Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hey, can I ask some clothes advice? I generally get flesh coloured bras in simple styles so far. I don't have a lot of choices of clothes, but I have a few dresses that I got online for example and I wonder, what is considered acceptable/good taste or not in terms of whether your bra straps show a bit when you wear a certain dress (ie. which is low-cut and/or has only thin shoulder straps) ? It seems to me you used to be able to get bras with see-through straps more easily but they've gone out of fashion :-/ I mean, I guess you can also wear ones with no straps, but then if you want to use breast forms I would think they wouldn't support them so well?

It depends on the environment you are in and the image you wish to display.

If I am grunging around the house, I don't mind my bra straps showing.  Only my wife will see them, or maybe the UPS guy or a neighbour come to borrow a tool.  I am much more self-conscious about my hair than I am about my bra straps.

When out in public, I don't like them to show.  If they do because my top slipped or something, no big deal, but I prefer not to display them.

And if I am at a dressy occasion, which is the only time I would wear a dress, I absolutely would not want them to show at all.  Basically, when it comes to fashion, I channel my mother: she would have been horrified if her bra straps showed.  I avoid spaghetti straps on tops or dresses anyway in order to minimize my broad shoulders, but if I did wear a dress with thin straps, I would consider a strapless bra.  I almost have enough to hold one up now! ;)

Hi Liv,

I have a few "V neck" cut dresses where you can see the top of my bra at times.  With those I tend to wear a cami that covers it up or I use one of my bras with a lower neck line and bridge.  For dresses with shoulders/back/sides where the straps will show, I've seen sooooo many variations out there that I'm not sure how to answer that.  I'm sure a quick Internet search will get you more results than you probably want to dig through.  ;-)

OK thanks  :) Guess it depends how lady-like I want to be  :D

You can still get clear bra straps, which can be used with a multi-way bra (i.e. a bra with little loops sewn in to take the hooks on the straps).

But they are not invisible, and are really uncomfortable to wear, as they don't breathe. When you take them off, it's like you have been sellotaped!

If you have a bra with removable straps, you could alternatively consider some "bling" straps, which form part of the outfit.

Thanks, OK. I didn't even know bling bra straps were a thing. I guess I need to read more fashion magazines  ;D

Hi Liv!!!

I have quite a few dresses with thin straps like in my profile pic and the reusable adhesive stick on bras work well for eliminating straps... they give good push up effect as well and I believe they also make ones with a little more padding if that's what you want!

Hugs!!!

Ashley 🙋‍♀️💕👍

I do have one strapless bra for dresses with thin straps or shoulderless dresses. My biggest issue with those is that my breasts are still very small and they need some size to better hold. They have silicone strips in the bad to keep them in place. The few times I have worn them, they mostly stayed in place, at least until I needed a bathroom break anyways which gave me time to adjust.

Besides that it largely depends on the dress, a nude bra is always a good choice, especially if the dress is a bit "see-through". I usually try to match colors: Black bra for black dresses, white for white and everything in between will be nude color. For more lace dresses, a cami is always a good option, I have a black lace blouse which works well with either black or even contrast color camis (red or even white).

There are also bras for deep neck or back dresses. On dresses with a deep back, I may actually try adhesives to keep the girls in shape and place.

Quote from: Liv_J on December 31, 2018, 09:26:13 AM
Thanks, OK. I didn't even know bling bra straps were a thing. I guess I need to read more fashion magazines  ;D

@Liv_J
"Displaying" straps is a big deal especially with the younger generations. 
Our moms would never allow bra straps to be visible.  Now, these days, just go to a busy place and notice the women walking around with not only bra straps showing but also mulitiple camisole straps and other layered clothing with straps showing... many times it is a mix various colored straps... yes it can be a "bling" thing. 
Obviously in more formal environments in a dressy formal environment any straps should not be showing... but in the casual world, anything seems to go.
Danielle

Thanks for the thoughts on this :-) Danielle I think you meant to say it's *not* a big deal, huh? Yes I noticed sometimes that it seems less of one than I thought it was growing up, but hence partly why I asked people's thoughts on it. But it still doesn't seem quite right to me!

Quote from: Liv_J on December 31, 2018, 01:01:50 PM
Thanks for the thoughts on this :-) Danielle I think you meant to say it's *not* a big deal, huh? Yes I noticed sometimes that it seems less of one than I thought it was growing up, but hence partly why I asked people's thoughts on it. But it still doesn't seem quite right to me!

@Liv_J
Actually it is indeed a "big deal" ... meaning that displaying colorful and multiple straps is quite the new fashion statement and mostly desired especially by many of the younger women.
Danielle

Oh I get it, ok, thanks  :)