Luciani adds, "Obvious signs of wear and tear such as crushed cups, bent underwire, stretched out straps, broken or bent clasps and when the material loses its elasticity — all good signs it’s time to toss. Prior to joining GH in 2013, she worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries.

Pepper also makes an underwire bra with a curve that's optimized for smaller busts if you prefer more support. Stretch recovery: Bras are made to stretch so they can give you the right fit, but it's important that they maintain their shape after use. This version has an underwire for good separation, though it also comes in a wireless version that still proved to be supportive in our tests. It also has an underwire, padded cups and a hook-eye closure like a typical bra, plus modesty petals inside the cups for extra coverage. Tester notes: Testers liked how soft and comfortable the materials felt, and those with smaller cup sizes especially liked the fit and shaping benefits without having too much padding.

On top of that, the fabric along the sides, back and front all help smooth bulges and keep the bra in place. The band should be level with your ribcage without riding up, and the center gore, the section of the bra that stretches between the two cups, should lie flat against your breastbone. On top of that, they appreciated the appearance of the bra itself with one highlighting, "I loved that it was supportive and comfortable while still feeling sexy and feminine. In fact, it's the bra our own experts have preferred to wear for years, even after trying dozens of styles on the market. This lightweight style has the separation and support of an underwire bra with soft, opaque fabric in the cup area.

Tester notes: Reviewers raved about the comfy materials, plus they said it was supportive and easy to put on and take off. And though the panels are stretchy, the bra still kept its shape well after we put it through the wringer in our stretch recovery and laundering evaluations. It's a traditional bra that's ideal for everyday wear thanks to its foam cups, supportive underwire, adjustable straps and hook-eye closure.

Testers with larger busts said it needed to be pulled up frequently, but those with smaller cup sizes said that it stayed in place all day. Always available in White, Natural, Café Latte, Black and the fabulous seasonal fashion colours, you’ll never tire of the Avero collection. While the design may make it harder to wear discreetly under certain clothing, it's the perfect lounge bra and is extremely flattering under tops with more coverage. Our analysts assess the bras in our Lab for properties like stretch recovery, construction and how well they hold up to repeated laundering. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.