How many bras do you own ...?

[Ooopsadaisy]

I've been in denial but I have to face it.

I have expanded.

I need new bras.

I am sporting the classy, "four-boob" look which is spectacularly dignified and smart under my tight fitting work t-shirts.

Even more classy is the "wrench the fabric over your boobs after you've bent down, cos they've fallen out, and I don't want anyone to notice" look.

So, bearing in mind I am on an arse-clenching budget, how many of the bloody things do I need?

They are sooooo expensive and suuuuuuuch a waste of money that I really resent this.

I am also an awkward size so this makes the whole experience really horrible.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

(Hitches tits back into straining fabric angrily).

Go somewhere good, so even if they are expensive, at least they do the job properly. I go to Bravissimo and I've got about 5!!!! I replace them about every 18 mths to 2 years.....

25-30.its worth buying a good brand too
get some pretty,but well made ones.treat yourself.ive got rigby & peller an they are amazing
i wash them on delicate in a pillow slip keeps them ok

nice underwear cheers you up (oh and puts a smile on his face too)

go to frasers, M&S or john lewis for fitting

but seriously a well fitting bra and you will look amamzing

I used to get by with 3- all T shirt style- white , nude, black. Then I grew a bit and had to replace and got into a bra frenzy. I also started exercising more so wore a fresh one daily.

Now I have about 8 but all quite similar.

M&S and Next do 2 packs for under £20 which are good value.

I feel your pain!

I have hundreds of different bras, all different shapes and sizes and none of them fit properly! Looking forward to finishing breastfeeding so my boobs settle back down again (somewhere near my waist). No doubt I'll have to go bra shopping again and spend a fortune as they don't make cheap bras in size enormous.

If only it was socially acceptable to go without and let them flop freely in the wind!

THe only bras I've found to properly fit my saggy underfilled fleshbags are Asda ones. The fitters in Bravissimo and La Senza both admitted defeat, and said the (£6) bra I was wearing actually fitted me better.

They don't wash well though, so I go through about 3 a year, with say 4 or 5 on the go at a time.

try m&s,la senza and bravissimo they have frequent sales too

I've got 3 - one black, one white, one strapless.

H&M do lovely t-shirt bras for about a tenner, IIRC.

4 - all exactly the same size and colour (white) from M & S . Did have a black one in the same design but its a bit small for me now .

I probably have between 20 and 30... Go to Bravissimo - even if you end up not buying the bras there it is a really nice experience and the fitters are really good.

It's a pain, but handwashing them does make a difference.

My favourite brand is normally Freya, but I live in the Fantasie smoothing tshirt bras.

If you can possibly afford it, get a few pairs of matching pants just for one bra. It will make you feel really lovely (does for me, anyway. and before I get flamed, I'm wearing them for me, not because I've been forced into it by a controlling man).

I get my sister to buy me a nice bra and a pair of pants for Christmas or birthday, then I know I have one nice set every year. I know it can seem like a "waste" of a present, but if you think about how often you wear them it'll be one of the best things you get I expect..

Lots of really varied approaches to bras there!

I was thinking of 2 packs of 2 t-shirt bras from M&S, ie 4 bras. Two black and 2 white. They seem a good price (if they do my size!)

I also have 1 black and 1 white strapless which, strangely, seem to still fit ok.

Am I outrageously boring? Will this be enough do you think?

Please do not get fitted at M&S, they are, as a rule, terrible at it. If you can get to one, get fitted at Bravissimo as they will show you how to identify a properly fitting bra - even if you then buy them somewhere cheaper. John Lewis are pretty good at fitting too and Debenhams seem to have adopted the same method around here too so might be worth a shot.

In terms of number - I have lots of bras, but you could probably make do with a few basics for day to day. Depends a bit on your size and wardrobe, but a nude bra (maybe in a seamless style) and a black bra are absolute essentials. I tend to wear primarily balcony shapes as they fit better, but I'd also want at least one plunge style to go under more daring necklines. Something like the Freya Deco is a good all rounder for under t-shirts and plunges.

Grannie always said you need 3 of everything. One clean, one on and one in the wash.

I've got five I wear (all white). Two black which I only wear with black outfits, a pink one which I never wear, and several old ones which I must throw out.......mainly M & S.

I have about 10, mostly black and a few white/grey. All identical unpadded underwired 38B. Get them on sale at about $12 in Target.

Being small of nork means I can go cheap and still get something decent.

I've got dozens but they seem to last forever and I never throw them away. If I were you I'd get a good fitting (Bravissimo, John Lewis, Rigby and Peller). There's no compulsion to buy. You can just find out the correct size and which brand/style works for you.

Then look at sale sites like Brastop.com or ebay or the clearance sections of Debenhams or Asos websites. You'll be able to pick up really good quality bras (like Freya, Fantasie etc) for about £15.

Just get a couple for now (one black and one nude/white) and then get more as and when you need them.

I have many pretty bras, size 34d underwired. Unfortunately I am breastfeeding and at latest measurement a 36f.

I now live in a rotation of 3 bras, one lovely hotmilk and 2 mediocre but sensible debenhams non wired.

Oh I live for the day I can put on a wire again.

I've got about 10 and a few of those are 'posh' brands e.g. La Perla and Myla, but they came from TK Maxx and were massively marked down. If you can face going to The Maxx, it's really worth it. You do have to get lucky and be persistent ? I go every few weeks and only occasionally find something in my size/price range/that I like ? but I reckon a £100-plus bra for £20 justifies the effort.

I've got five. I suspect I need a new size though, or maybe just new bras if they've stretched?

Went for two years after I finished breastfeeding with just two ill-fitting bras, never doing that again. Get some decent bras, OP, you're worth it.

Just interested to know what size is an awkward size??

1. I only wear them when I am dressing up! I sport the sexy "two backs" look. Ie my shoulder blades are the same size as my boobs.

i have 2 that i wear day to day. wear one, wash one. i got measured and fitted adn now just buy them off ebay as and when. i have about others but they are fairly old and need retired

Well, I have returned from stressful shopping trip.

I don't have access to the wonderful Bravissimo - I have read many great threads about them.

So I went to M&S. Very nice lady measured me whilst still in grey, ill-fitting number and declared "Ooh - I'd say a 36 C or D".

I said (trying not to sound like an idiot) "Huh?"

No response so I added "Well, I'm in a 32E here and I just need more coverage don't I?"

We agreed to disagee and she went off to find some bras for me to try. I should add here that I had measured myself on the instructions of another thread on MN and had come up as a 32F which made sense to the 4-boob situation.

Guess what I ended up with? - yes, you've guessed it - 32F.

I asked her where she's got her 36 from and she started explaining about measuring under the bust and adding 4-5 inches.

I said "What for?"

She said "To allow for the elastic".

WTF??????????

Anyway - the moral of the story is:

Do not go to M&S and be fitted. Buy their bras by all means but don't get fitted.

Have a lie down in a darkened room when you get home - you will need it.

Why is it soooooooo stressful and soooooooo expensive? I got 4 bras for £24.00 because of their current offer on packs of t-shirt bras, but I could have paid LOADS of £££££££££££££. Why, why, why???????

As a bra snob with a fine embonpoint, I bought a value set of two in Primark for eight quid last month when I was halfway out to dinner and one of my straps broke.

The Primark bras are fantastic - and I speak as a follower of pricy makes.

Just to say that the "add 4 inches" is rubbish.

I have spent my life in 34 inch bras only to try a 32 back and found it fits much better ( I a a size 8 -10 and measure just over 30 inches under bust.)

I have now gone from a 34A/B cup to a 32 C and sometimes 32D depending on style.

corygal - thanks for that but do they do my size?

I just want plain, slightly padded, unpatterned and unfussy bras with narrow straps and no bloody bows.

I want to pay NOTHING for them if I can. What a waste of money - just to hold up a pair of bahonkers.

I finished breast feeding well over a decade ago. I hate having bahonkers.

Why is life so hard? ..... (she whinged pathetically).

I have never found bra buyng easy.

All these lucky people who breeze into Asda/Primark etc and even find one that fits properly, never mind that it's what they actually want.

Asda don't even do a 32 in the style I wanted. Bastards.

Sorry - bra buying making me a bitch. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

I'll join your whinge too, if I may?

I'm a 34FF and the only place I can find bras that fit is Bravissimo (and anywhere that stocks the same brands iykwim) at £30 a bra. I fit a small range of bras because I must be a funny shape or something and can't wear plunge style or full cup. I have to have that balconette style. I found some really comfy bras the other day...but they only came in an F or a G, no FF (wtf?). I even tried the F and G to see if they fit but no.

I have about 5 bras in total and there's only one that still fits properly. The others are pretty much knackered .