The chest in hybrid mode

Comfort has invaded our lifestyle for more than two years. We wear clothes with looser cuts, softer fabrics. With the return to the office in hybrid mode, has our chest also adopted this new way of life?

Olivia Leyva
Press

According to Stéphanie Macpherson, head of the lingerie department at the Lyla boutique on Laurier Avenue, there is continuity in a trend that was already very present, that of wearing bralettes without underwires. “The desire for comfort is no longer negotiable, we have experienced it in teleworking and it has become essential,” she points out.

“The bralette is making a strong comeback and is attracting new customers: women who didn’t wear it before the pandemic and who have larger breasts, because now there are many more models for larger sizes. Some women would never have dared to wear a non-wired bra, but not anymore,” she says. And women wear the bralette at all times, working from home or in the office.

assumed femininity

There is also, at the same time, a return to more femininity.

“What surprises us is that we are seeing an increase in underwear that is more elegant, very feminine, even sexy, which is certainly related to the resumption of going out and social life,” thinks John Izzo, vice president of design and product development of La Vie en rose, which has 205 stores in 18 countries.

Although she has seen sales of non-wired bras rise during the pandemic, she is now seeing an increase in those with underwires. “Currently, 60% of our bra sales are structured models with underwire and light lining, 25% are Lizards and this category is increasing, and 15% are more comfortable models without reinforcement”, he specifies. According to him, there was a saturation of the soft garment. “Even when working from home, women don’t want to appear too relaxed, so in front of the screen they opt for good chest support. »

Stéphanie Macpherson evokes women’s desire to have fun. “We are going towards something more feminine, assumed, it translates into the desire for lace, colors, to rediscover the pleasure of femininity, feeling comfortable with cotton and silk. »

According to stylist Ariane Simard, comfort depends on soft materials like cotton and sports bras. “I really see a lot of women using it on a daily basis, I myself opted for the sports version,” she confesses. A habit that she took during the pandemic and that she maintains, since sports models have several functions. “A sports bra can also be worn under a blouse to the office,” says John Izzo of La Vie en rose. I think women appreciate the different features of a bra. »

No support, personal choice

And no support at all? Some, often younger ones, have dropped their bra, says Ariane Simard.

Raphaëlle Catteau, 50, has not abandoned the bra, except when she is at home. “When I’m alone with my partner and the kids, I take it off at the end of the workday, but otherwise I wear one, with or without an underwire, it all depends,” she says.

“I don’t see many women with nothing, because it’s not always extremely comfortable for everyone, it’s very personal, but not necessarily nice. Depending on the size of the breast, there is a way to hold gently,” says Stéphanie Macpherson, who has worked in the lingerie industry for 25 years.