When I think of the upcoming holiday season, comfort and joy are two words that I feel accurately reflect my thoughts and attitudes towards the months of November and December. I’m sure that this holiday season will be somewhat different than in years past, but in looking forward to the season ahead, I strive to keep these in my mind. 2020 has been a unique year of challenges and trials; however, if I take a few minutes to reflect on the positives of these unprecedented times, there have been many lessons that I have learned that I hope will stay with me long after this pandemic has passed.

The past few months have been a time of learning to embrace working from home, reprioritizing commitments, finding enjoyment in additional time at home, and unexpected additional time spent with my family. One of the biggest highlights for me has been the daily opportunity to wear comfortable attire consisting of leggings, tunic sweatshirts, and sneakers. I enjoy shopping in local boutiques and frequently see bralettes shown with cute sweaters, sweatshirts, and button up flannel shirts, but developed a preconceived notion that they were not for me.

As I recently described my dream wardrobe to a few of my friends on a Zoom happy hour recently, one told me that she had added bralettes and t-shirt bras to her daily lineup. She also mentioned that she had difficulty with tops and bras fitting her desirably due to her chest size. She found that the bralettes gave her good support. Good support was all she had to say to pique my curiosity. A few of the other friends reported that taking off their bra was one of the first things that they did when they walked through the door and were home for the evening. I did think to myself, though, if the bralette works for my friend then surely it is worth a trial. I’ve always been self-conscious about my bra size and have avoided the notion of a bra that might not be as supportive as what I’m used to. I have stuck with my Wacoal and Chantelle underwire bras for years (which are fantastic, by the way). Those two bras have served me well throughout my years of “motherhood” and I feel like I owe them my loyalty.

After hearing my friends talk about their positive experiences with bralettes, I decided that if I was ever going to try one, 2020 was going to be the year. When I went to try the bralettes on at Confidentially Yours, the Bra Sisters were kind and eager to assist me in finding my correct size and color. I was excited to find that there was a wide variety of sizes and colors available. Since I have fall and comfort clothing on my mind, there were a wide variety of fall fashion forward colors available – jade green, maroon, black, teal, yellow, and beige. I also was pleasantly surprised to find out that the size of bralette that was recommended for me was what I would purchase in most tops that I own. I tried on the Cosabella Curvy Collection. These bralettes feature a smaller band and fuller bust. A petite bra fits band size 28-30 cups DD-F. These range in size to an x-large which fits a band size of 38-40 with a cup size of G-H.

The bralette fit snug over the shoulders but once it was in place and everything was secure, it was very comfortable. I gave it a few minutes in the dressing room to make sure that I still felt comfortable a few minutes later, and decided to purchase it. I decided on a neutral color for my first bralette. I wanted to make sure that I liked the fit before I branched out to a fun color. I also felt that I could wear the neutral color with most anything if I did not care for it.

For the next few days, I wore the bralette while I was at home each day. I washed it each evening and it held up quite well for the frequency of washes. The bralette was very supportive, but it did not feel like I was wearing a bra. I love the racerback feature of my new undergarment and it also features a flattering neckline, as well. I ran errands while wearing the bra and did not feel like I overstepped any boundaries by doing so. On a rainy Saturday afternoon, I fell asleep while wearing the bralette. I truly didn’t know what I had been missing.

All this to say, I was convinced that it was not for me until I tried it….but now that I have been influenced by the bralette, I definitely have my eye on the yellow. I will be back.