Bra anatomy and all its parts

1, Upper cup, sometimes also called top cup. The upper cup helps to shape the bust. It also helps to keep the bust against the body with the help of the shoulder straps. If the upper cup is made of elastic material such as stretch lace, the cup will often adapt to your bust and give a bit more size flexibility, which is good if, for example, you have different size breasts. Sometimes, there is a thin silicone band on the inside along the upper edge of cups with elastic lace. This is so the cup retains its shape and stays in place.

2, Under cup, sometimes also called bottom cup. The under cup serves to lift the breast upwards and plays an important part in providing the support of the cup. Sometimes the under cup is reinforced with lining or is padded. An under cup that is made of firm material provides better lift than one made of elastic material.

3, Cup side. Any side support will be along the cup side. The cup side serves to project the breast forwards/towards the middle. If the cup has side support this will help to centre the bust so it doesn’t ‘float’ out towards the armpits.

4, Side seam. On some bras, the side seam is reinforced with a side bone. Depending on the design, there is often no side seam. Instead, the side and back are made of one piece, forming a so-called wing.

5, Wing. A more common name for this part is side/back.

6, Back. The back of the bra and the way it fits round the body provides most of the bra’s support, even more than the actual cups. The back is elastic so the bra feels comfortable when you wear it and should provide support at the same time as adapting to the body. Backs are made of many different materials with different degrees of elasticity and shape retention, and two different bras of the same size can therefore be of different lengths.

Backs are available with different cuts; see picture below. From left: straight back, U-shaped back and wrestler back. The last-mentioned is sometimes also known as a T-back or racer back.

7, Leotard back is when the shoulder straps continue all the way down to the bra’s hook and eye fastening.

8, Centre front or centre gore as it is also called. The centre front can differ in height depending on the design of the bra. It can be quite big, as in the illustration here, or small if the bra has a low cut and lacks material under the wire. On some bras, the centre front has a vertical centre seam. This depends on the cut.

9, Raised bottom edge. On some bras, usually those with an underwire, the centre of the bottom edge of the bra has a curved or V-shape cut. This provides extra comfort when sitting down or, for example, if you have a high stomach. It also allows the underwire to fit really tightly against the breastbone so it can provide optimal support for the bust.

10, Underwire, if the bra has one. The underwire band is the ‘channel’ into which the underwire is sewn. Some bras have an underwire band but no underwire in it.

11, Cup seams. Cups are available in a wide range of different designs and cuts. They most commonly have 2-3 parts but can have more. The seams can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight or bent, or a combination of these. A moulded cup lacks seams and consists of just one part.

12, Ring and slider for adjustable shoulder straps. These can be at the front of some bra models but it is more usual for the shoulder straps to be adjustable at the back, as they go down further there offering more flexibility. The drawback with front-adjustable shoulder straps is that there is a risk the slider can end up on top of the shoulder, depending on how loose or tight you need to adjust the straps and how tall you are.

13, Apex. The area of the bra where the shoulder strap meets the cup.

14,. Armpit. This cut can be at different heights depending on the bra model.

15, Décolletage. This is not part of the bra itself but rather the area of your body above the bust. A bra affects what the décolletage looks like depending on how it lifts or supports the bust.

16, Cradle. The front part below and around the cups.

17, Band length is the full length of the bra, i.e. the circumference round the body. It is more common to call it circumference, but the correct term is band length.

18, Adjustable hook and eye fastening. It is usually adjustable in three steps widthways. The height can vary. When you talk about the width of the back it is usually about the number of hook and eye fastening there are vertically.

19, Shoulder straps. These vary in width between bra models. Available with and without stretch, and with and without padding. Most are adjustable at the back but there are some that can be adjusted at the front. There are also non-adjustable shoulder straps.