Lingerie Styles and Definitions: In order to know what style of lingerie will fit your body, and personality type best, you first need to know what styles are out there, and what that means to you.

Bra: Full name for a bra is a brassiere. A bra is a foundation, or undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

• Backless bra – style of bra that will either be fastened low on back, or will have no back at all, in the case of a self adhesive bra such as the NuBra.
• Balconette bra – style of bra that is designed to create cleavage with or without added padding. Features wide set straps, and are cut with a half-cup, with the top line of the bra running in an almost straight across line. Often confused with a demi-cup bra, which has a similar shape, but a balconette cut has a more shallow cup.
• Convertible bra– bra that can change from a traditional straight strap, to a halter, or criss-cross bra. Allowing you to wear the bra with multiple styles of tops.
• Cupless bra– bra style that does not have any supportive cups. Features a frame, and typically traditional back closures.
• Demi cup bra – designed at an angle, to expose more of the breast area, pushes underarm breast tissue into the bra cup for a more full chest. Often this style of bra is made with removable padding, for enhanced cleavage line.
• Front-fastening bra – bra style that features a closure in the front of the bra, rather than a traditional back closure. Great for smooth form fitting shirts. Typically seen in racerback bras, due to the design.
• Full coverage bra – bra style that covers the entire breast. Offers maximum support, while creating keep shape of breasts. Great style for women with fuller breast.
• Halter bra – bra style, or a feature of a convertible bra, that allows for the straps that support the cups of the bra to be held up with a strap that goes around the back of the neck. Typically the bra is made with demi cups.
• Minimizing bra – bra style that is made to suppress the size of full breasts. Spreads breast tissue through out the bra area, rather than focusing on pushing the tissue towards the front of the cups. Great option for full breasted ladies, that are having a hard time with tugging and pulling of their blouses.
• Padded bra – Typically made in a demi cup, the bra cups are lined with fiber-fill to enhance the size and shape of breasts. Great for ladies with a petite bra cup, especially in a smooth cup bra. Such as The Little Bra Company Yvonne. http://www.aveclamour.com/designer/The_Little_Bra_Company/Yvonne/Smooth_Push-Up_Molded_Cup_Bra/)
• Plunge bra- bra style that features a deep v shape in the front of the bra. Designed to show the most amount of cleavage possible, especially when combined with a push-up. Typically bra cups are demi shape. For a great Push-up plunge bra look at The Little Bra Company Lucia. (http://www.aveclamour.com/category/Bras/The_Little_Bra_Company/Lucia/Deep_Plunge_Push-Up_Lace_Bra/)
• Push-up bras – designed to support and elevate, and push breast closer together to create cleavage. Biggest difference between push-up bra, and padded bra is that the push-up bra also draws breast together rather than just making them appear fuller.
• Racerback bra – bra that is designed with straps that come in a v shape on the back, and closer to the neck, than traditional bra straps. Great for shirts that come in off the shoulders.
• Sports/athletic bra – bras that provide maximum support for during exercise. Typically made of wicking materials, to keep sweat away from body during times of high exertion.
• Strapless bra – bra that is designed without, or with detachable shoulder staps. Typically featuring a balconette shape bra cup, the bra band can be made with or without silicon to hold up the bra around the chest.
• T-shirt bra – bra style that does not have front seams on the cup of the bra. Typically made with a contour, or lined cup to minimize the appearance of nipples under a form-fitting garment.
• Underwired bra – bras that have a “wire” under the cup for maximum support. The wire can be made of plastic, or metal.
• Wireless bra/Softcup bra – bras that are made without the use of underwire in the bra cups. Supported by chest band, and shoulder straps only. Most commonly used for casual light support, and for a more petite cup.

Underwear: undergarment, or foundation that is worn next to the skin for protection, and hygiene.

• Panties – Typically have an elastic waistband, and a more moderate cut leg opening. Also used as a way to describe ladies/girls underwear.
• Thong – a garment that can be worn by both men and women alike, as swimwear, or underwear. Has a more bikini like appearance from the front of the garment, with a small thin strip of material in the back of the garment, running from the crotch to the top of the waistband.
  • G-String thong – thong style that typically offers minimal coverage on the front of garment, with a elastic strap that connects the crotch to the top of the waistband. Also known as a Rio thong.
  • T-Back thong- thong that makes a T-shape in the back of the garment. Similar in style in design to the g-string thong, but made the straps are made from fabrics, rather than elastic.
  • V-String thong – essentially a g-string thong, which has an open triangle at the back of thong. Defined as a thong that has a small strip of fabric, or elastic running from front pouch to waist strap, that has sides that split.
  • C-String thong – the smallest of the thong category. Features no side straps, only a front pouch, and a curved frame to go along the backside. Held up by the ridged eternal framework design.
• Bikini underwear – smaller style than the traditional panty cut. Bikini panties have a higher leg opening, and are worn bellow the waist.
• Hipster underwear – underwear that can be made in a thong, or panty design. Type of underwear that sits well bellow the natural waist, with waistband sitting on hips. Can also be called low-rise underwear.
• Boyshorts – underwear that can be either a thong, or panty design. The boyshort cut are underwear that covers all the way down the hip area. The boyshort underwear can also be known as: boy shorts, cheeky panties, tap pants, bootie shorts, hotpants, or boyleg briefs.

Camisole: A camisole or cami is a sleeveless, lightweight woman’s top. Similar in cut to a tank top, although typically much lighter weight fabric is used, including lace, mesh, nylon, silk, etc. Camisoles typically have spaghetti or thin straps. A cami can be worn with or instead of a bra, some camisoles even have a bra shelf sewn into them.

Chemise: A chemise is a short, sleeveless loose fitting style dress, traditionally. However, designers use the term “chemise” loosely, and chemises can vary in length, and fit.

Babydoll: A babydoll is similar in style to a chemise, in that both garments are typically short, sleeveless, and worn as nightwear or lingerie. However traditionally a babydoll is less form fitting in the hips, and rear than a chemise. However, this is not always true.

Corset: A corset is a garment made to shape or accentuate a woman’s torso into an hourglass shape. The corset runs from a woman’s bust to her hips, and typically has boning to keep the shape of the garment rigid. Can be used as a push-up bra. Typically a corset is fastened with either laces, or eye and hook closures.

Bustier: A bustier is used interchangeable with corset in the lingerie industry, the only difference being that a bustier may or may not have boning in the garments structure, and a bustier is shorter in length than a corset, ending at the waist. Both garments will accentuate a woman’s hourglass figure, and push-up the breasts.

Garter Belt/Garters: A garter belt is an undergarment that is worn around the waist, with four straps that run down the legs to attach to stockings. The four straps are known as the garters. Garter belts have also been called suspender belts.

Teddy: a teddy is the lingerie version of a bodysuit. A teddy is a camisole and panty combined. Teddy’s can be loose or tight fitting. May have a bra bodice with adjustable straps, or no structure to the bodice at all. Teddies can have a full back, shorts, or thong back.

Loungewear: Loungewear is clothing that is made for relaxing, designed to be comfortable.

Yoga Pants: Yoga pants are soft full length or Capri pants that have a more tailored shape than traditional pajama pants, and typically have a very small amount of elasticity, to hold the garments shape. They can have a drawstring, fold over, or elastic waist.

Tee Shirt: A tee shirt or t-shirt is a close fitting garment that is pulled overhead, and typically runs from shoulders to just above the hips.

Boxer Shorts: Boxer shorts are loose fitting shorts. Worn traditionally by men, have been adopted by women as sleepwear.