A mini rant about bras

[WipsGlitter]

Went to M&S today and was perusing the bras. There were loads and loads of padded ones. Why?? Do most people want enhancement - I'm a 38c and there's no way I want extra padding!! Plus they look so stiff.

Also what is the point of a 'balcony' bra?

I tried on one same size as my current M&S bra and it was awful. Squeezed my boobs right together with a huge cleavage.

Gave up and went home!

[marriednotdead]

Yay LloydCole, pleased to be of service!

Kristina, I'd also suggest the Fantasie Rebecca for you.

Victorine, I understand if you'd rather not post your measurements on the thread. I also have wide ribs and find that the bras that work best are the ones where the wire has less of a curve to it.

Katymac- I love a challenge! Which branch do you go to?

[KatyMac]

Norwich know me well but I went to one in London (maybe Covent Garden ish?) & they got very upset!

[HowsTheSerenity]

Can one of you clever ladies just pop on a plane and find me some bras here?

SC my bras don't sit that low. My whole life I've been wrong!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Don't sit that low?

Where a bra sits does vary between women and depending on breast shape, but I was trying to find photos that show properly that the whole breast should be encased. I get very fed up of seeing adverts like this, where half her tit is hanging out the side! That bra should look more like this which is the same bra in a different fabric

[marriednotdead]

How intriguing KatyMac, what do Norwich have that Covent garden haven't?!

Where are you Serenity? I could do with a holiday

[KatyMac]

Oh, Norwich can't do me either but they are used to failure as it's my local

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Katymac, do you know what it is that's causing the problems?

[KatyMac]

Freya Rio fits me best

The middle wires never touch my ribs/chest

I'm very sensitive under my arm so I can't have anything too high there & the top of my boob is a bit 'empty' so the cup often can fit a hand there

[HowsTheSerenity]

married sunny Queensland Australia. It's 8:40am and 28'c already.
I have a spare room

SC that bra barely fits her nipples let alone the rest of her!

I'm ordering a selection of sizes from brastop. I'll ebay the ones that don't fit.

[KristinaM]

Married - thanks for the suggestion, I will try the Rebecca soon. I do like a moulded t shirt bra, esp for the summer under light weight tops

I see the reviews comment on the narrow straps, which would suit me . Assuming they mean narrow set and not thin strips of fabric, which would cut into my back fat

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Hmmm, from what I remember rio was quite narrow and deep, with quite open cups. It sounds like you need quite a lot of depth right at the start of the cup ie your boobs are quite centre heavy...


Couple of suggestions if so... Comexim, ewa michalak -both polish, both deep. And...have you ever tried narrowing the gore? It basically pulls the cups in and gives more immediate projection and depth. Easy done, basically taking a fold internally and stitching it.

[KatyMac]

Which bit is the gore?

I've just found my Rio on the Freya website so I might order direct

[dementedpixie]

The gore is the middle bit that sits between your breasts

[mabelbabel]

Hello - am new to the thread. I am generally size 12 on top and have been wearing 36a. My measurements have come out as 32 and 36. Any suggestions as to what I should try (style/sizes) and in which shops (i can get to most high st shops)? My main problem is my bra straps always fall down unless done up v tight.

[dementedpixie]

32D to start with

[mabelbabel]

Ok. Thank you. Will report back.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Your straps are falling down because the band is too big, which means the straps are in totally the wrong place. You should find going down in the band helps

In terms of shops, you will be able to buy in lots of places but just to begin with I'd look in John Lewis or Debenhams and try on some of the decent brands like Freya, Fantasie, Panache etc. They're probably the most reliable size wise, whereas if you go in to M&S their sizing and quality is all over the place. Once you know what a good bra feels like then you'll be able to buy cheaper bras/buy elsewhere etc as if the sizing is off you'll be able to see "ah, that's running small, I might need a bigger cup in this one" whereas if you start somewhere with poor quality it might drive you crackers!

[mabelbabel]

Cool. I have a JL voucher so will try that. Just need to find an hour to myself now...

[mabelbabel]

So I've been to JL and have a Triumph and Elle McPherson in 32D. I tried various brands and sizes and these I think fit well. The only trouble I had was shock absorber sports bras. I could see by eye that 32 bands wouldn't fit, they were so small. In fact it strikes me that my old 36a sports bras from m&s were the only bras I've had which fit properly in the past. Maybe the "old" sizing method works for sports bras as they are made more snug in the band to compensate for bad sizing? Any thoughts/advice? My sports bras need updating if poss.

[dementedpixie]

my panache sports bra is the same size as my regular bras. Some sports bra brands are small sized

[mabelbabel]

That's good to know might be worth a try.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Shock absorber run small in the band, it's not just you. Almost everyone has to go up in the band in those!

I'm a fan of the Panache sport too, I wear it in my normal size. The band is firm, but it needs to be. If your breasts are particularly soft you might find it doesn't work as well in which case try a 34C or D in a shock absorber.