The bra's the star: Chilly? You bet! Tacky? You decide. Adored by the A-list, now 'bra-lets' are bringing underwear out into the open 

By Liz Jones for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 18:39 EST, 19 November 2016 | Updated: 20:40 EST, 19 November 2016

The bra-let was adorning models on the catwalks of  Victoria Beckham, the woman who, as Posh Spice (pictured), first had the idea of wearing just her bra under a jacket

It’s an item of clothing that once never saw light of day or, worse, was burned. 

But that was before the bra was reinvented as the bra-let – a bra-cum-croptop that, if you’re brave enough, can be worn without a shirt or blouse.

On the new season catwalks – ie the trends for next spring – the bra-let was adorning models at Alexander Wang, DKNY and, of course, Victoria Beckham, the woman who, as Posh Spice, first had the idea of wearing just her bra under a jacket.

It was tipped as a spring trend, but the bra-let is already being worn now, when there is snow on the ground, with all the main high street stores cashing in.

It has been seen on virtually every female celebrity worth her Botox.

You really know you are getting old when you see a woman in a bra-let and you can’t help remarking: ‘Won’t you be cold?’

Of course, these women hop from limo to super-heated party with barely time to raise a goosebump.  

But if you really want to turn up at the Christmas party looking as though you have lost your mind as well as your shirt, here is my brief guide to wearing your briefs in public:

1. Make sure your bra-let (pronunciations seem to differ) gives ample support, which means you must get a free fitting first: there is nowhere to hide your mistakes in this trend.

2. Keep the colour black, to avoid looking too tarty.

3. Keep everything else – legs, midriff – covered up: try a very high-waisted pencil skirt, or black trousers together with a cummerbund.

4. Don’t just be a cheapskate and give your normal, tired old bra an airing: it has to be more substantial, like a mini-corset. Except, unlike a corset, it won’t be holding any bits of you in!

January Jones 

Rating:

Sorry but this look from the Mad Men star is all too severe, and black, especially with the red lip. No one would talk to this woman at a party, let alone flirt with her

Ola Jordan  

Rating:

As if the Miami Vice jacket wasn’t bad enough, what we have here is a bra-let that offers zero support, and an exposed navel. I feel like telling the Strictly dancer and I’m A Celebrity contender to stand up straight 

Kendall Jenner 

Rating:

I think the American model has found a great way to wear a bra-let: over a plain white T, with jeans: it makes it all a bit less sleazy, but it is pretty, too

Alesha Dixon

Rating:

This is all quite subtle, and instead of a tummy we have sheer. Former Strictly judge Alesha, pictured at the Brit Awards earlier this year, just oozes power and sex appeal

Karlie Kloss

Rating:

The supermodel, seen leaving a fashion party in New York, doesn’t have enough flesh to fill an egg cup, let alone a bra-let, and who matches their underwear to their bag and sunglasses?

 Cheryl Cole

Rating:

Cheryl, snapped at Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh’s hen do, is saved by the fact her bra-let covers up her décolletage and throat, and exposes a perfectly toned ab instead. But there is too much going on here: leopard print, lace, brass buttons, lizard…

 Cate Blanchett

Rating:

This is cheating: it is just a drawing of a bra on a dress. Plus, it all makes her look a little lowslung, not pert at all. But at least the Lord Of The Rings star is warm

Gigi Hadid

Rating:

I kind of hate a bra that’s like workout wear. Is the American model meeting me for dinner, or for a bit of crosstraining?

Abi Clarke 

Rating:

There's always one: This is less red carpet, more care in the community for someone who has lost their mind and forgotten to get dressed. What was The Only Way Is Essex star Abi Clarke thinking?

Jennifer Lawrence 

Rating:

The Hunger Games actress really can do no wrong. The key is the lack of an exposed midriff, and the fact she actually has some flesh to fill the cups. I like too that everything else is edgy: the bleached hair, the bondage shoes. No man would dare to chat up this woman, which is the point of bra-lets: look, don’t touch...

FIVE OF THE BEST HIGH STREET BRA-LETS  

Left: M&S lace crop top £12.50. I’m not overly fond of a pattern on a bra-let: it’s all a bit too busy, but this has great support and a nice long line. Right: New Look burgundy lace bra-let £9.99. A little too frilly and bedroomy: should be worn with a black tux 

Left: Next plunge cross bra-let by Boohoo £8. More of a workout top than a bra-let but great with highwaisted wide block trousers for evening. Right: River Island satin plunge bra-let. The colour is a bit too blatant, but a nice long bodice.

Topshop black lace detailed bra-let: For the flatchested teen, this is sexy without being too slutty or exposing


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