lailides: “I recommend our Serenade bra, which is non-padded, made from really beautiful lace and just lovely. It’s very comfortable and gives the bust a totally natural shape, which is not pushed-up or enhanced.”

Dainty Lady: “We make a great range of natural looking, lightly padded bras, with no gel. Our Fleur bra, Passion Flower bra and Magnolia bra all fit the bill. All the bras we make (by hand) have a soft, very comfortable 5mm foam lining, with small pockets and soft pads.”

Serenade bra, Lailides

Fleur bra, Dainty Lady

Tags: A-cup, AA bra, AA-cup, bralette, demi bra, gel bra, non-padded bra, padded bra, small-busted