It was near pandemonium at the recent Eberjey sample sale in downtown Manhattan, what with all the racks of lacy, flimsy little nothings twirling on their rickety plastic mini-hangers as stampeding bargain hunters dove in and swept them up in multiples.

Eberjey, a loungewear-lifestyle company in Miami, has a reputation for these little nothings. They go by the name bralettes, and they’re everywhere this summer, showing up under roomy jackets and see-through tops, or peeking out from under dresses with midriff cutouts, or even on their own. All but the sheerest are meant to be seen.

Mainly defined by not having underwires, the bralette is that anomaly: an easygoing bra, leaving the breasts, whether perky, upturned, down-turned, wayward, jiggling, floppy or sagging, in their natural shape. Uplift? Cleavage? Not much.

Instead, the bralette offers what for many women is the rarest of bra pleasures: comfort. It doesn’t pinch or dig into the skin. For many converts, wearing one feels like nothing at all. Not to mention, most varieties fold pretty much flat (great for travel).