Seeking the Perfect Bra...

We all do it. We find something that fits, and get it in every color and style available.  We tell our friends and families about our amazing finds.  Sometimes, it is a great thing.  Sometimes, it feels more like a rut.  I think I'm in a bit of a bra rut.  I usually wear slightly ill fitting Freya Deco's in 28GG, or modified 30G.  I also swap in 28HH Ewa Michalak plunge bras- which is the closest to the "deco" shape that I can find.  The problem with the Freya brand is that their bands tend to be on the loose side.  What I mean by that is a Freya 28 band feels more like another brand's 30 band.  For example, the 28 bands on my Ewa Michalak, for the first couple of wears, I needed band extenders because the band was a bit too snug.  With the Freya Deco 28 band, the first time I put it on I was wearing it on the tightest hook (you always want to start on the loosest hook and move in as the elastic stretches with wear).  So, as excited as I was about the release of the new Freya Deco 28GG, it's close, but still not quite right. 

 Freya Deco Plunge

Ewa Michalak Malachit Plunge

So what is a girl to do when her favorite bra shape-wise just doesn't work size-wise?  Keep looking.  Which lead me to Ewa Michalak.  Her bras are beautiful, soft, comfortable, and reasonably priced.  So far, I've only tried her plunge style.  Size-wise, it's a great fit.  Shape-wise, I don't get as much lift as I'd like.  I want to try her half-cup style, but I have a history of that shape not working well for my body-type and the size I am in Ewa means they are custom made and non-returnable.  The Big Bra Bar stocks some Ewa Michalak bras, but none in my 28HH at the moment.  The good thing about ordering from TBBB is that if you need a 'custom' size of EM you are able to return it to them if the bra doesn't work out.  (The Big Bra Bar stocks many 26 banded EM bras.)

There are very few companies that make a moulded cup in GG+.  I adore the Panache Cleo Jude , but sizing stops at a G.  Panache's Super Bra line does have a bra that  have on order, and that is the Porcelain Plunge .

 I'm hopeful for this one. It doesn't come in the same color selection as the Deco (Grape Purple is coming out for the Deco... I want it, even if it might not fit perfectly), but it is a gorgeous bra!  I had the chance last year to try the Panache Cleo Juna and while the shape was okay, the center gore was too high for my shape. I tried it a few times and still have the scars to prove it.  A high center gore just does not work for me, which is why the plunge style works well for me- the center gore on a plunge is shorter.

The other option I am hopeful about is the Curvy Kate Smoothie which is the only moulded cup bra up to a J!  I have heard that the band on this is also loose, but I have one on order and am really excited to try it out.

Curvy Kate Smoothie

Another thing that might help me in the fit of my slightly too-large-in-the-band bras is a new item that I first saw on Curvy Wordy's blog, and it's called a Rixie Clip (see the review here ). It is a clip with a bra band attached.  Curvy Wordy has step by step photos which explains the product and the process much better than I could do.  It seems like a brilliant idea, and could just maybe solve my bra issues.  Even if the Porcelain Plunge or the Curvy Kate Smoothie work great, I think a Rixie Clip will still come in handy.  It is only $10 and can slide on to any of your bras. 

I look forward to the arrival of the Panache, Curvy Kate, and Rixie Clip. Trying new things isn't always easy.  I will let you know how they work out!


<3
Laura

The Magical Five Inches

I've been pondering for a while what my next post should be about.  I came up with brand loyalty, as I am hoping to branch out soon from my usual.  However, then I once again watched Nordstrom's fitting video and got all worked up again about it.  In case you haven't watched it, here is the link to their fitting information. 

As you can see, along with a video they have a list of measurements and band sizes along with a few tips on how a bra should fit.  I've discussed in length with their National Fit Consultant about this online advice, and they stoutly refuse to change it. They think the add inches method is better than the +/- 0 method when doing online ordering. 

Back to the video.  They start off by measuring the model and then telling you to refer to the guide which would put the model, who measures 27 underbust,  at a 32 band.  So if this woman went into the store for a fitting, they would do the same?  Add FIVE INCHES to the underbust?  Then they explain how a bra should fit.  The two finger test (which ended up looking more like a four finger test, if you ask me!), the center gore and how it should lay flat against the ribcage (a too small cup is not the only reason the center gore pulls away- a too big band will cause this as well. and notice that she says "if it pulls away at all"- which it does in the video!)

Let's go back to the five inches thing.  Most department stores in the US add 4-6 inches to the underbust measurement to get your band size.  (I've been told that in store, Nordy's only adds 2- but although it is better, I still feel like it starts women off at a disadvantage and certainly doesn't make up for the bad online advice).  Have you ever stopped to think what five inches actually looks like?  How much extra stretchy fabric is being added unnecessarily? 

I started racing around my house, looking for an everyday item that is five inches.  First, I looked at a dollar bill, but that was too big (a little over 6), then I looked at a credit card and that was too small... What other product that a woman knows intimately...??   I know...

Yes, that is right.  A tampon.  Five inches.  So, next time you are in a fitting room, keep in mind when that fitter brings out her measuring tape what five inches is and ask yourself if you want or need that much extra fabric.  The band is 80% of the support of a bra (with the other 20% being 10% on each strap).  How can the band do it's job when five inches is being added in?  The fabrics that are used now are a lot more forgiving than when the +4-6 method was first being used. With what bras are made out of now, adding inches isn't necessary. 

A lot of people say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and besides the awful grammar in that saying, it's true.  Don't fix something that isn't broken.  But with at least 80% of women wearing the wrong bra size, shouldn't we think that this system is broken?  It's not going to fix itself, and it won't get fixed if we sit back and don't demand it to change.

<3
Laura

Shopping Obstacles

Its been a while now since I've started bringing friends and family to Nordstrom's.  I'm usually met by the "Fitting Consultants" with varying degrees of friendliness and understanding.  This weekend, I had the pleasure of helping an old friend out.  We were met there by a fitting consultant who fit me for a bra about 10 years ago.  Usually, when they realize that I actually know what I'm talking about, they tell me to find them if I need any sizes from the back.  This time, she proceeded to ask us if we'd ever been fitted.  I made a general comment about how they don't carry my 28HH size, and she looked me up and down in disbelief.  Normally, I expect that from people not in the fitting business, or from a store that only carries the typical 32DD as their lowest band/highest cup size, but I certainly wasn't expecting it from the Nordstrom's most senior fitter.  She did tell me that when the 28 bands came out they did stock them, but there was no demand for them.  I hate when I hear that!!

Regardless, I went back to helping my friend find the styles and sizes we were looking for.  But the consultant didn't leave us alone.  She stood there while I explained that Freya bands tended to be looser than the Panache, etc.  Of course, then I was questioned as to how I know all of what I know about bra fitting.  I explained how I started a Facebook Group and blog about bra fitting. I was then told by the consultant that "You should never buy bras online!"  My first reaction was to laugh.  I told her that no stores carry my size, so I have to get mine online and it's not as bad as she might think.  My second reaction, which I kept in my head, was that if more people bought bras online, then she would be losing out on her commission.   But honestly, if it wasn't for online shopping, I would be in badly fitting bras and hating my body.  Online shopping has been a blessing for me and many other women I know.

The consultant did check on us a few times, and we had her swap out some sizes.  In addition to the ones I'd asked her to bring, she also brought in some others she thought would work- those didn't work whatsoever. My friend was trying on 30/32 E/F and she brought us 32DD with a super loose band.  Needless to say, the fitter's suggestions didn't work.  The price of the bras she suggested were $30 more than the ones we were looking at.  Yes, I guess I sound jaded, but being the victim of getting fitted in the wrong size for the sake of a sale just kind of makes me that way. 

I had the chance to run out once for another size trade, and all of a sudden, there was the consultant! She threw out some advice to me- that not all bras fit the same way.  Different styles fit differently.  Yes, I know.  I asked her to find a certain size for me in a new style, because the center gore wasn't laying flat.  She asked why, if I know so much, don't I work there?  I told her the truth- I don't want to work in a store that refuses to carry my size.  Gosh, I would even work there if they carried any 28 bands.  I don't want to work in a store that I can't purchase from.  I don't think management would be happy with me when I refuse to sell someone a size that doesn't work- just for the sake of the sale.  I would be sending them to the online shops that I buy my own bras from. 

She told me that I am doing her job for her. I told her not to worry- we'd give her the credit. 

But all of this was said by her in a sort of disbelieving disdain.   She even went so far as to give my friend her card upon checking out (three bras were bought), and told her to find her if she ever came "without the personal fitter."  

So, was I being paranoid in thinking this fitter wasn't a fan?  Meanwhile, while we were at the checkout desk, one of the younger consultants I've worked with before smiled at me, waved, and said"Hi Laura!"  I say "worked with" in the general sense that the fitter lets me do the fitting and they just run in the back if I need a size they don't have on the floor.  But there does seem to be a generational divide when it comes to acceptance of someone like me.  The last fitter I'd worked with, who no longer works there, was in between the ages of both the consultants I encountered this weekend.  Although she wasn't as friendly as the young fitter, she wasn't as disdainful as the older fitter.  And the Nordstrom's Corporate Fit Consultant is pretty close to my age. She is super nice, but either refuses, or has no power to change the Nordy's system. 

Is there a chance that I could start as a fitter there and change the system on the inside?  Or would I just be reprimanded for not doing things their way?  I also wish they carried more stock of Freya, Fantasie, Panache.  Those brands are very good quality, but they only carry four or five styles of each.  I guess that could seem like a lot, but that is only until you see the twenty styles of Betsey Johnson they have (nothing against Betsey- they are fine bras, if not a little cheaply made).

Anyway, the reason why I stress bra education so much is because I want each and every one of you to learn how a bra is supposed to fit is so when you are in the room with a fitter- no matter what they put you in- no matter what they try to convince you "fits"- no matter what they try to get you to buy- that you know which bras fit and which bras don't.  Don't let someone talk you into a bra that you neither like, nor fit in to, because you will be wasting your money.  And remember, not every bra that fits you will offer a shape that you like and will wear.  It's okay to be discerning when picking out a bra for yourself!

<3
Laura