I know, believe me! I've seen you, "subtly" adjusting your bra behind your oversize purse every 15 minutes. You, jogging with your arms "subtly" lending support to your 3 sports bras and your 5 year old under-wire bra, the one with the rips near the clips and the pit stains. You, the only one of your crew who never bothers with Victoria Secret and heads straight to Macy's or JC Penney for the bra you bought in those 2 "colors" for the past 7 years. (And yes, I also know that you were extremely excited when they came out with it in black last year.) I know because I was you until I was introduced to the most beautiful bra I will ever have owned. Beautiful, because IT FIT!!! And I had no idea what that meant, until the scary lady showed me (mostly scary because she told me I had to go up 3 cup sizes and down by one band size). Didn't ride up in back? Check. Wires rested against my chest bone? Check! No spillage? Check!!! I gladly plunked down the $125 plus tax for my beautiful, black with lace detail, Freya bra. My first non-boxed bra. I was pretty much in love. I immediately went home and after lovingly hand washing it (if you spent $125, you would too - and quite frankly, you should even if you only spent $30) I happily spent the next couple of hours googling away. Here's what I discovered. Figleaves.com, Bravissimo.com & Undercoverexperience.com. I've never visited England - but I guarantee if I had to list their top 10 attractions, Freya Lingerie would be in the top 5. I willingly spent my next couple of paychecks on those sights, collecting stunning bras in "real" colors and shapes and patterns! Plus, after realizing that the little lingerie store marked up the bra I purchased by more than double, I thought spending $60 for a gorgeous piece was pretty reasonable. (Yes, this is one reason that I never saved any money from my first job.) Well, you guessed it by now, I'm talking to those of you who would never dream of buying a padded bra and probably never even had a chance to wear a training bra! There may be some major glorification of "real" padding in pop culture and the media, but all glory is lost in the boxed bras aisles of Macy's. Nothing made me happier (ok, lots of things did, but I don't want to lose track here) when I discovered that Nordstroms and Saks 5th Avenue and Intimacy had discovered the Brits too. My point is, it's time you burnt your bras! (Well, the crummy ones, I'll let you keep your best one until you've made THE purchase!) No more [and I have to say (shout) this] granny bras!!! No more granny bras!!! Say hello to your new best friends and buy them something extra nice (you've been treating them really badly, and they want more than an apology).
Personal recommendations:
Visit one of the listed websites or stores for a demonstration on getting the right fit. Most women are wearing the wrong size. You probably need 2 sizes to accommodate you during your cycle. My personal favorites (if you can't tell, you didn't read my article) are the British companies (they even have sports bras). Your best bet is to spend about an hour or more getting properly sized and then trying on different styles (a seam here or there can really make a difference) and companies, cups and band sizes. Remember to try them on under your shirt as well to really get a proper look at the shape. And no, you are not going to find a $20 bra. But if you properly care for them and you don't wear the same one over and over, they should last you one to two years. And that's a pretty good lifespan for a bra. So throw your shoulders back (ok, no, not that far) and walk proud.
www.figleaves.com
www.bravissimo.com
www.undercoverexperience.com
www.myintimacy.com
www.saks.com
www.nordstroms.com
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