Bras
In the last year, I've learned a lot about bras. I've delved into the world of bra blogs and bra forums like thirty_twod.
Before a few years ago, I wouldn't wear an underwire bra* But as I got larger and larger in cup size (I eventually peaked at 40F), it became harder to find wire-free bras that fit me. (In fact I know now that my breasts were damaged by ill-fitting bras.) Eventually I let someone talk me into trying a contour underwire bra, the Cacique Balconette. It was pretty impressive, but very bulky. Still, it was the best-fitting bra I'd had in years at that point. The contour cups really kept EVERYTHING in place. I mean, my boobs did not move, no matter what.
I lost weight and when I tried to buy another balconette in my size, I found that Cacique had changed the design of the bra and it no longer fit my body. This was my first encounter with the way cup shape could affect fit. I ended up after this getting another contour bra, the Le Mystere Dream Tisha. I was fitted into a 38G, which I wore for about 9 months before losing enough weight to size down again. Let me tell you, that bra was worth every penny in terms of durability. It was not, however, perfect for my petite frame: some days it seemed to dig into my ribs constantly, which I now know is a result of the bulky band.
Once the Dream Tisha became too big, I went to Intimacy, a chain store specializing in bras, on the recommendation of a friend. It was a pretty good experience. The bra fitter (who appears to no longer be with that store) was lovely and she fitted me with a bra that honestly, fit like it was meant for me. It was also very, very expensive. But I tried on dozens and that one fit best, so it was the one I bought. This was my first seamed bra since high school. I found that I liked it a lot. The fitter told me that seamed bras were more supportive and comfortable than contour bras, and so I began researching seamed bras. I am convinced that she is right.
A well-fitting seamed bra is supportive and comfortable. A contour bra has a lot of bulk, and especially for a petite woman like myself, that bulk can be uncomfortable. A seamed bra lacks that bulky bottom band and therefore sits lightly on the ribs.
Not all seamed bras are created equal, of course. I have two very high-end seamed bras (Empreinte) that, though they are seamed, 3-part cups, do not show any seams when worn with a tshirt. The seams lie completely flat and flush. On the other hand, my less expensive seamed bras (Fantasie) do show under a tshirt. The seams are thicker and less finely constructed.
I've really become an evangelist about proper bras. I don't mind saying that I spent years hating my breasts. I really did. I thought they were ugly. They were possibly my least-favorite body part. They kept getting bigger, they sometimes hurt, and they were often uncomfortable. I also have a fair bit of ptosis (I always have, ever since junior high.) So I really disliked my breasts. Getting properly-fitted bras has changed the way I related to my breasts. For one thing, it's changed the shape of them: after a year in a proper bra, the tissue that migrated into my armpits has moved forward again. I have much more upper pole fullness than I did before. I've actually lost a lot of weight, but my breasts have stayed largely the same size. Before this, I saw my very large breasts as a sign of increasing fatness (they did, after all, grow as I gained weight.) I associated them with my weight gain and with being fat, and so on some level I was ashamed of how large they had become. But now that I've continued losing weight and my breasts are staying the same, I know that my breast growth would have happened as I aged, without the weight gain. I've learned that one of the many ways breasts differ is that some breasts are composed largely of fat, and some breasts are composed largely of glandular tissue. My breasts have a LOT of glandular and connective tissue, and in addition, my skin is very thin and stretchy. This breast growth was almost inevitable.
So, I mentioned that having a properly-fitted bra has changed my breasts and the way I relate to them. Part of this is the way a properly-fitted bra has changed the shape of my breasts. They are fuller now due to tissue migration and fluid control. Another reason is that with a properly-fitted bra on, I look more slender. An ill-fitting bra means that large breasts fall to the sides, making one look wider and somewhat sloppy. A good bra moves the breasts forward, making the torso look slimmer. I feel much more confident in a good bra. My clothes fit better and I look more slender and poised. Of course a properly-fitted bra is more comfortable than one that doesn't fit. And I think that the seamed styles are more comfortable than contour styles, because they are less bulky. Especially for a short woman like me, bulk on the torso is very uncomfortable.
There's another advantage to the world of properly-fitted bras: they are pretty! For years I was in a kind of no-woman's-land of 38D (totally the wrong size for me, btw) in which the only bras available to me (that I knew of) were very plain. Now that I am wearing European, seamed bras, I have lacy underthings that make me feel very sexy (a drastic improvement over the plain contoured bras I was wearing before.) A smooth contour bra just can't equal a lacy seamed bra for cuteness and sexiness.
I'm thinking of starting a for ladies with bodies like mine. There are a lot of bra blogs and large bust blogs out there, and I kind of want to join that community, but also I think I'd like a place to write about these things that isn't my own journal here.
*I had read research that indicated that underwires damaged the connective tissue of the breasts. My own experience in giving up underwire bras confirmed this to an extent: I saw my breasts become firmer when I switched to always wearing athletic bras. I think now that the research was flawed, based on women wearing ill-fitting underwire, as most are. An ill-fitting underwire bra encourages tissue migration.
Before a few years ago, I wouldn't wear an underwire bra* But as I got larger and larger in cup size (I eventually peaked at 40F), it became harder to find wire-free bras that fit me. (In fact I know now that my breasts were damaged by ill-fitting bras.) Eventually I let someone talk me into trying a contour underwire bra, the Cacique Balconette. It was pretty impressive, but very bulky. Still, it was the best-fitting bra I'd had in years at that point. The contour cups really kept EVERYTHING in place. I mean, my boobs did not move, no matter what.
I lost weight and when I tried to buy another balconette in my size, I found that Cacique had changed the design of the bra and it no longer fit my body. This was my first encounter with the way cup shape could affect fit. I ended up after this getting another contour bra, the Le Mystere Dream Tisha. I was fitted into a 38G, which I wore for about 9 months before losing enough weight to size down again. Let me tell you, that bra was worth every penny in terms of durability. It was not, however, perfect for my petite frame: some days it seemed to dig into my ribs constantly, which I now know is a result of the bulky band.
Once the Dream Tisha became too big, I went to Intimacy, a chain store specializing in bras, on the recommendation of a friend. It was a pretty good experience. The bra fitter (who appears to no longer be with that store) was lovely and she fitted me with a bra that honestly, fit like it was meant for me. It was also very, very expensive. But I tried on dozens and that one fit best, so it was the one I bought. This was my first seamed bra since high school. I found that I liked it a lot. The fitter told me that seamed bras were more supportive and comfortable than contour bras, and so I began researching seamed bras. I am convinced that she is right.
A well-fitting seamed bra is supportive and comfortable. A contour bra has a lot of bulk, and especially for a petite woman like myself, that bulk can be uncomfortable. A seamed bra lacks that bulky bottom band and therefore sits lightly on the ribs.
Not all seamed bras are created equal, of course. I have two very high-end seamed bras (Empreinte) that, though they are seamed, 3-part cups, do not show any seams when worn with a tshirt. The seams lie completely flat and flush. On the other hand, my less expensive seamed bras (Fantasie) do show under a tshirt. The seams are thicker and less finely constructed.
I've really become an evangelist about proper bras. I don't mind saying that I spent years hating my breasts. I really did. I thought they were ugly. They were possibly my least-favorite body part. They kept getting bigger, they sometimes hurt, and they were often uncomfortable. I also have a fair bit of ptosis (I always have, ever since junior high.) So I really disliked my breasts. Getting properly-fitted bras has changed the way I related to my breasts. For one thing, it's changed the shape of them: after a year in a proper bra, the tissue that migrated into my armpits has moved forward again. I have much more upper pole fullness than I did before. I've actually lost a lot of weight, but my breasts have stayed largely the same size. Before this, I saw my very large breasts as a sign of increasing fatness (they did, after all, grow as I gained weight.) I associated them with my weight gain and with being fat, and so on some level I was ashamed of how large they had become. But now that I've continued losing weight and my breasts are staying the same, I know that my breast growth would have happened as I aged, without the weight gain. I've learned that one of the many ways breasts differ is that some breasts are composed largely of fat, and some breasts are composed largely of glandular tissue. My breasts have a LOT of glandular and connective tissue, and in addition, my skin is very thin and stretchy. This breast growth was almost inevitable.
So, I mentioned that having a properly-fitted bra has changed my breasts and the way I relate to them. Part of this is the way a properly-fitted bra has changed the shape of my breasts. They are fuller now due to tissue migration and fluid control. Another reason is that with a properly-fitted bra on, I look more slender. An ill-fitting bra means that large breasts fall to the sides, making one look wider and somewhat sloppy. A good bra moves the breasts forward, making the torso look slimmer. I feel much more confident in a good bra. My clothes fit better and I look more slender and poised. Of course a properly-fitted bra is more comfortable than one that doesn't fit. And I think that the seamed styles are more comfortable than contour styles, because they are less bulky. Especially for a short woman like me, bulk on the torso is very uncomfortable.
There's another advantage to the world of properly-fitted bras: they are pretty! For years I was in a kind of no-woman's-land of 38D (totally the wrong size for me, btw) in which the only bras available to me (that I knew of) were very plain. Now that I am wearing European, seamed bras, I have lacy underthings that make me feel very sexy (a drastic improvement over the plain contoured bras I was wearing before.) A smooth contour bra just can't equal a lacy seamed bra for cuteness and sexiness.
I'm thinking of starting a for ladies with bodies like mine. There are a lot of bra blogs and large bust blogs out there, and I kind of want to join that community, but also I think I'd like a place to write about these things that isn't my own journal here.
*I had read research that indicated that underwires damaged the connective tissue of the breasts. My own experience in giving up underwire bras confirmed this to an extent: I saw my breasts become firmer when I switched to always wearing athletic bras. I think now that the research was flawed, based on women wearing ill-fitting underwire, as most are. An ill-fitting underwire bra encourages tissue migration.