A Strapless Bra That Actually Works for Large Busts (and other summer essentials from Curvy Couture)

“What bra are you wearing with that??”

If I had to sum up the reader question I get the most often, that would be it. I get it in comments, in my DMs, in emails, and even in person. And as someone who knows just how hard it is to find a good bra that actually works on a plus size full bust, I absolutely get it. It is hard to find a good bra in general, and triply so when we’re talking about a strapless. Far too many brands just expand their existing designs when it comes to adding larger sizes, and that simply does not cut it. Smaller busts might be able to get by with pretty and impractical strapless options, but not me. If you don’t have great technical design and engineering for support built into a strapless bra’s design, it feels less like a bra and more like a medieval torture device (as I, unfortunately, have learned firsthand more than once). Happily, there is an option that is made expressly for plus size babes with full busts: The Curvy Couture Smooth Strapless Multi-Way Bra.

Putting my reader code upfront so you don’t miss a deal! Use INFCURVILY for a discount

This is a bra I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. I love Curvy Couture in general – their wireless bras are my daily go-tos (and also *actually* support heavy boobs), and they are a woman-owned company with women who truly care about the plus community working for them. I’ve also heard great things about this strapless for years from my blogger friends, but it wasn’t available in my size range when I first heard a glowing review. Over the past few years though, like so many of us, my body changed and I gained some weight, so now my band/cup size combination falls in their size chart. And with parties, events, and weddings coming back with a vengeance, I was in dire need of a new strapless bra, so I reached out to Curvy Couture to see if I could wear test this style for review.

I wore this bra multiple times over the past few months before writing this review to make sure I was really getting a full and accurate picture of how it performs. I wore it for photoshoots; I wore it out for date nights; I wore it for busy days running from event to event in the city. I wore it with casual rompers, summer sundresses, and full-on gowns. And through it all, the Curvy Couture Smooth Strapless delivered:

First and foremost, it provides substantial lift and support for my H+ cup breasts. For context, my breasts are naturally a more pendulous shape that sit lower on my chest without a bra. To put it in plain English: I have heavy boobs that sag. To be clear, that is perfectly okay and beautiful, but decidedly not what I’m looking for when I wearing a strappy slip dress or a gorgeous gown for a Black Tie gala. So putting on the Curvy Couture Smooth Strapless and finding out that it actually lifts my bust and has it sitting beautifully – with no straps at all – felt like a revelation. The bra has some really great technical design that allows the support to actually come from the band, and I absolutely love how it looks on. As someone with closer-set breasts, the underwires don’t lay flush with my chest in the center, but that does not affect the lift or support for me. And because everything is lifted and *sitting* nicely, highlighting my figure and waist, I feel like a bombshell every time I put it on.

So it passed the support test with flying colors, but the next question was just important: Would that support last? After my extensive wear tests, I’m happy to report that the answer is absolutely, yes! This bra stays in place through dancing, bending, twisting, multiple outfit changes, and more. I was so impressed with how great it performed that I found myself doing spontaneous little demonstrations by jumping and shimmying when my influencer friends asked me about what strapless bra I was wearing. The research and development Curvy Couture puts into their styles was really evident here too – in addition to the overall support engineered in, the Smooth Strapless has thoughtful details like the high grade silicone strips lining both the band and the top edge of the bra all the way around. And unlike other bras I’ve tried where the silicone pulls at my skin uncomfortably, I do not feel it at all while wearing the Curvy Couture strapless – probably because the actual support is coming from the bra structure, instead of just trying to shortcut it with sticky silicone.

And of course, the last question is the big one: Is it comfortable? Now I’m going to be blunt here: I think when it comes to a certain breast size (and weight), there is no such thing as a 100% comfortable strapless bra – at least not in the completely-unnoticeable way I’ve discovered to be possible with great wire-free bras. Until someone can invent something to quite literally defy gravity, the sheer weight of boob the strapless is holding up is going to be felt at least a bit. So my standard for comfort for a strapless is a little different: For me, a comfortable strapless bra is one that effectively distributes the breast weight throughout the band, doesn’t hurt when I put it on, and doesn’t make itself known most of the time. Curvy Couture’s Smooth Strapless succeeds on all counts, and then some. I even forgot I was wearing it a few times, as evidenced by me trying to tuck my phone under the nonexistent straps on more than one occasion! As someone with a short torso, I do start to notice the side supports on my top rib after about hour 6 or 7 of wear in a day, but it is more awareness and an occasional bit of discomfort than anything – nothing even remotely approaching the tortuous pain I’ve felt after only a fraction of that time in many other strapless bras. Was I ready to take it off when I got home after an 11+ hour day of wear? Yes, but that is the same way I feel about any underwire bra (even the best ones). So is it comfortable? For a strapless bra that actually provides lasting lift and support for full busts, absolutely!

Importantly, the comfort hasn’t decreased after multiple wears either – another thing I’ve experienced all too frequently with competitors’ straplesses. The Curvy Couture Smooth Strapless still gives me the same lift and support now as it did on the first wear, and I still feel just as securely contained in the cups. There’s no side spillover or digging into my back fat. The back band doesn’t shift or move around. It just stays put and holds my bust up exactly where I want it. Since getting this CC bra, I’ve been able to wear so many styles that have been languishing in my closet because none of my other bras were cutting it – it really feels like my wardrobe possibilities have opened up now.

Because this bra actually provides the needed lift and support without the straps, I don’t often use the included Multi-Way straps, but I’d be remiss not to mention them. Unlike a lot of other purported “multiway” bras, the straps provided by Curvy Couture with this style are actually long enough that you can comfortably use them for a variety of necklines, and each bra comes with both the matching straps for the bra color and clear straps, so you can get creative with how you wear them.

All in all, if you are in Curvy Couture’s size range and need a strapless bra, I can’t recommend the Smooth Strapless Multi-Way Bra enough. It provides incredibly effective lift, support, and security for heavy boobs, and the smooth satiny finish means it works under most fabrics without lines or creasing.

My other Curvy Couture essential for summer (and beyond – pretty much any time I’m wearing a skirt or dress without tights TBH) is their lightweight Slip Short. It is made from a multiway stretch fabric that molds to your figure. It is not shapewear: No squishing or squeezing at all! Just like with the Smoothing Strapless, I have these shorts in both Black and Champagne Nude, which gives me options for pretty much every outfit – and they also offer these in a Chocolate Nude for deeper skin tones.

I wear these Slip Shorts to prevent thigh chafing, and they stay in place even with lots of walking (and I put them through the paces, quite literally: I wore these shorts for multiple days where I walked anywhere between 10,000 and 16,500 steps, and they were still staying up at the waist and not rolling up on my thighs at the end!)

These shorts are also great because they provide some non-obtrusive coverage for short dresses and mini skirts without adding bulk or messing up the lines of the outfit. The Curvy Couture website describes these as “a second skin fit,” and that is definitely accurate – even in pics of me where I know I’m wearing them and they should be visible (like when the wind has blown up part of the hem of my skirt), I have to look really hard to spot them. They are semi-sheer, so if you want more coverage you can layer them over a seamless panty, but in the hottest months I appreciate that they let me breathe – and they are opaque enough that I don’t feel like I’m in danger of flashing anyone – with regular wear, of course (obviously I’m not usually walking around in just the Slip Shorts and a strapless bra!) I wore this exact shorts and strapless bra combo last week with a little mesh mini dress I’ve had for ages but never had the undergarments for before, and I felt supported, comfortable, and secure that everything would stay in place. Curvy Couture’s Slip Shorts are available in sizes S-5X too, which is great because a lot of other brands stop at a 2X or 3X.

Both the Curvy Couture strapless bra and the slip shorts are products I recommend enthusiastically, and I was able to get them to reactivate my reader code so you can get a nice discount: Just use code INFCURVILY for 20% off their site! If you have any questions about fit or sizing, just comment on my IG and I’m always happy to help give guidance if I can too <3

This post is sponsored by Curvy Couture. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always!