Brown Skin Problems: The Search for a Nude Bra

The lingerie market needs to take a lesson from Rihanna, the First of Her Name, Queen of all Charts, the Unphased, Breaker of Hearts and Mother of Shade and Side-Eye. Her 50-shade Fenty brand has other cosmetic companies scrambling to show how "diverse" they are. I'm a 370 when not tanned.

Where are the nude bras for women of color? The bra color "nude" is utterly useless. Who is this nude on? Just call it a white woman's bra and go. (For the record, those eggshell shades don't really look that great on their intended audience, either). Better yet, join the rest of us in 2019 and make with the skin-tone bra shades.

Here's the story of adventures in finding a skin colored bra.



I've long since forgotten the name of the style I wore, but long ago, my go-to nude bra used to be a Victoria's Secret shade called Miami Tan. It wasn't the most supportive, but it was a tradeoff I was willing to make for something that's not my everyday bra. I still keep it around even though I can't wear it anymore, just to remember how beautiful of a color it was.

Once my shade discontinued, I headed to Nordstom and asked for help finding something new to match my skin tone. The closest thing we could find was Natori Hidden Glamour Full Fit Underwire Contour Bra (#736044, 34G) in Cocoa:

It's beautiful, but too dark for my skin and not quite supportive enough for me. I was advised that fall was the time to shop for brown and chocolate shades -- despite the fact that I'm looking for a nude-on-me color, not a "shade" for fashion's sake.

After a year and a half of making do, I ventured in fall as advised to look for a shade closer to my skin tone. I ended up with Natori again, but got a closer match in the Pure Luxe Underwire T-Shirt Bra (#732080, 34G) in Toffee. (Now, it comes in a similar color called Dulce):

I was so excited that I bought a second one. Having two allowed me to wear lots of tank tops, sundresses, and semi-sheer tops all summer long. I always had a clean bra ready to go.

But all good things must come to an end. The tops of the cups started curling up and flaring out, so it wouldn't lie flat under my shirt. I never put them in the dryer, but I did put them in the regular wash (inside a bra bag). Apparently the curling is a common problem with t-shirt bras because they don't have a border seam at the top to stop the padding from moving. There are some solutions for resolving that on this Reddit thread.

Adventures in Online Bra Shopping

Instead of heading back to the mall for a new bra, I headed online, scouring the internet for anything toffee, tan, cocoa, or caramel that came in my size (34G or 34FF in UK sizes). The "color first" strategy led me to a company I'd seen ads for but never really paid attention to: Thirdlove.

In response to customer demand -- because Brown Girls buy stuff too -- Thirdlove created a range of skin-tone bra shades called "The Nakeds," available in lots of different hues. Fig! Siena! Mocha! Hallelujah!

I had never bought a bra without trying it on first (except for ordering extras of bras I already own), so this was a new experience. If you're unsure what to order try the Fit Finder quiz, which asks you about what size and brand you currently wear and how it fits, your breast shape, etc. Then it spits out a personalized product and size recommendation. I gave the site a little side-eye when the quiz results suggested a 34H instead of my usual 34G.

It turned out there was no need to worry.  They allow you to select a backup size to try for free, so long as you ship the uneeded bra back within 7 days of delivery. So I was able to choose my trusty 34G as my backup.

They don't sell a lot of different styles, which helps simplify the process. I got a quick response when I asked about the difference in their two most popular styles. It turned out only one of them came in my size, so the decision was pretty much made for me.

My final Thirdlove selection: The 24/7 Perfect Coverage Bra in Mocha, 34H. The 34G backup was returned. The Fit Finder quiz was right all along.

Best of all, with Thirdlove, I didn't have to make the usual tradeoff on coverage or support to get the shade I needed. They sell matching panties, $3 for $30, so you if you need skin tone underwear, they've got all your assets covered.