Teenagers can get away with wearing tank tops with their bra straps sticking out every which way, but beyond a certain age -- and I'll keep to myself what age I think that is, lest I be accused of being a prude -- showing your underwear is either pathetic or just plain sloppy.

There are clips like the Brabuddy that Saresha wrote about, which convert a regular bra into a crossback bra so that the straps don't slip off your shoulders. But my problem isn't with bra straps that fall off my shoulders, but rather the opposite -- straps that show when I'm wearing tops that have a wide neckline, so that I'm constantly pulling the straps away from my neck and closer to the edge of my shoulders. I've sometimes taken safety pins and pinned the straps to the inside of my top, but that always turns out to be a time-consuming project because it's hard to get it just right so that the pins don't show. As for strapless bras, well I won't even get into why those don't work for me.

StrapTraps address this problem nicely and inexpensively. Described simply, a StrapTrap is: "A small fitment which is attached to [the] shoulder seam of a sleeveless blouse etc... into which a bra strap slots. The fitment stops the bra strap slipping in to view." They come in white or black, and are available in retail packs of six pairs as well as in multi packs.

Basically if you can sew on a button, you can sew on StrapTraps (I know at least two sewing-challenged people who won't be able to use these without help, but if they're nice to me, I'll offer my expert assistance).