bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Bras are underwear – aren’t they?
This might have been true in the past, but bralettes, a wire-free bra alternative without padding that looks like a top, are currently conquering the streets. And they are not being hidden beneath a layer of clothing. They are the top.
Bralettes are mostly cut in a triangle shape and may be made of elegant lace, delicate mesh or sporty elastic material.
It has taken some time for this trend, like so many others started in the global fashion capitals, to spread to the rest of the world. Some observers even considered such an outfit scandalous in the beginning.

In 2019, Hollywood actress Katie Holmes hailed a cab in New York wearing nothing underneath her cashmere cardigan besides a cashmere bra. Was she aware that the pic snapped by a paparazzo would spark a global fashion trend?
Late last year, the first bralettes started showing up on the streets, and it is safe to say that they have conquered the fashion world by this point.

According to fashion editor Madeline Dangmann, from Glamour magazine’s German edition, this isn’t only thanks to stars like Holmes, however.
“The bralette also symbolises the silent revolution in fashion a little bit,” she says. “No more push-up bras, which are supposed to present everything as perfectly as possible, or underwire models, which are also going for a certain shaping, and towards a more casual, but still sexy, look.”
Fashion has changed a lot thanks to the fact that many women are now working remotely, where they prefer to wear comfortable clothing, Dangmann says.

Comfort was definitely on the mind of actress Gillian Anderson, who in a recent live question-and-answer session on Instagram told her followers: “I’m so lazy and I don’t wear a bra any more. I can’t wear a bra. I’m sorry, I don’t care if I reach my belly button, my breasts reach my belly button, I’m not wearing a bra any more.”
Bralettes are a great option for those who, like Anderson, have decided to shun wired bras altogether.
The essence of the bralette trend is “Show yourself just as you are – every body is beautiful”, Dangmann says. The look therefore clearly affirms a tendency towards body positivity.

The choice of bralettes on offer is massive, according to Berlin-based personal shopper Stephanie Zarnic, from athletic versions made of plain elastane to romantic lace bralettes or batik-style modern models.
Shapes also vary, from short versions to generous bralettes reminiscent of bustiers.
Buying bralettes is actually easier than buying a conventional bra when it comes to sizes, as they correspond to common dress sizes instead of factoring in the band and the cup size.

“This trend is easy to combine as long as you stick to a few basic rules,” says personal shopper Andrea Lakeberg, also from Berlin.
“You are always on the safe side, for example, when combining a bralette with a slim-cut blazer,” Lakeberg says. Those more into a sporty look can combine the piece with a denim or leather jacket.
Lakeberg advises against pairing bralettes and leggings, especially in vibrant colours. “That’s not only too much, but makes it look like you didn’t have enough time to change after working out.”

Dangmann has another tip on how to wear bralettes: “When they are made from tight, elastic material, bralettes also look great with a shirt worn underneath, as long as the shirt isn’t too loose and the bralette fits perfectly.”
According to Zarnic, high-waisted trousers like the paper bag kind are an ideal partner for bralettes. “This shortens the space between the bralette and trousers, and looks subtle.”
Paper bag trousers have a very high waist held together with a waistband.
However, bralettes aren’t really workwear, Zarnic believes. The only exception: “If you wear a semi-transparent blouse on top and the gap between the bralette and pants is quite small, it can work – but not in every job.”
When you are going out, however, an extravagantly cut bralette combined with a blazer is a real eye catcher.


Maggie Hewitt’s style picks: the founder of Maggie Marilyn loves her Cartier Tank, The Ordinary skincare and Westman Atelier make-up, and Jane Birkin and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Meet Matteo Milleri, who was married to Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti: the DJ known as Anyma creates NFTs and is dating one of Elon Musk’s baby mamas … but which one?

Cartier blends high jewellery, ancient Chinese artworks and AI in its ‘Power of Magic’ exhibition at Shanghai Museum East – with actresses Mélanie Laurent and Gong Li in attendance

Style Edit: Why Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections, chose Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell in Barcelona for the maison’s cruise 2025 show

Fashion

The bralette is what women want in a post-coronavirus world – more comfortable than a bra, strikingly cool rocked under a blazer

German blogger and model Caroline Daur wears a black jacket with a bralette during Paris Fashion Week in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

Katie Holmes in a cashmere bra and matching cardigan in 2019 in New York City.

The essence of the bralette trend is “Show yourself just as you are – every body is beautiful”. Photo: DPA

A look from the Jacquemus autumn 2021 collection featured a bralette worn as a top.

Actress Gillian Anderson has said she does not wish to wear a bra any more. Photo: Xinhua

The choice of bralettes on offer is massive, from athletic versions to romantic lace or batik-style models. Photo: DPA

Shapes also vary, from short versions to generous bralettes reminiscent of bustiers.

80s fashion: the good, the bad and the comeback clothes we’re wearing now as Physical on Apple TV+ reminds us of the decade’s best looks

Rose Byrne in Physical, a new TV series from Apple TV+ that gloriously displays trends from the ‘80s.

Cher was responsible for some of the decade’s most daring looks. Photo: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Jane Fonda was as much a style icon as she was an actress in the 1980s. Photo: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington Colby in US TV series Dynasty. Photo: CBS via Getty Images

Balenciaga couture spring-summer 2022.

Princess Diana’s daring looks contributed to many fashion trends throughout the ’80s. Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Alaia couture spring-summer 2022.

From Kim Kardashian’s Skims to classic Spanx, shapewear is in demand as brands shift to body positivity and inclusivity

Soccer player and Olympic gold medallist Alex Morgan wears a look from the Skims outfits US Olympic team athletes will wear at the Tokyo games. Photo: Vanessa Beecroft

Skims designs on Net-a-Porter. Shapewear is one of the hottest categories in fashion right now. 

Dalilah Muhammad, a track and field athlete with Team USA, wearing items from the shapewear brand Skims. Photo: Vanessa Beecroft

Kim Kardashian West at the launch of Skims at Nordstrom in 2020 in New York. Photo: Getty Images

Scout Bassett, a Paralympic track and field athlete in Skims. Photo: Vanessa Beecroft

Brands such as Honeylove have won over a broader audience by eschewing the word “shapewear” for “sculptwear”.

American professional football player Alex Morgan in Skims. Photo: Vanessa Beecroft

Pool slides are the unlikely footwear winners of the pandemic: celebs like Hailey Bieber love the simple, casual footwear

Balenciaga Birkenstock-like shoes, available at Net-a-Porter

Hailey Bieber wears slides from Italian brand The Attico in April in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Bellocq Images /Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Adidas Adilette slides.

Gucci pool slides, available at Net-a-Porter.

Amid online shopping’s rise, American Eagle flagship store opens in Hong Kong – the brand’s Andrew McLean explains why, and weighs in on mom jeans vs skinny jeans

Looks from the American Eagle summer 2021 collection.

US outfitter American Eagle has opened a flagship in the city’s Central district, which features an entire floor devoted to its popular sister brand Aerie.

The interior of the American Eagle store in Central.

Andrew McLean is the chief commercial officer of American Eagle.

The Central store features an entire floor devoted to American Eagle’s sister brand Aerie.

McLean believes that the Hong Kong flagship store will open the doors to neighbouring markets.

Aerie is the antithesis of the sexy image championed by brands such as Victoria’s Secret.

American Eagle has had to deal with the shift to more comfortable and looser styles that Gen Z and millennials have gravitated towards during the pandemic.

Lifestyle

Fashion & Beauty


Unlike a bra that’s worn under a top, the bralette is the top. Their rise owes much to women working from home in the pandemic and wanting comfort
Pair one with a slim-cut blazer, denim or leather jacket. Don’t pair a bralette with leggings, but high-waist trousers work. Oh, and bralettes are not workwear



With stars such as Gillian Anderson publicly rejecting bra wearing post-Covid-19, experts share tips on how to rock the bralette look out on the streets.


Lingerie