Growing up in the early ‘2000s, the exposed bra was considered the epitome of cool. Every weekend, I‘d beg my mum to take a trip to Westfield to peruse the glitzy halls of Victoria's Secret in search of the next bedazzled, rock-hard push-up bra. But then, as boobs so often do, mine got bigger.

Suddenly, the bras that had concealed my Blackberry curve during uniform checks became something to hide. No longer the Y2K fantasy and now a practical, matronly floatation device, showing it off would be considered a social faux pas. And, just like that, every one of my ostentatious boob holders ended up at the back of my wardrobe, never to see the light of day again. That was until 2026, when having your bra on show has become all the rage once more.

To say the exposed bra has emerged from hiding would be somewhat of a disservice; the style is back with a fierce vengeance. Uniting Gen Z, millennials and over '40s women alike, this year the coolest dressers have reclaimed this version of underwear-as-outerwear, nonchalantly shrugging off any cleavage-related shame, something fashion has chequered experience in.

Whether it's Jean Paul Gaultier's now iconic cone bra (made famous thanks to Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour in 1999), or the nearly-nude chemise that made Vivienne Westwood so revered back in the ‘90s, minimal layering allowed undergarments to become part of the main story. Yet, as we hurtled into the new millennium and the boom of pop culture, bras went through a rather, well, problematic rebrand. Suddenly, they were no longer couture-referencing, high-fashion status symbols, and instead, simply shorthand for the “slut”.

Suddenly, Hollywood framed the bra-exposed heroine as the "ditz in distress" whose sole function was to snare a man. The humble garment that was created with posture support in mind was sent back in time to Wonderbra's Hello Boys campaign. Whether it was Lindsay Lohan's Cady Heron’s failing calculus on purpose in Mean Girls, Cher Horowitz' quest for love in Clueless, or Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, whose string of turbulent relationships routinely left her distressed; the millennial woman was frazzled and naturally, bra-exposed.

And the celebrity style set didn’t exactly do the exposed bra any favours, either. At the time, Paris Hilton was still packaged as the “ditsy blonde”, and her weapon of choice? An exposed bra. As fashion moved into the low-rise, rhinestone-heavy confidence that could only belong in the ‘2000s, Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera brought their own wild child energy to the trend, evolving the exposed bra with a rebellious, slightly scandalous femininity that would again, be met with backlash. I know, it's all rooted in misogyny (as so many divisive fashion trends are), but these images made the exposed bra trashier and almost unappealing. Whether the wearer was the ditz or the "slut", she was always wrong.

Fast-forward to today, and there’s something almost ironic about the way fashion is embracing the trend by encompassing all of its bygone eras at once. While the chicest over-40s are leaning into its high-fashion status and pairing with sheer blouses, Gen Z are reclaiming its more recklessly raunchy roots and opting for lurid colours and details. So, whether you're showing off your enviable designer lingerie with an evening look or putting the party into a white tank à la Kylie Jenner and Charli XCX, there’s something refreshing about the way we can wear bras (without feat of judgement) in 2026. Scroll to shop the best bras to show off this year and beyond.

Shop the Bras Worth Exposing in 2026:

Get ready to start your Monday morning off with a bang. The 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has officially kicked off in Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena, marking its farthest-from-home adventure to date. With showstopping pieces from the Victoria’s Secret x Balmain collaboration set to make a runway debut, plus a musical performance by Harry Styles, we had a lot of expectations for this year’s lingerie spectacle. And trust us: It didn’t disappoint.

While the fashion show doesn’t air until November 28, we’ve got your first look at some of the most striking lingerie looks the VS models wore down the runway.

Read on for our favourite outfits from the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

It's true—2017 has arguably saved its most out-there fashion collab for last. Victoria's Secret just announced on its Instagram that the brand is teaming up with Balmain on a collection to be launched on November 29. The lingerie retailer teased the news with a black-and-white illustration featuring the words "Balmain loves VS."

As Vogue reports, Balmain will be designing looks for the VS Fashion Show in Shanghai as well as a capsule collection. "As for what to expect from Balmain’s VS line, you can bet on some sexily gilded items, lots of body-conscious silhouettes and the label’s luxury expertise being translated into both the runway and real-world items," Vogue explains. "While other designers have made several looks for the Victoria’s Secret show in the past, this collaboration marks the first time VS has ever partnered with a high fashion brand on items to be sold in its stores." Stay tuned as we learn more details. 

Scroll down to see how Victoria's Secret teased the collaboration on its Instagram, plus we make predictions on how it might look.

Style Notes: Seeing as Oliver Rousteing's designs are usually figure-hugging and feminine, we can only predict that there will be an explosion of total sassiness on the catwalk between the two brands. 

Style Notes: Plastic, as we've seen during the most recent Chanel catwalk, is big right now. It also appeared in the S/S 18 Balmain collection too.

Style Notes: It wouldn't be a Balmain collection if there weren't any embellishments. We can imagine a few well-placed jewels on bras, not dissimilar to this outfit from the most recent Balmain show. 

Next up, where one editor has bought her knickers for the past 20 years. 

Opening Image: Getty Images

Despite the fact that Victoria's Secrets models will spend the majority of their time frolicking around in sassy lingerie, the all-important casting call that's held for the annual catwalk show requires girls to bust out their most impressive outfits. Signing models these days—no matter what the job or show—is often influenced by personal style. If you've got a great look, it's more likely you'll get booked. So as this is one of the gigs many girls want to get, there was no shortage on the va-va-voom being brought to the sartorial table today in NYC—not to mention a host of power handbags.

The general dress code appears to be casual, with a dash of peekaboo. It's important to let those long pins have a moment in the spotlight, and what better way to do it than with a flirty summer dress or a classic pair of denim cutoffs worn with barely there heels? These girls know what they're doing, and we're more than happy to watch them doing it. Keep reading to see what these models wore to their VS casting call.

Who: Willow Hand

What: Opting for cute rather than overly cool, Willow looks sweet-as in a pretty floral dress.

Who: Symone Challenger

What: Models who don't own a pair of Stuart Weitzman's over-the-knee boots… Nope, we can't think of one.

Who: Wallette Watson

What: We love Gucci loafers. We love silky camisoles. We love round sunnies. This girl FTW.

Who: Cindy Mello

What: Paperbag-waist trousers are nonchalant enough to carry off a boob-tube top—especially when complemented by perfect ankle boots and a gigantic Céline bag.

Who: Lara Ghraoui

What: From her Saint Laurent bag to her mom jeans fastened with a Western-style belt and worn with an off-the-shoulder top, this look feels very Kendall Jenner, wouldn't you agree?

Who: Sofia Resing

What: Some archetypal off-duty-model action here with the denim shorts, an Alexander Wang bag, a slouchy tee and stiletto sandals.

Who: Dahlia Savic

What: Who doesn't appreciate a girl who walks in with a giant leopard-print Dolce bag?

Who: Wanessa Milhomem

What: Taking the tomboy approach in a crop top, boyfriend jeans and Converse, Wanessa adds a little VS glam via her Chloé bag.

Who: Julia Belyakova

What: A simple little black dress always does the trick, but throw in a fringed bag and some classic two-strap sandals and this plain piece suddenly seems more exciting.

Next up, the summer outfit ideas you can really rely on.

We may never be able to emulate the glamorous lives of Victoria's Secret Angels, but we can start wearing our underwear like them. (Hey, it's a start.) There's one specific trend they all swear by right now, and Martha Hunt was kind enough to fill us in. We caught up with her in Los Angeles last night, where she was celebrating the launch of the newest Body by Victoria collection that features bras with three lining levels: Nothing, Something, Everything.

"To be totally honest, the most popular underwear trend is wearing our pants really high," Hunt told Who What Wear of the Angels. "I see the pants line going higher and higher. I think the trend is really in right now: the '80s cut riding way over your hips. The stylist's hand comes to push it down on set, and the model pushes it up higher when she walks off set. That's the ongoing trend amongst the VS girls." Easy enough to emulate, right?

Unlined

Related: The 14 Most Common Underwear Mistakes We All Make

Lightly Lined

Push-Up

Scroll through to see (and shop) more of our favourite unlined bras.

Next up, the best three bras according to shoppers.

There’s no denying Zara’s insane amount of success; the brand is one of the leading players in the fast-fashion industry. With its quick clothing turnover and reasonable price range, other brands are out to emulate its foolproof strategy. The latest label to hop on the fast-fashion track? Victoria’s Secret. Earlier this week, Business Insider reported that the lingerie brand is working to tweak its business plan in hopes of keeping up with the success of fast-fashion retailers. 

“Basically almost all of our panties today are on some kind of speed program, and those speed programs allow us to read the business on a Monday and be back in stock in the stores within 15 to 25 days," said Victoria's Secret CEO Sharen Turney.

The goal of Victoria’s Secret’s speedy new program is to cut down the planning process and move straight to producing quick and of-the-moment products consumers want. Turney explained, "We've already taken probably four months out of our development time and believe there is probably another two months to continue to work in.”

Are you surprised by Victoria’s Secret’s new strategy? Let us know at the end, and scroll down to shop our favourite pieces from the iconic lingerie label.