Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To object to paying £40 for a new bra?

397 replies

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 12/02/2015 03:09

Just cos I have Norks! (with a capital N Grin )
There is one style and brand of bra that I have ever found, that I can just buy "off the shelf" that I know will fit me -as long as I take the bloody instrument of torture wires out - but the damn thing is at least £40 :(
I have tried others over the years, but they just don't fit, even in supposedly bigger sizes Confused
I tend to have one really tatty one, one with no wires in that is on the road to being tatty, and one newish one for "best".
Last time I bought one I got lucky and found one in my size on eBay for £25, but today I had to fork out forty quid :( and to add insult to injury my new knickers were a ridiculous price as well Confused
£48 for six pairs of giant pants!
I give up, I am becoming a hippy and wandering the streets commando, with my Mighty Norks swinging free in the breeze round my knees from now on!

OP posts:
abigail12 · 13/02/2015 19:28

What make/style bra would you recommend if not Rio? I have very close together boobs.

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 19:34

abigail, I think the breast reduction might be relevant. My friend had one too, and her measurements are a bit funny relative to size. Also, she has a real struggle finding bras to suit her because her boobs aren't a totally natural shape (sorry don't know how else to phrase that!)...

For super close set boobs, the polish brands Ewa Michalak and Comexim are very good. Are your breast roots also quite narrow (i.e. don't really go under your armpits much?). You might also like Freya Deco, BRavissimo Wild at Heart and Kiss Me. I am really close set and manage to make Cleo work for me too.

Ribbity, I;d give it a little longer as it's a bit like breaking in new shoes. You've had a really big size change too, so the pressure points will be entirely different. Because you've been fitted Bravissimo will take them back, even worn, so don't worry about giving them a good trial.

ribbityrabbityroorooroo · 13/02/2015 19:45

Thank you Statistically. I was wondering if the new "engineering" would take a little time to settle in. You've put my mind at rest now.

abigail12 · 13/02/2015 19:54

Hi no I'm pretty full under the armpit too, suppose that's why so many bras seem to hurt there..

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 19:56

It could be, or it could be height - is it the end of the wires which are hurting? Or is it where the edge of the strap is?

abigail12 · 13/02/2015 19:57

Usually the wires.

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 20:00

I'm wondering if the wires are too tall for you. It can be a real problem for people who have quite high breast roots - are your boobs now quite high set?

Jackieharris · 13/02/2015 20:03

I've got quite high set breasts so even rigby & pellar and bravissimo have trouble finding me a bra where the wire sits against my chest.

What I wear is a 'wonderbra' style plunge bra (bravissimo own brand) that doesn't have as much wiring as the full cup or balconette bras. I also avoid that '2 sticky out' breasts the op describes and it means I can wear a low cut dress on a night out without my bra showing. It gives me a more rounded look which I prefer. (J cup btw)

MadameJulienBaptiste · 13/02/2015 20:03

Having been bi'd 18 months ago I now have a nice selection of freya 34e which are perfect.

BUT last week in Debenhams I got a very pretty plain white curvy Kate 34e for a tenner. Got it home, cups a bit big.

If anyone wants it for the tenner I paid pls pm me. I'd rather offer it here before taking it back to debs seeing as good bras are hard to find at good prices!

Wonder if we should start a buy swap sell thread for bras....

abigail12 · 13/02/2015 20:10

I'm not really sure to be honest, I think the best thing for me to do is try on every bra in the shop, I've always only worn freya bras as I decided long ago that they were the only ones that fitted me. How I'd love to have a little set of perky 32ds again! Thanks for the advice, statistically!

MadameJulienBaptiste · 13/02/2015 20:11

A big ail a lot hurt me under the armpit too. My luvvly freyas don't. Did I mention after 12 months of trying every make and style and wasting a fortune I found freya and only buy those now. The wires seem wider and a bit shallower.

RitaOrange · 13/02/2015 20:14

Love Freya Smile

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 20:26

Definitely worth a trip to Bravissimo. panache, as a rule, tend to have wires which are taller under the arms compared to freya. Bravissimo own brand has some excellent bras - the satine might be good for you, or the Dixie and similar plunges.

Jackieharris · 13/02/2015 20:37

I've just re measured myself. I'm pregnant so I'm expecting my size to change. I wear a 36j atm but I've noticed the under bust is a bit tight and leaving red marks. I'm actually losing weight but even so I'll expect my bra size to increase. It's too early to buy a maternity bra so I'll stick with what I've got for as long as I can so in not paying for a bra that will only fit for a few weeks!

Tonight I measured under bust 39 inches (52cms), full bust 52 inches (99cms). I think that'd make me a 38JJ. Even bravissimo might struggle with that!

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 20:43

Bravissimo will be grand, they go up to an L cup! When pregnant, it's the one time to buy a bra so it fits on the tightest hooks straight away - gives you some room to loosen it up as baby takes up residence in your ribs!

zukiecat · 14/02/2015 00:58

I'm a 40 DD and always just buy Asda bras for less than a tenner.

I could never imagine having the luxury of spending £30/40 on a bra!Shock

That's more money than I have some weeks to spend on food and electricity!

slithytove · 14/02/2015 01:25

Pm

StatisticallyChallenged · 14/02/2015 07:35

Zukiecat, for many of us ten quid supermarket bras simply are not an option as they don't exist in our sizes. I'd love to be able to buy cheap bras but I can't.

treaclesoda · 14/02/2015 08:10

I don't see a £30 bra as a luxury, I see a decent bra as a necessity. The alternative for me would be backache and pain over pretty much my entire upper body.

£30 on a bra is an investment in my health. It's a lot cheaper than physiotherapy.

StatisticallyChallenged · 14/02/2015 08:27

Exactly Treaclesoda - I manage to pick up bargains sometimes in sales etc, but there are no proper cheap bras in my size. I'm not going to ruin my back and neck wearing something which doesn't fit.

bringmejoy2015 · 14/02/2015 09:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StatisticallyChallenged · 14/02/2015 09:02

Some plunges can - a lot of them are too tall at the outside of the cups unfortunately. Quite often people who are less full on top have lost upper fullness thanks to babies/feeding etc and so the breast tissue is very soft and will tend to puddle in the bottom of the bra.

bringmejoy2015 · 14/02/2015 09:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bringmejoy2015 · 14/02/2015 09:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotCitrus · 14/02/2015 09:29

Could I have some advice please? I've been a loyal Bravissimo fan for years, through two lots of nursing bras and others between and since. Some months ago my 36G Satine was clearly too loose as I'd lost weight, so I went in and we tried about 20 bras, mostly 32H, some 34G.

I thought the ones I got were fine and would become a bit less stiff soon, but something is wrong as they dig into my sternum and by the end of the day I have a red sad mouth between the base of my breasts. And one is really scratchy!

Any ideas? I'm 5'8" with a long torso, if that's relevant.