Plenty of lingerie companies claim to sell the “world’s best bra.” But no one bra will be the “best” for everyone—people with small boobs shop differently than people with big boobs; women who are nursing have different needs than those who’ve had mastectomies. The “best bra” is what’s right for you, at that given moment in your life. In the age of online reviews, though, it doesn’t hurt to start your search with the most highly-rated options on the market. And if you’ve looked at all the usual suspects—the Nordstroms, the Amazons, the Bare Necessities—you’ve probably already heard about the wonders of the Natori Feathers bra.
Natori’s Feathers collection isn’t new (and the brand has been around since 1977). And at first glance, its signature plunge bra doesn’t seem all that different from other lace-trimmed styles in any department store. But the magic of the Natori Feathers bra isn’t in being the sexiest bra—it’s that it’s so damn comfortable. (There are other factors that work in its favor too: It’s available in a bunch of different colors and in sizes 30A through 36G.)
The Natori Feathers is one of the brand’s signature styles, and retails for under $100.
NatoriI was getting a bra fitting at Town Shop, the famed lingerie store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, several years ago when I first tried the Natori Feathers plunge. I walked out with one in a blue-purple shade (a color I normally wouldn’t have picked out), in a 34D (a size I had never worn before). It didn’t take long for it to dethrone all the beige T-shirt bras I had been hoarding since college as my Absolute Favorite Bra. Why? The mesh outer cover contoured my breasts and molded around my torso—I could wear it for long hours and forget I had a bra on. And somehow, the colorful fabric was pretty much undetectable under everything, including white tees.
It’s not the flashiest undergarment in my intimates drawer, but it’s definitely my favorite. And while you might not see it on your social feed like the latest Savage x Fenty launch, the Natori Feathers has a devoted fan base.
Lady Gaga wearing the Natori Feathers bra at Mark Ronson’s Grammys after party.
Gabriel OlsenWhen Lady Gaga wore a black Natori Feathers bra to the Grammys after parties, senior culture editor Mattie Kahn chatted me the link. “I just wanna say I own this bra and it is great,” she wrote.
Turns out, Kahn was also introduced to the Natori Feathers at Town Shop. (“I grew up on the Upper West Side, which means that like many, many women, I got my first bras there.”) Two or three years ago, she says, she went to replenish her bra supply, and one of the store’s clerks suggested she try the Natori. But she was skeptical: “For context: I’m 5’2 and wear a 32D. I have only ever wanted my boobs to shrink, not to look bigger. I don’t do plunges. I don’t do push-ups. I do black T-shirt bras that sometimes feature subtle lace. But you don’t cross the women at the Town Shop. You strip. They make suggestions. So I decided to go for it.”
She left the store with four Natori Feathers.
“It fits like a dream,” Kahn says. “It’s comfortable, but also kinda sexy. And it’s seamless under shirts of all kinds and fits. I have recommended it to 90 percent of the women I know, from cup size AA to DD. It’s a cult and a gift. I intend to wear it forever.”
You might also recognize the Natori Feathers from your TV screen…
HBO
It’s been featured on shows like Insecure, Girls, and Riverdale.
HBOCora Harrington, the founder of The Lingerie Addict and author of In Intimate Detail, has written about the Natori Feathers bra many times over the years. And though she remembers not being overwhelmed by it the first time she saw it, a representative for the brand reached out and sent her one to try —and she hasn’t looked back since. “It’s a bra I purchase again, and again, and again,” she says.
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