Tomima Talks: Front Closure vs Back Closure Bras
Hello there,
Which team are you on? The front close with its relative ease, or the back close with its classic adjustability? Here are the pros and cons of these two bra closure options.
Traditional Back Closure Bras
This classic back closure style is the quintessential closing option if you want to have bra band adjustability. Most bras have 3 columns of loops spaced to give you 1” to 1.5” of added band length to play with. The Chantelle brand is the exception with 4 columns being their norm. And nursing bras today have 4 to 6 columns. All this adjustability means you can fit to the loosest loops and extend a bra’s wear life by moving to the next column as the bra slowly stretches with use. For some, however, fastening a back closure is challenging.
The hook count on back closures generally increases as cup sizes increase. FYI, we provide all hook counts in our size charts. The more hooks mean a taller bra back. Now, I’ve heard the complaints about tall backs looking like harnesses. But there is no getting around the fact that tall backs are more comfortable, more supportive, and more smoothing. As we age, the skin on our backs becomes soft. Short bra backs and narrow straps are the primary cause of bulges. More bra coverage means a smoother back. All these “smoothing” bras on the market today are simply designed with more back and side coverage.
It’s also a fact that the prettiest and most lavish bras on the market all close in back. This way, the fronts can be skimpy, full coverage, sheer, embellished, or fully trimmed without needing to design around a utilitarian closure. Whoever may be looking at you sees just a beautiful bra, which brings me to my last point. Men prefer back closure bras on women. Why? Because it’s a universal closure that’s easy to unclasp, which he can do while still looking into your eyes!
Front Closure Bras
Hands down, a front closure bra wins for ease in putting on and taking off. Women with limited dexterity, or who struggle to attach a back clasp, love a front closure bra. Closing in front also allows for more variety in the back design – racerback, t-back, or smoothing full coverage backs.
There are far fewer front closure bras on the market, and there are several reasons why. A front closure does not have band adjustability. Without adjustability, the bra does not last as long. Their fit must be exact, so does not fit all women. The single center clasp creates both a plunge neckline and wide-set cups. Women with touching breasts and/or soft breast tissue will find it hard or impossible to find one that fits properly. A single front closure is not successful in larger cup sizes. Using a row of hooks or a zipper to close the front usually results in a uniboob silhouette. Because of these issues and limitations, front closure bras have the highest return rate of any bra style on the market. Manufacturers and retailers, therefore, shy away from offering too many.
The front clasp itself can be problematic. Most are small in order to fit between your breasts, so feel unsteady. They can sometimes spin sideways or in some cases come undone. There are two specific bras with very sturdy front closure clasps. The Robin by Ploomage and the Latex-free organic cotton racerback by Cottonique. They may take a little practice in fastening, but both are very secure. And, the Glamorise Magic Lift bra with 5 to 8 front hooks has the largest size range – goes up to a 58 band size and a D8 cup size.
With all this said, HerRoom offers 129 types of front closure bras – posture bras, longline bras, sleep bras, underwire, and wireless. Here are examples of just some of the many front closure bras available.
Final Thought…
Most of you have found our amazing product reviews. It is so appreciated that you, our customers, take the time to provide fit feedback for all to read. Most interesting is the significant uptick in claims of long-standing and accurately fitting bra styles now running small… I would encourage all to consider a bra size check before ordering.
Fondly,
Tomima Founder & CEO HerRoom.com
