I almost always wear an underwire, but as I've gotten older they have become to painful and life is too short to be in pain all day.  I ordered this bra on a whim and found it very comfortable.  It did not give the uplift an underwire would, but for casual wear it's fine.  I always washed it by hand, but one day I was lazy and threw it in the wash, gentle cycle, in a net bag and let it air dry.  That was the beginning of the end.  Within a couple of weeks it had none of the support it had originally.  I now wear it around the house as a comfort bra if I'm home relaxing.