5 Hacks to Turn a Regular Bra into a Strapless Bra

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Go from strappy to strapless with these simple bra tricks

Co-authored by Katie Quinn and Devin McSween

Last Updated: October 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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Criss-Crossing Regular Bra Straps

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Using a Paperclip

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Using a Convertible Bra

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Tucking in the Straps

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Sewing a Bra into Your Clothes

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The contents of your dresser drawers are strewn all around your room, but there’s still no sign of your strapless bra. With time ticking and your killer outfit already planned, you might be left wondering if you can make one of your regular bras strapless. The great news for you (and your wardrobe) is that there are quick and easy ways to turn a regular bra into a strapless one. In this article, we’ll let you in on 4 strapless bra hacks that you can make in seconds. Then, we’ll tell you about 1 way to permanently add a strapless bra into your favorite garment. Read on to learn how!

Things You Should Know

Using a regular bra, pull the right strap over your head and under your left arm. Then, pull the left strap over your head and under your right arm.
As an alternative, push the straps off your shoulders and press them together in the middle of your chest. Simply secure them together with a paperclip.
To transform a convertible bra, secure the right strap to the right back clasp. Then, bring the strap around your chest and hook it into the left back clasp.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Criss-Crossing Regular Bra Straps

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1
Put on a regular bra and extend the straps to their longest position. To turn a regular bra into a strapless bra, start by putting the bra on, with both straps over your shoulder. Then, push the extendable clasp down on each side so the straps are as long as possible.^{[1]
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- This hack is great because you can use any bra, whether it’s your fancy one for special occasions, or an old bra you found hidden deep in your drawer.
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Pull the right strap over your head and under your left armpit. Take the right strap and pull it over your head so it’s resting against the left side of your neck. Then, push the strap over your left shoulder, pushing your arm up and through the strap.^{[2]
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- When you’re finished, the right strap should cross over your chest, resting right above the top of your bra’s cups.
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Pull the left strap over your head and under your right armpit. Now, pull on the left strap and take it over your head. Push it over your right shoulder and pull your right arm through so it rests under your armpit. The left strap should now cross your body right over the top of your bra.^{[3]
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- If it feels more comfortable or supportive, place both straps across the bottom of your bra, resting them right under the bottom of your bra’s cups.
- Or, criss-cross the straps. Place the left strap so it crosses over the middle of your bra and rests under the right cup. Do the same on the other side so the right strap crosses over the left and rests under the left cup.^{[4]
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Tighten the straps as needed and put on your top. If your straps are loose after crossing them over your body, push the extendable clasp up on each side to tighten them. Then, just put on your favorite shirt or dress and rock the strapless look!^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using a Paperclip

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1
Put on a regular bra, extending the straps as far as they go. Start by putting on your bra like normal. Then, use each strap’s adjustable clasp to make them as long as possible.^{[6]
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- If you don’t have a paperclip on hand, a bobby pin or safety pin works great for this method too!
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Take the straps off your shoulders and pinch them between your chest. Remove each strap from your shoulder so they’re both dangling under your armpits. Then, pull the straps to the middle of your chest and hold them together with your fingers.^{[7]
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Hook the straps together with a paperclip. Take a paperclip and weave it through the right and left strap, securing them together in the middle of your chest. Then, pull each strap apart to create an “X” across your bra cups.^{[8]
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- If it’s more comfortable, just let the straps rest in a straight line along the top or bottom of your bra.
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Tighten the straps and put your outfit on. If your straps feel too loose across your chest, simply tighten them until they feel comfortable. You now have a strapless bra to wear under your favorite strapless outfit!^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using a Convertible Bra

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Put a convertible bra on and take off the left strap. For this method, you need a fully convertible bra with removable straps at the front, or top of each cup, and on the back, or on each side of the band. Just put the bra on and remove the left strap from both the front and back clasps.^{[10]
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- If it feels more natural to you, take off the right strap and use the left one for this method. It doesn’t really matter which strap you use!
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Detach the right strap from the front clasp and bring it across your chest. Use the strap extender to make your right strap as long as possible. Then, unhook it from the front clasp so it’s just dangling from the back clasp. Now, hold the strap and pull it around your chest, keeping it just below the bottom of both of your bra’s cups.^{[11]
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- Bringing the strap around the bottom of your chest makes this a super supportive option that can keep your bra from slipping, too.
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Hook the right strap into the back left clasp. Bring the right strap all the way around until it meets the back left clasp. This is the clasp that is on your bra band’s left-hand side. Then, just hook the right strap into the clasp.^{[12]
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- For a similar variation, unhook both straps from the front clasps. Criss-cross the straps behind your back and bring them around to the middle of your chest. Simply hook them together and tighten the straps.^{[13]
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- If you like the look and feel better, wrap the right strap across your back and hook it into the front left clasp. With this method, you can keep the left strap on and wrap it around your back to hook into the front right clasp.^{[14]
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Tighten the strap and rock your favorite strappy outfit. Adjust and tighten the strap as needed so it rests comfortably under both of your bra cups. Now you’re good to go and put on that strapless dress you’ve been waiting to wear!^{[15]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Tucking in the Straps

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1
Put on your bra and take the straps off your shoulders. This is one of the easiest ways to turn a regular bra into a strapless bra. Start by putting on your bra. Then, pull the straps off of each shoulder so they’re both dangling under your arms.^{[16]
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- Because you’re taking off the straps, this hack provides a little less support than the others. But because it’s so quick, it’s great when you’re in a pinch!
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Tuck the straps into your bra’s cups and band. Take the right strap and fold it into the right cup of your bra. To help secure it, tuck it under the side of your bra’s band. Then, do the same thing with your left strap.^{[17]
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- Make the straps shorter and easier to hide by adjusting the extendable clasp or tying the strap in a knot.
- If you have a little bit more time, hide the straps with bobby pins. Just tuck your straps under your bra’s band and secure them with several pins.
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Put on your shirt or dress and you’re good to go. With this super quick method, you might have to retuck the straps into your cups and band as they loosen throughout the day. But once you’ve tucked them in, all you have to do is throw on your outfit and head out the door!^{[18]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Sewing a Bra into Your Clothes

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1
Cut the straps and band off of an old bra. If you have an old bra lying around and a shirt or dress that you want to add a permanent strapless bra to, this method is for you! With a pair of sharp scissors, cut along the seam at the top of each cup to remove the straps. Then, cut around the sides of each cup to remove the band, leaving about ½-1 inches (1-2 cm) of fabric on each side.^{[19]
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- When you’re finished cutting, you should be left with just the cups of your bra intact.
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Pin your bra to your article of clothing with sewing pins. Put on the piece of clothing you want to add the strapless bra to. Hold your bra to your chest under your clothes and adjust it so it’s hidden under your garment. Then, pin it into place using several sewing pins.^{[20]
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- In general, position your bra about ½ to 1 inches (1-2 cm) below the top of your garment.
- If your bra cups are sticking out from your clothing, simply fold the exposed bits down into the cup and pin them into place to sew down later. Or, cut the exposed bits completely off.
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Turn your garment inside out. Turning your piece of clothing inside out makes it easier to attach the bra. Just do it carefully so you don’t remove the pins or move the bra.^{[21]
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Sew the right side of your right bra cup using a needle and thread. Choose thread that matches the color of your garment. Start at the bottom of the right side of the cup, where the band originally met the bottom of the cup. Insert the needle through the bra and out the front of your garment. Then, pass the needle back through the garment and your bra to make a stitch. Continue stitching until the entire right side of the right cup is attached to your garment.^{[22]
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- A simple running stitch works great, or use a backstitch.
- Keep the distance between the stitches small so the thread is less noticeable on the front of your garment.
- If you have a sewing machine, feel free to use that instead.
- If your clothes are double layered, pull the thread through the inside layer instead of going through both. This hides your stitches!
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Sew the top and left side of the right cup to your garment. Continue making small stitches along the top of the bra to secure it to the top of your garment. Then, follow the curve of the cup back down to sew the other side of the cup to your clothes. End the stitch once you’ve sewn all the way down the side, making a knot at the bottom of the cup.^{[23]
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- Basically, what you’re doing is following the curve of the top of the bra cup.
- If you want more support, sew the bottom of the cup to your garment, too.
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Sew the left cup to your garment and you’re finished! Follow the same steps for the right bra cup to attach the left cup to your clothes. Once the left cup is also fully attached, you are ready to wear your new outfit!^{[24]
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- Remember to keep the stitches really small so they aren’t super visible on the front of your garment.