Types of Ladies' Undies

with exemplary use by the ladies of STD

Written by Jamielynn

Copyright © 2014 Jamielynn; All Rights Reserved.

Characters referenced herein are from the epic e-novel Six Times a Day by Spacer X.

Types of bras

Bra styles and descriptions are very important for female readers to get a good mental image. Here are several bra styles with a brief description of each, so that male authors have some idea of what to use in their stories. Many bra styles can be combined, such as a racerback, padded, plunge bra.

Adhesive bras

only medium- or small-breasted women, no straps, may or may not have a clasp

Backless bras

low back band or no band at all, usually D-cup and under

Balcony bras

also known as a shelf bra, lifts the breasts making them jut out and creates a shelf, less support than full-coverage bras but shows much more cleavage, any size

Bralettes

C-cup and under only, no underwire, no padding, no molded cups, for women that want to appear to wear a bra but feel braless

Bridal bras

Bustier or Basque, often confused with a corset and bra combination, extra-wide band, seamless, often strapless, shapes the waist

Built-in bras

sewn into a top such as a camisole or dress, minimal support, no clasp, wireless, no padding or molded cups

Convertible bras

straps that can be removed or rearranged for any style top, expensive, Works with almost any body type

Demi-cup bras

only covers half the bust, often push-up padded, boosts cleavage

Front-closure bras

front clasp, often special back design, easy to remove, breaks easily

Full-coverage bras

high neck line, little to no cleavage, maximum support, often includes seamed cups, stretch cups, or molded cups, prevents "quad boob", smooth shirt line, popular among very-large-busted women

Lace bras

can be any other design, stretch lace is more comfortable but less supportive than non-stretch

Longline bras

extends down to the waist or hips, can help shape the waist, extra-wide band, great support, often strapless, sizing is difficult

Mastectomy bras

designed to be worn with breast prostheses

Maternity bras

designed for wear during pregnancy, often non-underwire, extra size settings, extra-soft stretch cups, great support for women who "carry high"

Minimizer bras

creates illusion of smaller bust, uncomfortable for long-term wear, can cause sagging and droopy breasts

Molded-cup bras

totally seamless cup, thick lining, often padded, hides the nipples, creates the illusion of round perky shape for women with saggy or droopy breasts

Nursing bras

soft movable or removable cup, often non-underwire, designed for maximum comfort and support of milk-heavy breasts

Padded bras

soft lining for sensitive skin, helps conceal nipples, can be used to create illusion of larger breasts

Petite bras

designed for the unique bra-fitting problems of small-framed and small-busted women

Plunge bras

V neckline, pushes breasts together for maximum cleavage, often push-up and padded, large-breasted women should use side shapers

Push-up bras

extra padding at the base or sides of bra to lift the breasts, greater risk of "quad boob"

Racerback bras

also known as a T- or Y-back, great back support, often used on sports bras, great for women with sloping shoulders or those that have trouble keeping regular straps in place, band must be snug for proper support

Sleep bras

lightweight, wireless, no padding, no snaps, no hooks, extra side support

Soft-cup bras

extra comfortable, wireless, wide band, band must be correct size to prevent saggy look

Sports bras

minimize breast movement, dries quickly

Strapless bras

removable straps, must fit perfectly, band must be snug but still comfortable

Stretch-cup bras

conforms to breast shape, seamless, best for uneven or shallow (fuller at the bottom) breasts

Surgical bras

compression bra designed for women that have recently had chest or breast surgery, soft cup, non-underwire, front closure often velcro

T-shirt bras

also called a contour bra, seamless, often molded or stretch cup, should match skin tone to remain invisible in lightweight material such as a white T-shirt

Types of panties

Here is a partial list of various panty styles with a brief description of each. It is not a full list because there is huge variation within each style. This list is intended just to give visual examples for the reader.

Classic (also high-cut or French-cut) panty

medium to full rear coverage, creates appearance of longer legs

Thong

minimal rear coverage, body hugging, line-free look, can be worn with skirts and dresses

Bikini panty

narrow sides, hip-level waistband, medium rear coverage

Hip-hugger (also hipster) panty

wide hip-level waistband, minimal to medium rear coverage

Panty brief

maximum comfort, rises to just below the navel, full rear coverage, minimal lines, can be worn with skirts and dresses

Boyshorts

full rear coverage, lower leg cut (similar to male boxer briefs with shorter legs), line-free look, can be worn with skirts and dresses

Notes:

1. Only thongs and boyshorts leave off the word "panty" in the name.
2. Thongs come in many styles but most people think of a "whale-tail thong" (really called a "low-rise thong") when they envision them.

Examples of their use

The following examples are placed in the world of Spacer X's Six Times a Day and Jamielynn's fanfic sequel The Joys of Janice. Here is how the women of STD described their bras to Jamielynn at the time of her fanfic sequel, which is placed in early 2003, some months after STD Proper ends on the last day of November 2002.

SPOILER ALERT: Some of the following interviews may be a spoiler for those who haven't read all the published parts of STD and the existing chapters of The Joys of Janice.

Katherine (Kat): "I'm always surrounded by loved ones with larger breasts, so feel kinda 'outgunned'. That's why I love my lace plunge padded push-up bra. It makes me feel bigger and like I'm not so far behind the rest of the pack."

Susan: "Oh dear... Do I have to do this? It's so naughty. Don't give me that look, Suzanne... Okay, fine. But only because it will make Tiger happy. Well, I'm pretty much stuck in nursing bras now and I love the new nursing demi that Suzanne picked out for me, but my favorite bra was a full-coverage molded-cup racerback. These things are heavy and I needed the support. And I hate when I'm in public and my nipples show... I kept buying minimizers but I think my washing machine was eating them. Yeah, that has to be it... Suzanne wouldn't throw them away... would she? Come to think of it, all my old full-coverage bras are missing now too..."

Amy: "UGH! I hate bras! Mother makes me wear them. She says boys will stare if I don't. She used to let me wear bralettes but the big meanie says I'm too big now. We compromised and now I get to wear lace front-closure demi-cups. If I have to wear them I might as well look cute but still be able to get out of them fast. NUDITY RULES!"

Suzanne: "Hmmm... Well I own so many styles it's hard to point to one. I think I'll go with my red lace front-closure balcony bra. It puts my girls on display and gets a wonderful reaction from my Sweetie. It's even more fun to remove. But I also love my red stretch lace demi-bra. I don't have to take it off for my Sweetie to 'chew the fat' as they say. He did say he loved to 'motorboat' me in my red lace push-up plunge. He can even titty-fuck me in it. Yeah, that's the one I'm going to go with; that's definitely my favorite."

Akami: "Well, I'm a nurse so I mostly wear sports bras at work. When I'm out on a date, or visiting a certain family, I wear a long-line push-up. I'm comfortable with my size and don't feel I need to pretend that I'm bigger than I really am. I do like showing them off while creating a nice hourglass figure though."

Gloria (Glory): "Well, at school I don't want the boys to get distracted so I wear full-coverage soft-cups or demi soft-cups. When not at school I like bralettes, which feel a lot like I'm in a bikini, which is what I would wear all the time if I could."

Heather: "What the fuck! I was told Alan would be here for this... Fine. I wear a convertible front-closure plunge. I can't believe I came all this way for nothing. Complete waste of time. I'm out!"

Simone: "Well hello there. I wear a stretch-cup T-shirt bra. I like it when people are never sure if I have a bra on and it's even better if my nipples are noticeable. Now if you would excuse me, I came in Heather's car. Twice."

Kim: "Well I don't really wear one much. Unfortunately I don't have nice big ones like some people and don't need much in the way of support. When I do wear one I prefer my double-padded demi petite. I wish these little things would grow faster..."

Janice: "Meh... I'm a cheerleader. I wear sports bras. If I'm hanging out with Joy I like to wear a push-up padded demi."

Joy: "Pretty much all I OWN are sports bras. Janice says I would look great in a lace plunge so I got a convertible one."

Christine: "Amy, why are you making me do this? Okay, alright, for Alan then... Well, I used to wear a full-coverage molded-cup minimizer racerback. Yeah, really expensive, but I hate when people would stare. Recently Amy has been making me wear all kinds of different plunges and balconies and demis. I'm not allowed to wear anything that doesn't show cleavage anymore. Her mother gave me an entire drawer full; she said they were used but lots of them still had their store tags. I really didn't want to accept them but Amy forced me when she said I had to wear them or go without a bra..."

Donna: "What do you losers want? You're not even worth my time... Yeah, it's a padded demi push-up. So what? Not everyone can afford implants."

Xania: "Lace plunge is the way to go. I'm not ashamed of my massive tits or always-hard nipples. It's a great way for an aspiring actress to get the attention of producers."

Brenda: "Hello. Wow, I feel so honored to be included here. Back before my Master claimed me, I was self-conscious and hated to be ogled. My extra-large, extra-sensitive nipples were also a problem when I was out in public. Because of this, I would wear full-coverage padded bras. Now, my Master loves to see me in stretch lace balcony bras. They go great with my maid uniforms and it provides easy access in case Master wants to pop them out anytime he likes... Oh Master..."

Ginger: "Oh boy! Maybe now I can get some time with that Alan guy. Okay, I work in a sex shop so I usually only wear lingerie tops under my clothes. When I do wear a bra I have to go with a hard lace convertible plunge for an extra-sexy look with lots of cleavage that can also be worn with any top."

Helen: "How dare you ask such a question! What business do you have knowing about my stretch-cup demi? Why on earth would my daughter have me come here anyway? Goodbye!"

Olga: "My daughter said I should come here and tell you about my favorite bra. She said it would help some people for some reason. I didn't really understand what she and her best friend were trying to say, but here I am. My favorite is a stretch push-up demi, but I only wear it around my husband."

Anika: "Vhy you ask me dis? Vhy anyone vant to know about my bras? Vhat man vould give me second look? I'm old voman. I only vear full-coverage stretch soft-cups."

NOTES: I would like to thank Spacer X for asking about ladies' styles, and Sam.I.am for turning my e-mailed replies into this webpage.