Intimates & Lingerie Glossary

Lingerie has its own vocabulary, and most of it is never explained to the person doing the buying. Here is what the terms on our product pages mean, and what each one tells you about how a piece will fit.

Jump to: B · C · D · F · G · H · M · P · R · S · T · U · W

B

Balconette

A cup cut straight across the top, lower than a full cup but with the straps set wider on the shoulder. The horizontal line creates a square neckline and lifts from underneath rather than pressing in from the sides. It works well under wide or scooped necklines where a standard bra strap would show.

Band

The horizontal part that wraps your ribcage and fastens at the back. It does the large majority of the work in holding a bra up, which is the single most useful thing to know about bra fit. It should sit level all the way around and feel firm on the loosest hook, leaving you two tighter settings as the elastic relaxes over time. Also called the wing.

Bikini

A panty sitting at or just below the hip bone, with moderate coverage front and back and a higher-cut leg. It is the middle ground between a brief and a thong and the most commonly worn cut.

Boyshort

A panty with a straight leg opening that extends onto the upper thigh, cut like a very short pair of shorts. Coverage is full at the back. Sold interchangeably as a boyshort, short, or girlshort depending on the brand.

Bralette

An unstructured bra with no underwire and usually no molded cup, held up by the band and the fabric itself. Comfortable, often lace or soft knit, and generally cut for smaller and mid-range busts, though a growing number of brands build supportive versions with wider bands and internal slings.

Brief

A full-coverage panty with a waistband at or near the natural waist and complete coverage at the back. The most coverage of any standard cut, and the least likely to show a line under structured clothing.

C

Camisole

A sleeveless top on narrow straps, cut to end at or below the hip. Worn as a layer under a jacket or a sheer blouse, or on its own. Often made in silk, modal, or microfiber.

Center Gore

The small panel between the two cups at the front. On a bra that fits, it lies flat against your breastbone with no gap. If it floats away from your body, the cup is usually too small, not the band too loose. A low gore is what makes a plunge style work under a deep neckline.

Contour Cup

A cup with a thin layer of foam laminated into it, so it holds its shape off the body. It gives a smooth round line under close-fitting knits and prevents show-through. Most bras sold as t-shirt bras are contour cups.

Convertible

A bra with straps that detach and reattach in more than one configuration: crossed at the back, halter, one shoulder, or removed entirely. Useful if you own a few awkward necklines, though the extra hardware means slightly more bulk under thin fabric. Also sold as multiway.

Cup

The part of the bra that holds the breast, and the letter half of your size. Cup letters are not absolute: a C cup on a 32 band is a different volume than a C cup on a 38 band, because cup size is measured relative to the band. This is why changing band size without changing cup letter rarely works.

Cut-and-Sew Cup

A cup built from two or three separate pieces of fabric joined by seams, rather than molded from one piece. The seams are placed to direct the breast up and forward, which is why this construction dominates in larger cup sizes. The lines can show under very thin knits. Sold as two-part or three-part cups.

D

Demi

A cup covering roughly the lower half to two-thirds of the breast, with the top edge cut on a slight diagonal. It sits lower than a full cup and higher than a balconette, and it is the most versatile cut for open necklines.

F

Full Coverage

A cup that comes up to or above the top of the breast, enclosing it completely. It gives the smoothest line under a shirt and the most secure feel. Available across the entire size range, not only in larger cups, despite how it is usually marketed.

G

Gusset

The panel at the crotch of a panty, usually lined in cotton for breathability. On better-made pieces it is sewn in on only three sides, which is a small sign of quality construction.

H

Hipster

A panty sitting low on the hip like a bikini but with more coverage front and back and a straighter leg line. Slightly more coverage than a bikini, slightly less than a boyshort.

Hook and Eye

The metal closure at the back of the band. Bras come with two, three, or four columns of hooks, and larger bands generally carry more rows for stability. Fasten a new bra on the loosest setting so you can tighten it as the elastic gives.

M

Microfiber

A very fine synthetic fiber knitted into a smooth, light fabric. It moves moisture away from the skin, dries quickly, and lies flat under clothing, which is why it dominates in t-shirt bras and everyday panties.

Minimizer

A bra that redistributes breast tissue toward the sides and center rather than forward, reducing how far the bust projects. It does not compress so much as reshape. Useful under button-front shirts, where projection is what causes gaping.

Modal

A soft fiber made from beech pulp, often blended with cotton or spandex. It is smoother and more drapey than cotton, resists shrinking, and holds color well through repeated washing. Common in camisoles, sleepwear, and everyday underwear.

Molded Cup

A cup formed over a heated mold from a single piece of fabric, with no seams. It produces a smooth, consistent shape under clothing. Because the shape is fixed, molded cups fit best when your shape is close to the mold's.

P

Plunge

A bra with a deep V between the cups and a very low center gore, built to disappear under a deep neckline. The cups angle inward, which brings the breasts together. Different from a push-up, which lifts rather than gathers, though many styles do both.

Push-Up

A bra with padding concentrated at the bottom and outer edge of the cup to lift the breast up and inward. Padding may be sewn in or removable. Removable pads are worth having, since they let one bra do two jobs.

R

Racerback

A strap configuration where the straps converge between the shoulder blades rather than running parallel. It keeps straps from sliding off sloped shoulders, allows more shoulder movement, and disappears under cut-in tops. Some bras are built as racerbacks; many convertible styles can be clipped into one.

S

Seamless

Any garment constructed to have no seams where they would show, whether in the cup of a bra or the leg of a panty. It is the usual answer to a visible line under close-fitting clothes. Not the same as tagless, and not a guarantee of comfort.

Sister Size

The equivalent cup volume at a different band size. Going down one band size and up one cup letter, or up one band and down one letter, keeps the cup volume roughly the same. Useful when your size is out of stock, and useful for diagnosing a fit problem: if the cup is right but the band is loose, your sister size is where to look.

Spacer Fabric

A three-dimensional knit with two surfaces held apart by fine connecting yarns, creating an air layer. It gives the smooth coverage of a molded cup at a fraction of the weight and with far more breathability. It also resists crushing, which makes it good for packing.

Sling

An internal panel of firm fabric sewn inside the cup, usually along the side nearest the arm. It pushes breast tissue forward and toward the center, which improves both shape and side support. Most common in full-support and larger-cup bras.

Strapless

A bra that stays up on band tension alone, usually with silicone lining along the top edge of the band and inside the cup. Because there are no straps to share the load, a strapless bra needs a firmer band than you would normally wear. If it slips, the band is the problem.

T

Tanga

A panty between a thong and a bikini, with a narrow strip at the back that widens into a small triangle. More coverage than a thong, less than a bikini, and usually cut low on the hip.

Thong

A panty with a narrow band at the back and minimal rear coverage. The reason to wear one is a clean line under clingy fabric. Rise varies from very low to natural waist, and the higher rises are considerably more comfortable than the reputation suggests.

T-Shirt Bra

A shorthand rather than a construction: any smooth-cup bra designed to be invisible under a close-fitting knit. Almost always a molded or contour cup. Also called an everyday bra.

U

Underwire

A curved wire sewn into a channel along the base of the cup, transferring the weight of the breast to the band. A correctly fitted wire follows your root, sitting flat on the ribcage and behind the breast tissue, not on top of it. A wire that pokes or sits on tissue is a sizing problem, not an argument against wires.

W

Wireless

A bra built without an underwire, relying on band tension, panels, and seaming for support. Modern wireless construction has improved substantially and now goes well beyond bralettes into genuinely supportive everyday styles. Also sold as soft cup or wire-free.

Where fit problems usually come from

Most bras that feel wrong are one of three things: a band that is too loose, a cup that is too small, or straps carrying weight the band should be carrying. If the band rides up your back, go down a band size and up a cup letter. If the center gore floats off your chest, go up a cup letter. If you are constantly tightening your straps, the band is too big.

Shopping the other side of the store? See our eyewear and sunglasses glossary.