Are These Built-in Bra Tops As Good as The Internet Says?

Wearing a bra can be a futile endeavor. It’s often painful and uncomfortable.

Sure, there are bras that defy this stereotype — Wirecutter has tested some truly great bras over the years — but the quest to find one that fits well, supports effectively, and slides invisibly under a shirt can be an odyssey.

So of course I was skeptical when I first came across Uniqlo’s bra top collection. The styles available all have built-in bras and come in silhouettes that are not bra-friendly, such as halter and tube tops. They also come in a good variety of colors and fabrics, from classic-white ribbed cotton to deep-red washable knit.

Launched in 2005, the bra top collection was initially inspired by Japan’s love of innerwear. Uniqlo design director Alex In explained that this practice is most helpful during monsoon season in the summer. “It really helps to have something against your body,” she said in a video interview. However, she explained that Uniqlo customers found it bothersome to layer a bra under two pieces of clothing, which ultimately sparked the idea for the bra tops.

The original collection included tank tops with removable cups. But over the years, Uniqlo has evolved the design to create a regular top that happens to have a bra too. All styles sell for less than $40, with some going as low as $15 (and even less on sale).

In the following years, the bra tops became a viral hit. TikTok is full of try-on videos of people praising the bra tops. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the promise of bra-free support, especially for people with bigger chests, was more of a pipe dream than a reality. So we put them to the test.

To evaluate the Uniqlo bra tops, we first surveyed multiple Wirecutter staffers who own Uniqlo bra tops about their experience wearing them. Respondents’ bra cup sizes ranged from B to DD.

We then gathered our testing pool: one person who usually wears a size small with an A cup, another who wears size medium with a D cup, and a third who wears sizes medium to large with a C cup. Each tester chose two styles within the collection that best fit their taste and lifestyle and wore them at least three times in a variety of settings over the span of 10 days to judge for versatility, styling, and comfort.

In all, they tested the Ribbed Cropped Bra Top, the Washable Knit Bra Top, the AIRism Bra Top, and the AIRism Cotton Cropped Tube Bra Top. I wear a size medium with a B cup, and I tested the Ribbed Cropped Bra Top, the Washable Knit Bra Top, and the Open Back Halter Bra Top myself.

Once we analyzed all the feedback, we realized the Uniqlo bra tops may be innovative in their design, but at their core, they’re just good, basic tops that eliminate the worry of visible bra straps, and that’s what we liked most about them. The Ribbed Cropped Bra Top was a winner for all testers. Still, the lineup is not perfect, especially in sizing.

Here’s what you need to know.