My Relationship with Bras

This blog post is in paid partnership with les girls les boys. All imagery and views are my own.

---

How conscious are you of your relationship with underwear? For me, it’s one I’ve always been hyper aware of. Mostly in a negative way. A boob a size (okay, two) bigger than its sister, bras that gape and nip-slip on one side as a result. Lacy tooth-floss thongs that leave marks (and will probably give you thrush) because you don’t wear full briefs over the age of 14, right? Until now, my underwear has always left me feeling relatively negative about my body. I found functional and I found sexy, but never both. It never properly fit, leaving me to assume that my body – my breasts – must be the wrong shape, or size, or both. I never once considered that perhaps the garments were the culprit; uncomfortable, wonky spreaders of doom. It’s taken me until my mid-twenties – a solid 13+ years of bra wearing – to finally find the most comfortable bras, and ones that suit uneven breasts at that. So I’m gonna go ahead and write an entire blog post about it because, boob-owners, this is the gold we’ve been waiting for.

---

les girls les boys is the brain child of Serena Rees, co-founder of Agent Provocateur. Known for its ‘bed to street’ approach (and for housing my all time favourite loungewear) to fashion and lingerie. Embracing modern and cross-cultural attitudes towards apparel, les girls les boys’ focus is on quality, fit and style. And it shows. The price point feels fair, justifiable and for many, accessible.

These are the most comfortable bras I’ve ever worn. The fabric is quality, the cut is flattering and the designs are attractive but most of all, they fit supremely well. With decades-long expertise in lingerie at its heart, les girls les boys has hit the nail on the head with underwear that fits and feels as good as it looks.

---

Crying in Department Stores: a short story

It took me a long time to accept that my boobs are uneven. I’d have probably done so a lot sooner and given far fewer fucks about it had I been able to find a bra that fitted. Instead, I could invariably be found throughout my teen years in some department store or other, crying in the lingerie section. My solution was always the same, to little success: I’d let a random 55 year old woman called Jean or a bored shop-assistant not that much older than I was prod me with a rather confronting tape measure in a stuffy changing room. A friend would tell me to go to a ‘real’ bra shop – you know the one – and so the charade would begin again. We would stand there, sweaty upper lips and awkward fumbling with clasps, both knowing full well that I was not about to spend the three plus figures required to purchase just two of these boob-suffocating, floral granny printed over the shoulder boulder holders in a 28FF. Is that even a size? It certainly wasn’t mine. The outcome was always the same: I’d resort to some bedroom contortionist act with a tape measure nicked from the DIY cupboard and a ‘measure yourself’ page ripped out of Cosmo. All before trotting off to spend £6 on something jelly-like promising “two cup sizes bigger” (I can remove one side, right?) that would probably make me look like I’d lactated if I hugged anyone too enthusiastically.

A few years ago I did away with under-wiring, except on special occasions. I also did away with anything balcony because they are not a wonky girls friend. It was a start. Now on to the quest for the most comfortable bras.

---

les girls les boys Underwear: the most comfortable bras I’ve ever worn

les girls les boys bras are split into ‘soft bras’ and ‘underwired bras’. Already they’re speaking my language. The selection of soft bras – I’ve tried 3 different styles – are my absolute go to. They tick all my boxes: they’re insanely comfortable, but not baggy nor totally unsupportive. They satisfy my ‘if I put a bra on I’ll be more productive‘ approach to working from home, so much so that I forget I’m wearing one at all. High praise coming from someone who usually whips it off the second (and I mean, before I even take my shoes off) she walks through the front door. And, they look good. They make me feel good.

My highest praise though, goes to my new pal the Daisy Lace Underwired Bra. I didn’t think I could wear lace bras. Usually they bulge on one side and look like a deflated helium balloon a week after the party’s over on the other. I get self-conscious and uncomfortable so I just don’t wear them. I ordered this one as a bit of a test and I really didn’t expect to like it, and certainly not to feel happy to be photographed in it.

---

I’m a favourites kind of person: ‘if I could only use one skincare brand again, if I had to only buy pyjamas from one place, sleep in one brand of bed linen and so on…’. Well, if I could only buy loungewear and bras from one place, it would be les girls les boys. This is underwear for all minds and all bodies and for that, I am very grateful.

---

My favourite picks:

Semi Sheer Seam Free Crop Top

Daisy Lace Underwired Bra

Ladder Detail Soft Bra

Tight Shorts

Tiger Print Track Pants

Les Girls Les Boys Distorted Logo T Shirt Aqua

Les Girls Les Boys Gold Foil Logo T Shirt

Save 20%+ when you buy underwear in sets: click here to see sets

Join Beth’s Book Club: a modern, international virtual book club from your sofa