Can Kim Kardashian’s ‘Ultimate’ SKIMS bra bring back the push-up? Experts divided on boost or bust

Boobs around the world can finally keep up with the Kardashians.

Owing to the haute ingenuity of SKIMS tycoon Kim K, who designed the $4 billion imprint’s new teardrop “Ultimate” push-up bra using 3-D scans of her own hooters, unsupported breasts that were left to sag, droop and drag during the pandemic and beyond are now getting a welcomed lift. 

My own, in fact, were impressively hiked up to high-heaven when I strapped into the foam-padded piece — a $58 number offered in a myriad of earth tones such as “Sand” and “Onyx, and range in sizes from 30A to 44F — just days after its August 17 release. 

And although I, like the Gen Zers of the anti-undies “let them be free” movement, work hard to avoid wearing bras at all costs, Kardashian’s boob-booster was one I actually didn’t mind donning. 

The sheen, pillowy cups made of microfiber fabric hoisted my girls up to a natural-looking height — rather than the fresh-off-a-plastic surgeon’s table look some other push-ups have given me in the past. It gave the twins a Dolly Parton-esque shape without making them look overly bawdy.

And the snug fit of the Kardashian’a straps didn’t cut into my back, shoulders or underarms.

The ever-viral voluptuary fully delivered on her promise to produce a push-up that was “totally different” from the bust-squeezing, skin-pinching brassieres of the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s, a vow she made while bragging about her bosom-forward brainchild, which features a soft underwire, to Harper’s Bazaar. 

“People have always said the first thing they take off when they get home is their underwire bra,” said Kardashian, 42, “so…that was the main thing we wanted to change.”

“Traditional push-up bras would give me a lift, but didn’t create a natural shape, and gave me a shelflike look from the side, distorting the curves of my bust,” continued the shapewear big shot. “I love how the [Ultimate] bra naturally enhances my shape.”

And her new uplifting underthings may be a societal push in the right direction. 

According to an August 2023 report on bra trends conducted by market researchers Gitnux, push-up bras are expected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.9% by 2025. 

“This statistic is indicative of the potential growth of the push-up bras segment in the bra industry,” read the findings, “suggesting that this particular segment is likely to experience a steady increase in demand over the next few years.”

And, a February 2022 survey taken by data analysts at The NPD Group found that push-up bras were the third most popular foundation garment amongst women over age 13 in the U.S., and dubbed its rise in popularity “the return ‘date night’ bra.”

Kimmay Caldwell, a virtual bra educator with over 81,000 followers on TikTok — where the hashtag #PushUpBra boasts over 445.4 million views — tells The Post that although the push-up is enjoying a spike in coolness, folks who wear bras should opt for the cleavage-enhancer to boost their confidence rather than to keep up with celebrity fashion trends. 

“Our breasts carry a lot of our identity, and it’s such an empowering opportunity to be able to open up the bra draw and decide, ‘Who do I want to be today?,” said Caldwell, who worked as a bra fitter in Manhattan for 16 years and is now based in Philadelphia. “And if a push-up bra happens to help people feel proud and confident on any given day, that’s one of the most powerful and feminist decisions they get to make for themselves.”

Lori Kaplan, a 45-year bra expert at lingerie shop Bra Tenders NYC in Hell’s Kitchen, however, says that while push-ups will always have their place in women’s fashion, the style will likely never regain its heyday glory. 

“Women today are looking for bras with a comfort factor,” Kaplan, who’s fitted the A-lister likes of Kim Cattrall and Lucy Lui, told The Post. 

“While they want sexy bras, they don’t necessarily want push-ups,” she added, noting that over the past two years, push-up bras sales have plummeted to a historic low at her outlet. 

Kaplan partially credited the decline in interest to the impact of the “Me Too” movement, saying that women have become less inclined to wear clothing that caters to the patriarchy and prompts objectification. 

And despite SKIMS’ best innovative attempt at reinventing the undergarment, the bra authority says the push-up just isn’t the push women are looking for anymore. 

“The Kardashians live in their own world,” said Kaplan. “I can’t even remember the last time someone made an appointment for a bra fitting and said that they wanted a push-up bra.”