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My only contribution, as a guy who has been married to a bountiful lady for many years, is that if you find a bra you like buy a lot of them. Buy one or two a month, if you need to budget for it. Stock up, because they will very likely go away.
Bra companies delight in dropping lines and sizes that fit my wife. She swears she can hear them cackling to themselves over it.
[ April 29, 2005, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Quid - if you don't mind me asking, what size are you? I've had to buy specialty bras for YEARS. I'm currently a 36HH. Yes, HH. That's not a typo. I'm 5'2", and my chest measurement is 54" if you run the tape measure all the way around my boobs. I am actually scheduled for breast reduction surgery on June 22nd, and I CANNOT WAIT.... I've been trying for years and I've finally been approved. I guess once you reach "circus freak" status they think that maybe you're not making it up. I have several websites that are good sources, but if you get much bigger than a DDD, you're not going to find anything really *sexy*. Comfort and avoiding the uni-boob are just about all you can hope for... I haven't been able to wear a "sexy" bra since sometime around 1991-1992.
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I have a friend who is a 34 I. She has to have her bras altered by a seamstress (still cheaper than custom).
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Glad Rags has great re-usable pads. I actually make my own from old cloth diapers with a layer of fleece on the back to prevent leakage. Sew on some snaps and...viola! I haven't bought menstrual products in over 10 years.
I am wearing a Decent Exposures bra right now. It's very comfy, and the organic cotton is very breathable. I know they're not underwire, quid, but they have better support than you'd think.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I also like the smooth "t-shirt" bras, that have some padding in them. But...they crinkle in the wash! I don't want dimpled boobs! I haven't been able to find any with padding that don't crinkle, so I have to get ones with thinner/flexible padding. Does anyone know of a brand that doesn't do this? Preferably with underwires?
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Eruve - I like the regular One Fabulous Fit bras from Maidenform. There are about a million incarnations (t-back, with lace, etc.) that I've not tried, but the regular one has enough padding to be comfy (and prevent headlighting) and doesn't get weird or bunchy when washed.
I suppose I need to go bra shopping somewhere swanky where they can measure me and tell me what size I should be wearing (and then sell me the right sized bra for a million dollars). When trying to measure myself the way most places tell you to, I get an absurd and impossible size. I guess I just need to start trying on more bra sizes and see if I can find the proper one. At the moment, I end up wearing a 38B with a bra extender on the biggest setting, and even then, it's not quite right. *sigh*
quote: I suppose I need to go bra shopping somewhere swanky where they can measure me and tell me what size I should be wearing (and then sell me the right sized bra for a million dollars).
I don't have the guts to walk in some place like Victoria's Secret. I rationalise it by telling myself that they're way overpriced anyway.
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If you're going some place to get properly fitted, I would not go with a chain. In my experience, small stand-alone lingerie stores gives far better service -- and are far more discreet. YMMV.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Just before I left Canada, I went to one of those places that do the bra fittings - a stand alone, not chain. Even they couldn't get the bra to fit right. I do a better job on my own. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I was looking at the bras at Fred Meyer tonight, and they had the size "Nearly A". Abbreviated NA. I was thinking, "NA sounds about right".
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Just to pitch in once again, they run bra fitting clinics at our JCPenney every couple of months. They say that almost 50% of women wear the wrong size bra in the USA, but never even know it.
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About the menstrual products, since I brought it up anyway:
Why does one website sell both The Keeper and The Diva Cup? Is there a difference? Is one better? Does anyone like them?
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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I noticed that, kq, and that's very appealing. But no underwire, and it doesn't appear to have very good support, which I definitely need.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I can't post what JenniK is here, it isn't my place....
But I know that she has had the same problems you ahve mentioned here, only worse.
She is larger, I believe, and that is why she bought like 6 bras at LB last time we were there....."just in case". Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Bra shopping in Thailand is definitely out.
quote:Bangkok - There's an old adage that size doesn't matter. Well, that is not always the case, especially if you happen to be an expatriate woman living in Thailand.
Apart from older foreign men running off with young Thai women, there can hardly be anything that arouses the passion of expatriate women in Bangkok more than the issue of brassieres - or the bra as it is more commonly known.
So what's the fuss? Thai women are just that much smaller in certain respects, and the local market does not cater to the thousands of expatriate women resident in this metropolis, who happen to be bigger.
Even a lady of minor proportions, say from Germany, can suddenly find herself going from a 36A to a 38C in the course a 12-hour flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok. Flattering you might say, but for the woman entering one of Bangkok's many department stores it is not a pleasant experience being told by one of the many smiling Thai shop assistants, "No. No. Tua yai" - "No. No. Big body." It can, in some cases, be soul destroying.
quote: Bonnie Meyer, a teacher from Pretoria, said, "It's not possible to get a bra here that fits. Women with big breasts just do not exist in this country."
Ironically, Thailand manufactures enormous quantities of ladies underwear, but it is aimed at the Asian market only.
This really shouldn't surprise me.
I've tried finding similar info on Singapore, but haven't been able to locate any commentary either way.
However, in the search for similar info on Sri Lanka, I found this:
quote: The Jathika Hela Urumaya wants to close down garment industries and also bring back all women in the Middle East. Please go to the newspaper and read it in full. Quoted below is the most relevant part.They [Jathika Hela Urumaya] are also against the lucrative garment factories which employ more than 350,000 people, mainly women. We don't want this country to be a tailoring shop for the world," Buddhist monk Athuraliya Ratana said at Horana. However, Horana is home to a Bodyline brassiere factory which has turned out 21 million T-shirt bras for Victoria's Secret in the last five years.
In theory, you'd think I'd be able to find some of these bras here. Now I want to know if they have a factory outlet, or if they sell any of the products locally.
Oh wait. But Victoria's Secret is limited in the larger sizes. It's probably a bust anyway. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: About the menstrual products, since I brought it up anyway:
Why does one website sell both The Keeper and The Diva Cup? Is there a difference? Is one better? Does anyone like them?
Dunno. The sites say The Keeper is latex, while the Diva Cup is silicone. I guess if you are allergic to latex, the Keeper is NOT the way to go. To be honest, I'd been wondering about products like this, so I'm glad it came up. As to whether they're worth it, ask me in month or so. Posts: 1757 | Registered: Oct 2004
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And I'm allergic to silicone, so that means the Diva Cup is out for me. Thanks for the info.
Tomorrow, after I pick up my new passport from the Canadian High Commission, I'm heading to a few clothing shops here who may, or may not, have bras in my size. I want to give it one more try before I opt for the expensive method of mail order from the US.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Wow, after reading this thread, I am not allowed to ever complain about bra sizes ever again O_o
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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FYI: Lane Bryant is currently having an "intimates" sale. $2 off each of 2 or 3 items; $3 off each if you get four.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Great, I need to find a strapless push-up bra by this Friday, where can I get one other than Victoria's? I went to Walmart yesterday, but I didn't like what I saw.
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:And if you go to the Wizard of Bras, you get a free groping by the old lady.
You know, if being groped by an old lady would get me a good-fitting bra, I'd do it in a heartbeat....
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Alt, I got my strapless push-up at "the store formerly known as The Bon Marche, briefly known as Bon-Macy's, and now just known as Macy's".
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Wasn't that a sad transformation, Romany? I was at my friendly neighborhood Bon this weekend, former home of the Snobby Bolivian Saleswoman. Instead of her comforting haughty smile, I got a happy lady with too much lipstick who answered the phone with "Thank you for calling Macy's! How can I provide you with excellent service?"
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I can't believe I haven't updated here with that House of Fashion horror story. It was the week after that post up there, and we went and looked at bras. They had a few bras that were possibly in my size - spent half an hour fishing through the bras - and the possibles were all extremely flimsy lace that would probably get holes the first time they were worn. Still, I was willing to try out of desperation.
They had a sign up saying no refunds on bras and panties. Panties I understand, but bras? Whatever. So I ask the salesman (man, yes. No women working in the ladies lingerie section, go figure) for a change room and he said there wasn't one. I need to know if these will fit, I say. He says, "don't you know your size?" Uh, yeah, but they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even within a manufacturer with different lines. There is no such thing as standardized sizing. They must be tried on to see if they fit. He says, "no, no fitting room. You can try it on here." What, in the store? In front of all these people? You want me to get naked? And he pretty much says nothing at that point, and I throw them down in a fit of disgust. I'm not buying something that I can't verify will fit and have no way to return. This should not be a crapshoot and the customer should not be forced to foot the bill for products that cannot be determined to be suitable.
I also went to the Triumph store - Triumph being a brand of bras. It's the manufacturer's outlet. I asked for underwire bras in my size, and I was told that underwire bras don't come in anything over a C cup and over a 36 band size. Why not, I asked. Because larger breasts don't need the underwire, the manager responded.
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And now for part deux. I was getting weird error messages trying to post the whole thing, so broke it up to see if it would work.
Since then, I've kept looking. I've had many discussions with other women, and the general consensus is that all bras in this country - other than Odel's (which, let's face it, is an upscale store targeting foreigners and the rich) and House of Fashion, and the Triumph store, there are no other sources of underwire bras available for sale for the local women. Local women, including my mil, do not understand the value of underwire. Why would they when they've never felt or seen the difference?
So. My sister came for a visit, and at my request, came bearing bra patterns. One for underwire bras, one without underwires. I know which I prefer to make, but it's nice to have options in the event I need 'em. So now, with patterns, it became time to enlist the mil.
This morning, we went shopping to Maharagama, a village close by which has an abundance of stores carrying fabrics of all kinds, notions shops (zippers, serger thread, buttons, lace...), and that sort of thing. There are even custom bra makers in shops here (not that we found them). We even found one shop that carried a huge stock of those foam bra cup thingies. Not in my size, of course, but still... It's looking hopeful.
I get my bra strap elastic, the elastic for the bottom of the bra, the power net, the hooks and eyes... In short, I get everything I need to make 4 bras (or more - I'll see once I cut everything out) for around $6. Everything, that is, except the underwires.
Which no one has a clue where they can be found.
Time to either consult more women or order from overseas.
At least I'm now down to one item rather than, well, everything. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Yeah, thought of that... Problem is that the old bra has underwires in the wrong diameter (I lost weight and the boobs shrunk ). Hooks and eyes rust here, so they tend to need replacing before the bra is worn out - I have two bras that still fit but needs them replaced, and now that I have replacements, will do that today or tomorrow. Don't need the rings and sliders since I'm fitting the bra to *my* body, and so the straps will be sewn for my personal fit.
Now then, another thought had occurred to me last night about the underwires... Labour is cheap here. I might be able to go to a metal working shop and have them make me underwires. Probably cheaper than what I've found on the internet - cheapest is $1.65 per pair in my size plus shipping. I need to get Fahim to ask his mom what she thinks - she knows pretty much everything. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I would go ahead and put in sliders since in my experience, the elastic stretches over time and you may need to do them up occasionally. I guess if you are that good at sewing, you could just fix them though. Silly me. I wish I were good enough at sewing to make real stuff. I just canibalize my daughter's jeans.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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The bra elastic I found is the really really really really good bra elastic, which surprised the heck out of me. It's the exact same elastic as what was on my $135 bra that I've worn for 3 1/2 years, and that elastic hasn't stretched a bit. Yeah, not worried. But like you say, if it becomes a problem, I'll just take it apart and re-sew.
You know, you could take a class in sewing. It's not that hard once it's demystified. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Wow! I'm impressed that you're going to sew your own bras. I can't in a million years imagine doing that myself.
I am happy that I found some new bras (I've apparently changed size, but to one that I can actually find in stores!)that aren't insanely expensive. The JCPennys here carries a series of bras that fit me really well that are 2/$25 regular price. O_o So, I'm stocking up. Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I was supposed to go with a friend to Victoria Secret tonight, she swears by the seamless bra (I don't remember if I got the name correct) and since I always complain about having large breasts, she wanted to come for moral support/to make me go.
I'm too chicken. I cancelled. I feel very uncomfortable with the whole "fitting". I know that I should get it done/I kind of want to but I'm really freaked out about it.
Can someone tell me what exactly that entails? Do I get to keep my shirt on? Am I being measured? Is some stranger in the changing room with me?
[Edit: I confess that I haven't read this whole thread, but if it's been addressed, I would appreciate it if someone could tell me which page...)
(Sorry for changing the subject of your sewing project of necessity quid...kudos to you for even being able to attempt that!)
quote:Originally posted by sweetbaboo: Do I get to keep my shirt on? Am I being measured? Is some stranger in the changing room with me?
I'm not big on people I don't know real well touching me (especially relatively intimately), and I have always been fine when I had bras fit. To answer your questions in order:
You can, but they'll be able to get a much better fit if you don't. Yes. Some experienced fitters can do a really good job by eyeballing, but most measure just to be sure. Well, not while you're actually donning the bra, but given my suggestion for your first question, wouldn't you rather it be inside a changing room? Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Thread drift, sweetbaboo, it happens all the time.
Be prepared to get naked in front of the fitter, and be prepared for her to give you bras to put on and have her examine how they look on you. Yep, you'll have a stranger in the changeroom with you. You're going to be about as naked as you expect.
I've been reading up on bramaking for a while, doing my research, and from what I can tell, from what others who've gone before me say, if you have basic sewing skills, it can be done. I have more than that, so... The first bra will likely take two or three hours to sew, and after that, the time taken will halve. It's all just straight stitches and zig zag stitches, nothing really that complicated. I've got the pattern, and there isn't that much to it. Okay, you've got to have precision, especially for sewing the underwire channeling, but it's really not complicated at all.
I'll tell you if that's true after I actually do it. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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So rivka, do you just walk in and ask to be fitted for a bra...it feels so soliticous in nature (is that even a word?). Ack!
(My husband thinks it is hilarious that I'm so uncomfortable with being fitted for a bra since I've had 3 children...maybe they could give me some drugs to cope with the discomfort?)
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I rationalise it by telling myself that they're way overpriced anyway. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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One for underwire bras, one without underwires. I know which I prefer to make, but it's nice to have options in the event I need 'em. 
