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We have two choices when it comes to lingerie and strappy summer dresses; hide your bra or let it show and make it apart of your outfit.

If you’re firmly in the Hide-It Camp, three styles will cover you in most instances; strapless, halter, and racerback.

Strapless:

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been a fan of strapless. The pulling, the tugging, the endless fiddling drives me bonkers!

Having said that, in the immortal words of one of my best friends, ‘there are simply times you need to go sans straps.’

It took quite a bit (and when I say quite a bit – I mean a bunch) of research, but I found a style that is definitely worth checking out.

While a bit reminiscent of boob-binding this little gem will absolutely not budge. Even better, it supports nearly as well as a traditional bra.

Something fun about this style is that it the hooks under your arm, so if smooth lines in the back matter, this one will be perfect.

Halter:

In the midst of my research, I found Nicole, a bra specialist who was just lovely! She recommended this style and shared that it had been featured on Good Morning America as one of the best bras around.

Wacoal has pulled out all the stops when it comes to making this bad-boy super comfortable; it has a silicone strip along the top edge for less slippage, and the padded band means less gouging.

Something to keep in mind – Wacoal bands are extra stretchy, so make sure to grab a band-size smaller than your usual before getting naked in the changing room.

Racerback:

I love a good racerback!

In fact, I wear them almost as often as traditional bras.

However, a good one can be hard to find. With the lack of adjustable hooks, it has to fit brilliantly. Otherwise, your boobs look like they are headed in different directions. Ugh!

You’ll have no such issue with this little beauty.

On a side note – it’s available in white, which has been a tough color to find lately.

One thing to know is that the cups have no padding and depending on your dress that can be troublesome.

Another Racer Option:

If lack of padding is a deal-breaker check out this Spanx number. The material is as soft as your college boyfriend’s t-shirt that you stole and to this day refuse to throw away.

Something interesting about this one is that the straps don’t adjust, so make sure that’ll work for you.

Let ‘em show:

If you want to dip your toe in the Let-The-Straps-Show Camp read on my friend…

Okay, I get why you may be hesitant. You don’t need to live in South Florida to have seen gobs of lingerie reveals gone horribly wrong.

So, I gave it some thought and came up with a couple do’s & things to avoid:

Do’s:

*Make it clearly intentional by choosing a bold color and/or one that works with the dress.

Avoid’s:

*Beige or those clear plastic straps. Those look like an accident and we want to commit.

*I blame ath-leisure wear, but we’re not at the gym so only show the straps. If the band or cups show swap it out for one of the styles above.

Now, go out and enjoy knowing you’re ready to face summer looking glam and perky.

Thoughts? In the mood to share? We’d love to hear about your favorite bra styles and brands.

‘Til next week.

Hugs and happy shopping.

Click here to check out last week’s post about Charming Summer Jewelry