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Original poster

White school shirts - are there any that aren’t see through?!

27 replies

user1471574830 · 22/07/2022 08:46

Long time lurker here hoping that the power of Mumsnet can help! Daughter is starting secondary school in just a few weeks (we’re in Scotland) and has to wear proper shirts with a collar as ties are mandatory.
She developed early so has been wearing bras for the past couple of years. This hasn’t been a problem with polo shirts but we cannot find school shirts thick enough so that her bra can’t be seen!
Have tried New Look, Primark, Next. Thought M&S would be a sure thing but nope, could still see the bra!
Any suggestions?

OP posts:
Whatwouldscullydo · 22/07/2022 08:53

Following.. I'm yet to find one either.

I just bought some m&s ones in the sale ( usually did next as their click n collect is a dream) but I'm.really disappointed. They are touted as the best quality ( i dont actually like m&s though so rarely use unless i.have to but still...) and they are no better than anyone else.

My solution i think.os going to be buying sone white vest tops ( as no one wears actual vests at 11) and having dd wear those underneath.

moreteensthansense · 22/07/2022 08:54

They are rubbish. Nude coloured bras are better than white though

tiredanddangerous · 22/07/2022 08:56

What colour bras is she wearing? A nude bra shouldn't show much

Afterfire · 22/07/2022 08:56

They’re all rubbish. Dd used to wear a nude coloured plain crop top type bra from Primark and just accepted that you could see it a bit, but she used to wear crop tops out and about anyway so didn’t mind too much.

OhIKnow · 22/07/2022 08:58

Would a 100% cotton one be better? M&S used to do them. As others have said a nude bra sorts the issue mostly.

PhantomErik · 22/07/2022 09:01

We've had some very good ones from Tesco's but DD outgrew them & we couldn't find them again. They were a thicker cotton.

We find nude (almond) or pink bras show through less.

KatyS36 · 22/07/2022 09:03

Same problem! Dd wears a nude bra that has a tiny bit of padding so everything is smoothed out. It's a soft one from M&s with no underwire.

Whilst it will be understandably new for your dd many (most?) of the girls will be doing the same and it's very quickly a non issue.

teenagerinlove · 22/07/2022 09:07

KatyS36 · 22/07/2022 09:03

Same problem! Dd wears a nude bra that has a tiny bit of padding so everything is smoothed out. It's a soft one from M&s with no underwire.

Whilst it will be understandably new for your dd many (most?) of the girls will be doing the same and it's very quickly a non issue.

Was going to say the same. All the girls are (sadly) in the same boat. Retailers should really think about this though.

Agree she needs a nude bra in a crop top style for school. Once the weather is cooler she can wear a vest. Presume her uniform includes a blazer or jumper which will help too.

Believeitornot · 22/07/2022 09:09

A skin coloured bra and a baggier shirt would work best.

I wear white shirts for work sometimes and it’s rare to find ones which provide a decent bra disguise.

AmbushedByCake1 · 22/07/2022 09:10

Tesco polo shirts are thicker than the others. This with a nude bra (not white) should hopefully be ok.

Original poster
user1471574830 · 22/07/2022 09:11

Thanks everyone, reassuring (and also disappointing!) that so many are in the same boat. I’ll look for some nude bras

OP posts:
Cluckycluck · 22/07/2022 09:11

Definitely a nude bra. Anything else will show through.

PoloMintPatty · 22/07/2022 09:12

DD found that she was wearing a jumper most days with our delightful climate anyway. Which is not a solution but meant the shirt / bra issue wasn't as bad.

GettingStuffed · 22/07/2022 09:13

We used to have to wear a jumper over our white blouses if our bras showed.

Whatwouldscullydo · 22/07/2022 09:14

user1471574830 · 22/07/2022 09:11

Thanks everyone, reassuring (and also disappointing!) that so many are in the same boat. I’ll look for some nude bras

It is very frustrating isn't it. Given the expense of school uniform the last thing we need is to have to pay for a whole new set of bras too. Especially as they can be so expensive and the cheaper twin packs of t shirt bras usually only cone in black akd white pr white and nude or even one link one white. You would have to buy so many more than u need half of which u won't use or spend ££ on individual nude ones.

An expense boys don't have so its of course never considered when schools design their uniforms 🙄

Guntergleibenglauchengloben · 22/07/2022 09:15

We used to wear a white strappy vest underneath in the winter but actually no one cared at all

Guntergleibenglauchengloben · 22/07/2022 09:16

White bras are useless so shouldn't be bought ever anyway.

2 Nude/pale pink depending on skin tone and 2 black will sort any outfit

CallmeMrsPricklepants · 22/07/2022 09:18

What about a vest top bra thing? Like this boody.co.uk/collections/women/products/shelf-bra-crop-top

TeenDivided · 22/07/2022 09:18

We always got ours from John Lewis.
M&S Angel range do nude and white bras. If wearing a blazer it's not so much of an issue & white or nude would be fine, but nude ones are better.

Also I remember an article once which said that strangely red doesn't show through either, though I haven't tested it.

LimpBiskit · 22/07/2022 09:20

Tesco

JoW1985 · 07/08/2022 11:47

We had the same problem, I got recommended school uniform direct shirts and they are definitely a lot less see through than M&S. and if you buy 3 packs they take 20% off so cheaper than M&S / John Lewis

Link to shirt on their website

lugeforlife · 07/08/2022 15:03

Hah, was just in M&S with dd going into yr 8 and she said the same thing.

If it helps, she literally just shrugged her shoulders and said no one cares and no other has ever commented to her,her friends or anyone she's every heard. She wears nude bras.

Still not great of course but hopefully reassuring to your dd that it's one of those things she understandably worried about but in reality isn't an issue.

DaydreamerBetty · 07/08/2022 15:11

Sainsburys

dementedpixie · 07/08/2022 15:18

Dd used Tesco shirts and nude coloured bras

Ilmecourtsurleharicot · 28/08/2023 08:05

An expense boys don't have so its of course never considered when schools design their uniforms

100%. Totally and I never thought of it that way before. I also don’t know why, in this era of cost of living crisis and escalating climate change, schools are requiring white clothing items at all due to the additional and hotter washing needed and the much shorter wearable lifespan of white uniform items. So many schools are stuck in the 1950s in their view of what a good school uniform looks like for girls.

So it’s year on from the original thread and I also can’t find any non see through white shirts for this September. It’s now getting urgent so if anyone has had any success with buying non transparent school shirts in 2023, please tell me!