Meanwhile, Biz Sherbert, writer of American Style newsletter, frames the shift as a reaction to the ubiquity of minimalist shapewear. “One is the dominance of nude, minimal black and skin-coloured shapewear like Skims, and this feels like a huge departure from that,” she says. “It’s visually really different, but it’s not about necessarily having the most tea [attractive/well-defined] body underneath. It’s actually about the garment itself.”
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Designers are responding directly to this new appetite. “I’ve been designing sets since the beginning of the brand,” says Lucila Safdie, the designer behind the striped bra set worn by Rae as she supported Lana Del Rey at Wembley Stadium. Safdie notes the growing interchangeability between lingerie, swimwear and outer layers. “I do think the categories are starting to blur. I’ve seen girls wearing bikini tops out or layering them with cardigans and it looks cute. When I did a pop-up in London to release the bikinis, I saw many of the girls styling the bikini tops as something they would wear outside.”
But why now? Is this resurgence simply trickling down from pop stars like Charli XCX and Rae, who have turned bras into stage uniforms? Or is it a counter-swing to quiet luxury and tradwife aesthetics, a cultural drift towards conservatism so strong that the Cannes Film Festival has banned naked dressing? The runway makes a bold case, but translation to real life is less straightforward. Can consumers outside the celebrity sphere with office dress codes embrace the bra as an intentional fashion piece? And if so, will it remain a flash-in-the-pan moment or evolve into a wardrobe staple?
The body politics of the bra
If bras have returned to fashion’s spotlight, they’ve done so in one of the most politically charged contexts for decades.
“We’re in a polarising cultural moment, and bras can be simultaneously read as restrictive, uncomfortable garments as well as rebellious statements of femininity,” says Devlin. “The exposed statement bra can be seen as a subversive and defiant rebuttal to conservative ‘tradwife’ looks and lifestyles, while remaining symbolic of traditional femininity and ideals to many. Because of these innate ties to female freedom and power, bras will always have these kinds of rebellious connotations, especially when intentionally put on display.”
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Yet, as fashion commentator Mandy Lee argues, the trend also reveals the limits of who gets to participate. Body ideals have always shaped access to fashion, and bras are no exception. “To me, this trend of a low-cut shirt with a skimpy bra is not big-chest friendly. Girls with heavy naturals can’t wear a tiny bra and have support or societal acceptance of showing that much chest — especially right now, because conservatism is so highlighted in fashion,” she says.
