Hot colors, flowery, beaded and clear – bra straps are now made to show.
By Elaine Walker
Knight Ridder Newspapers

MIAMI – No more worries about ugly white bra straps peeking out from underneath that sexy black camisole or spaghetti strap dress.

Instead of a fashion faux pas, it’s now a cool fashion statement to show those straps – but only if you have the right look. Bra straps are a hot new accessory, designed to complement an outfit like a piece of jewelry or a scarf.

Patricia Walker is already a bra strap fanatic. Since stumbling upon the Sunrise-based brastraps.com a few months ago, she’s bought about 40 pairs, some with rhinestones, colored beads and flowers. Walker has colors and styles to match all her clothes. And neutral ones like clear beads or virtually invisible clear straps. Every morning, she picks out the perfect straps.

“They’re beautiful and they really accent your outfit,” said Walker, 36, a Realtor who lives in Coral Springs, Fla. “I love them.”

It’s the latest wrinkle in the trend of underwear as outerwear, which started with Madonna and her bustier.

But brastraps.com didn’t invent the idea. Victoria’s Secret and several bra manufacturers have tested the market with similar ways to liven up lingerie.

“It’s almost a necessity for a woman who wants to be on trend with what’s going on in fashion,” said Sara Tervo, a Victoria’s Secret spokeswoman. “People are having fun with undergarments showing through.”

At brastraps.com, which started online sales in March, the selection includes about 60 styles in every color of the rainbow. For those who want to be more discreet, the clear polyurethane straps are the hottest seller. But if you’re feeling a little bold or dressing for a special occasion, there are straps with glitter, butterflies, rhinestones, daisies and glow-in-the-dark stars.

The idea is to eradicate the Ugly Bra Strap Syndrome inherent in the summer months when women’s clothes tend to show more skin. To spread the word, the company is offering a free pair of clear straps to the first 500 women who mail in a pair of old bra straps.

“I saw it as a need for women,” said Margarita Reis, 27, chief executive and founder of Bra Straps Inc., which is a family venture with her father and husband. “We all know straps fall and they slip. Now you don’t have to be embarrassed about covering up those ugly bra straps.”

Priced between $4.99 and $7.99, the straps can be easily interchanged on a convertible bra. The brastraps.com Web site offers instructions for turning a traditional bra into a convertible one.

Victoria’s Secret currently sells only clear straps in its stores, although last year the retailer offered a limited-time promotion of decorative bra straps as part of a “Create Your Own Bra.”

Spiegel, Olga and Lily of France are among the many underwear designers offering styles with the clear straps already built into the bra.

Industry experts say there’s no end in sight to the fashion trends that might have your conservative grandmother gasping at the sight of your underwear sticking out in public.

“Every outfit today has to have an element of strip tease to seem fashionable,” said David Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group, a New York retail trend analysis firm. “If you can find some way to make a product sexy, it sells today.”