I hate hate hate bras

[jimjamspam]

I am large of nork - size 10 and a 32F. I have been measured by everyone it seems - Bravissimo, Rigby & Peller - I always end up spending £££ on beautiful bras which make me look fabulous (ish) but have me wanting to tear everyone's head off by the end of the day - I ALWAYS end up with red weals under my arms where the wire digs in. The material always itches and has me scratching my boobs in the car park. I long to get home from work just so I can get my bra off. The relief is immense.

I have recently started wearing crop top type bras, can't remember what they're called but my God they feel good. Not much support (a little) but they feel lovely.

But but but, my boobs aren't as pert as they once were and i'm fully aware I look slimmer and better in a decent bra. Is there a middle way wise ones? A bra which doesn't make me foul tempered from 11am onwards? No itchy lace and horrid digging in underwires??

[SorrelForbes]

What are your measurements and what bras have you been wearing recently?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

given where you have been measured this shouldn't be the problem but generally those sound like fitting issues. even in a wired bra it just shouldn't be painful.

It could be that the size is right but they've never found the bra which has a good shape in terms of matching your breasts, if that makes sense.

Could you possibly have a look at the fitting guide on the bra guru blog-you'll need to Google sorry I'm on phone. Give us your measurements and also have an objective look at your boobs and try to work out what shape they are. bratabase has some good descriptions but it's things like wide root i
or narrow, close or wide set, top or bottom heavy, high or low on torso etc.

I know that sounds like loads of info but the more we know the better we can help.

[NoComet]

I haven't got a bra on, I hate them too!

I'm relatively small of boob, but a bit saggy at 45, but I'm not going anywhere today and bras are hot, horrible, annoying objects.

[jimjamspam]

I am 31.5 inches around the ribs and 39 inches around the breasts, I think they are bottom heavy

I always found the panache bras the most comfortable, I have those, freya, charnos. I find balconettes particularly uncomfy

TIA!!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

hating balconettes and Freya makes me suspect that your boobs are quite narrow-ie don't go round under your arms too much?

The panache bras you have-which ones and where/how do they hurt? stab your armpits by any chance?

[jimjamspam]

ooh exactly! my boobs don't go under my arms (didn't know any did??!) - and the panache ones I like are smooth material (ie not itchy) - I like the material but they stab me under the armpits. Are you psychic??

[inneedofrain]

OK, I know your pain!

In my case it was a few combined factors.

Poor fitting bras = now remidied YIPPIE
The skin on my side got so irritated that I used to have a permentate red mark and sore spot like things. Used copious amounts of talc at every chance and that sorted that out. SO befor bed, after shower when dry, befor putting bra or changing bra
I go for deepest band bras whilst not pariticularly sexy oh they are so much better, so I look for the deepest band I can find never less than 3 eye hooks on the back.
I also found the problem much much worse if I was hot, which is a pain as I live in a hot country! but things like wearing no breathable shirts etc made it much worse.
I would look at the fit of your bras though, you may need change the fit slightly.

hth

[bananananacoconuts]

I am not an expert but i am of gifted chest and like you get on well with panache. A few things i have discovered on my tit hoisting journey is that i also get on with fantasie, and i find a broad strap (over the shoulder)helps to carry the weight of boobage so creates uplift and also takes pressure off the underwired area

[inneedofrain]

I see Statistcally got there first on the bra shape!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

its a recurring problem with traditional panache as the wires are fiendishly long. have you ever tried and cleo by panache-judging on description I doubt you would suit the padded or moulded ones so not juna or maddie which are wider but the unpadded like marcie Melissa etc might work. they're sometimes described as balconette but they aren't in the traditional sense. cleo is a panache sub brand but the wires are shorter. also have you tried the panache jasmine or idina at all?

[inneedofrain]

Have you tried the Serene Bra by Fantasie it may still go a little wide for you, but might be worth trying. Its a very simple bra but deep on the band.

[goodasitgets]

Panache Elsa has lower wires
I love panache (hate Freya) and get on well with bravissimo own brand (laurel is comfy and so is cherry fling and both low wires)

[sparechange]

Porcelain by Panache
THE most comfortable bra by such a huge margin
I even sleep in it sometimes, and converted many ample-boobed friends over to them

[jimjamspam]

thanks for all the tips (tits??)- I am going to try again and will also try moulded cups, I have always found them off putting but will give the porcelain a go, it does look comfy

How do you wash your bras? I machine wash mine on a delicate setting but am wondering if that might be affecting the underwiring

[SorrelForbes]

I machine wash mine in a net laundry bag.

[Elliptic5]

I'm a 30GG and have similar problems with wires, I would definitely give the Cleo bras a try, they have worked for me.

[SorrelForbes]

Me too Elliptic5 and I love my Cleos.

[inneedofrain]

I wash mine on a standard washing setting with other whites in Lakeland bra bags these great things bras come out spotless and in perfect shape

[LadyBigtoes]

You need these

I live in them now. So comfortable you can't even feel it, but not too soft and floppy - they have no wires, but have a padded insert that gives the lift and shape. Super-stretchy and contain everything.

I know it says nursing bra but they come with a little kit to (very quickly and easily) convert them into a normal bra - no sewing or anything, you just snip a bit off and reclip it.

[SorrelForbes]

Hmmm, I they'd be ok if you're small of bork but I can't imagine how uncomfortable my 30GGs would be

[treaclesoda]

I'm another who can't wear most Panache bras - the stabbing under the arms is the stuff of nightmares.

Strangely though I did used to have a Panache Porcelain and it was ok. I also loved that, unlike other moulded cup bras I've tried, for some reason the design meant that it didn't look absolutely massive when I wasn't wearing it.

[LadyBigtoes]

But the XL should fit the OP, who is an F.

[treaclesoda]

Sorrel my generous norked friend tried one of those soft type bras, not for daytime wear (there wasn't a hope of that!) but with the idea of wearing it in bed for comfort. To her horror, even in the largest size, it didn't stretch enough to actually cover her boobs. She could either pull it down, meaning they popped out the top, or else it crept up, and they fell out of the bottom. She was quite upset by the whole experience actually, after reading all the guff that said that the range of sizes available would fit anyone. Didn't do much for her, already poor, feelings about her boobs.

[SorrelForbes]

OP is a 32F which is only two cup sizes smaller. I guess they would contain everything quite briefly but I can't imagine the support/liftnisnas good as a decent bra. Each to their own of course.

[SorrelForbes]

The only panache I own is an Idina which is really comfortable. It's seems a lot narrower in shape than other panache bras, much more like a Cleo.