16 Summer Dresses That You Can Actually Wear With a Bra

Not everyone is willing to ditch this undergarment once things heat up, so here are some options to solve your style dilemma.

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Published on May 25, 2021 @ 05:16PM

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Summer Dresses That You Can Wear With a Bra — Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Up until recently, dresses were never a staple in my wardrobe. Even during the spring and summer months, when New Jersey is gruesomely hot and sticky-humid from late May through mid-September, I would rather wear shorts and a T-shirt than slip into a dress. This was my preference for a few reasons, the first being that I'm an autumn baby to the core and prefer bundling under chunky knits than baring all in a short, sleeveless number any day. The second is that I was an early bloomer and could not find cute summer dresses for bigger busts — aka summer dresses you can actually wear with a bra. But it wasn't for a lack of trying.

At almost 30 years old, and now having been on both sides of the spectrum, I've realized that, for me, it doesn't matter whether I'm big-chested or small-chested; nine out of 10 times, I prefer to wear a bra under my clothes, be it for extra support or fear of poking through. Unfortunately, the fashion industry hasn't always been super size inclusive, and for a long time, summer dresses were designed for people who either didn't need to or didn't want to wear bras. Granted, the industry still has a long way to go, but recently, more dresses are being made to accommodate women of all shapes — and that includes bigger bust options, too.

So what types of dresses should someone with a bigger bust, or someone who would just rather wear a bra underneath their garments, be on the lookout for? According to Sarah Larsen, brand director at ASTR THE LABEL, dresses with either a square neckline, raised back, or any type of sleeve (especially puff and statement sleeves) are the easiest to wear with a bra.

"Smocking is also a great disguise for bra lines and helps with fit," Larsen tells InStyle.

I took Larsen's intel and compiled a list of 16 dresses for bigger busts and bra-wearers alike, below. This way, you can have both your bra and flowy dress this season, without having to sacrifice one for the other.