I've been bra shopping...

A little corner to talk bra sizing, good places to shop, helpful blog links, all things body positive.

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PrettyPrincess
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I've been bra shopping...

Post by PrettyPrincess »

I REALLY wish that bra makers would standardize their cup sizes - I now own a half dozen bras ranging from a G cup to a J cup. At least band sizes aren't too bad, they are one of two sizes...
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DinkyInky
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by DinkyInky »

I could write a ten page rant on that, starting with Victoria's Secret, to my awesome sisters shopping, to Lane Bryant, and ending at Wal-mart of all places. I range from DD to G, and band sizes from 36-38.

Victoria's Secret rarely has my size(and usually is ugly animal print) and always try to shove me into ill fitting, but pretty bras, because when I was smaller busted, I was a great customer.

Lane Bryant has pretty bras in my size, but nothing else will fit me, and there are days I'd love pretty underwear and clothes to go with. The only time I fit into their clothes, I was pregnant with my son, and damn, did I look good! They do not try to sell me anything I can't wear, so good CS.

Wal-mart has plain white cotton blend bras in my size on rare occasions, and eleventybillion pretty ones that are nowhere near my size. The one near me has excellent CS, and try to help me when possible, which is hard, because they are always busy.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Julie »

Maybe I'm lucky (or maybe I'm just so fixated on my "favorite" bra that I don't try to deviate from it ever...just buy it in different colors), but I haven't had that much deviation in cup sizing. Ever since I lost all that weight (which admittedly I may not be finished doing) I've settled into a FF, and the only time I have been presented with a different cup size than that was when I was in England...where the sizing isn't an exact match to the US. I do know that every bra manufacturer is different (and sometimes it's not just that the cup size is wrong, but that the shape of the cup makes it necessary to change size)...and every bra is different..and I hate that. I think that all sizing should be standardized...not just bras, but women's clothing. Men's pants are sized based on their waist measurement and their inseam...why can't we size similarly?

Oh, and the bandwidth thing is tres annoying. If you actually measure me around the ribcage, I'm between a 34 and 36, but most 36 bras are uncomfortably tight and dig into my skin on the loosest hook...yet the 38s I'm wearing now are big enough that I have to wear them on the tightest hooks and there's still a bit of extra fabric stretch that results in a not-quite-perfect fit on my bras. :( It's ridiculous.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by DinkyInky »

Julie wrote:I do know that every bra manufacturer is different (and sometimes it's not just that the cup size is wrong, but that the shape of the cup makes it necessary to change size)...and every bra is different..and I hate that. I think that all sizing should be standardized...not just bras, but women's clothing. Men's pants are sized based on their waist measurement and their inseam...why can't we size similarly?
Now this I can answer..With my Mother being a Tailor and such...
Women have these lovely curves. Men don't have that hourglass figure. Women's trousers have waist, hip, and inseam measurements even if they are not listed.

For example, I wear a 33-4/30 in Men's jeans(mainly because I have to taper them for my hips, and adjust the waist. I wear a 7 in Juniors(Phat fashions Silver Label), and a 10 petite in Ladies. With the Juniors, I generally have to hem it up between 1 and 4 inches. With Ladies, I have to take out cuffs and lengthen the hem.

When I worked in a Mall, the outlet shoppes told me garment manufacturers often mislabel trousers by a size to get a quota out, which ends up being a huge reason places like TJ Maxx get so many odds and seconds.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

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Julie
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Julie »

DinkyInky wrote:
Julie wrote:I do know that every bra manufacturer is different (and sometimes it's not just that the cup size is wrong, but that the shape of the cup makes it necessary to change size)...and every bra is different..and I hate that. I think that all sizing should be standardized...not just bras, but women's clothing. Men's pants are sized based on their waist measurement and their inseam...why can't we size similarly?
Now this I can answer..With my Mother being a Tailor and such...
Women have these lovely curves. Men don't have that hourglass figure. Women's trousers have waist, hip, and inseam measurements even if they are not listed.

For example, I wear a 33-4/30 in Men's jeans(mainly because I have to taper them for my hips, and adjust the waist. I wear a 7 in Juniors(Phat fashions Silver Label), and a 10 petite in Ladies. With the Juniors, I generally have to hem it up between 1 and 4 inches. With Ladies, I have to take out cuffs and lengthen the hem.

When I worked in a Mall, the outlet shoppes told me garment manufacturers often mislabel trousers by a size to get a quota out, which ends up being a huge reason places like TJ Maxx get so many odds and seconds.
I know that women have the curves that make simpler sizing difficult, but if they don't want to cater to every body type, they could still address the basic waist and inseam measurements and leave the tailoring to us when our hips are too big/legs are too short/whatever. They already expect that...I'd just like to know what "number" I should be looking for instead of trying every size on to figure out which one fits the bigger parts of my body that I can then tailor to also fit the smaller parts. It's not even as uniform for me as it seems to be for you. I wear a 14 in my jeans (if I buy Levis) even though that's a smidge too big (next size down is still too small). At the same store and in the same "ladies" section, I'll buy a 12 in slacks. Then I buy a 16 in blouses (even when I buy from Pepperberry, where I have to get a 16 Super Curvy) because my arms haven't toned up as well as the rest of me so far, but I can wear some (definitely not all) XL tops from the Juniors section...or 1X blouses from certain stores...or L t-shirts. I don't even know what I'd wear in shorts or swimwear (since I haven't shopped for those kinds of items in years).

I shouldn't have to have that many different sizes and situations in my brain. I should know that I have a certain size waist (used to know, but haven't measured it in a while) and a certain length inseam (never knew that one since there wasn't much reason to) for pants, and I should know that I measure about 43" around the widest part of my torso and my torso to waist measures a certain number (again, don't know right now since it wasn't something worth remembering), so I should be able to shop for tops that are marked clearly showing they can accomodate those measurements.

Just sayin'...*end rant*
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Atomic »

For what it's worth, when I buy shoes, it's somewhere between a size 8 and 11 1/2.

So much for Standard Sizing.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by DinkyInky »

I hear you Julie. The only reason I know my sizes are because Mother is a tailor, and made sure I knew my sizes at all times.

I know how to hem pants and to taper them(though I generally leave them baggy because tapering them is a PitA, and I won't bother my Mother for that, though she usually complains when I wear them, and attempts to alter them for me anyway).

I also use tricks when I need to take in the waist(one quick fix is to sew an extra button the same size as the original where it's needed. You can generally do this up to a couple of inches over on the right of the original button for ladies without it looking too odd). I wear long shirts most of the time, so they aren't noticeable even if it is a bit odd.
For slacks, if they are over four inches too long, I usually make a cuff and press them and make them more dressy(you need a minimum of four inches to make a cuff).
If I have some that fit a bit too snug in the hip, I sew the front pockets shut to give a polished look to them, and makes it look a bit more sleek. Try to match the thread closely to the colour of the pants. Since I rarely use them, it just made sense, and it ended up making me look nice.

Until I learned to tailor my pants, I just bought men's jeans, because they were comfortable(I hate low-riders) and didn't show parts of me that should stay covered up (crack kills, yanno!)...and fit rather well. I do like Baby Phat jeans for me, though I do wish they made ones with less stretchy stuff in them, because I'd love to own a pair of them for more than a year or two.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

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Julie
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Julie »

I know this was a long deceased thread, but I was shopping and am dealing with being a weird size through a provider. Just to illustrate the absurdity of sizing please see the Bra Size Conversion Chart that this company has on their sizing page (you have to scroll down a bit). http://wellfitting.com/pages/bra-size-calculator

It's ridiculous...especially when you see the differences between the various countries. :( I also take issue with the fact that US doesn't have large bust bra sizes. That explains why I've got to pay a crapton of money for my bras. They're apparently all coming from foreign manufacturers (the Wellfitting folks make their bras in Poland, and I've bought several bras and related busty garments from the folks at Bravissimo in the UK).

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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Catawampus »

Julie wrote:Men's pants are sized based on their waist measurement and their inseam...why can't we size similarly?
I've noticed lately that a lot of the stores in the area are getting too simple in their sizing. Such as in labeling men's trousers as just "Large" or "Medium", which is about as vague and useless as sizing gets.

And now I'm reminded that I have to go sock shopping before too long. Yay.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by shadowinthelight »

On top of the insanity of the sizing conversions, WTF is up with their site rendering as a window inside the window? Image
Catawampus wrote:And now I'm reminded that I have to go sock shopping before too long. Yay.
Oh yeah, gotta love "fits size 6-12" which leaves the heel up by your Achilles tendon if you don't have big clown feet.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Catawampus »

shadowinthelight wrote:
Catawampus wrote:And now I'm reminded that I have to go sock shopping before too long. Yay.
Oh yeah, gotta love "fits size 6-12" which leaves the heel up by your Achilles tendon if you don't have big clown feet.
It gets a lot more complicated and frustrating than just that for me, unfortunately. But I don't want to hijack this into a sock-themed topic, so to get back on subject:

The one time I did try going bra shopping (not for my own wearing, in case you were wondering [though there was that one time when-. . .ummm. . .never mind]) was frustrating, too, now that I think on it. Apparently 32-E is a "really weird size" according to the sales clerks in the stores, and trying to buy online without being able to try things on has its own perils due to the above-mentioned idiosyncrasies of sizing methods.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by DinkyInky »

Catawampus wrote:
shadowinthelight wrote:
Catawampus wrote:And now I'm reminded that I have to go sock shopping before too long. Yay.
Oh yeah, gotta love "fits size 6-12" which leaves the heel up by your Achilles tendon if you don't have big clown feet.
It gets a lot more complicated and frustrating than just that for me, unfortunately. But I don't want to hijack this into a sock-themed topic, so to get back on subject:

The one time I did try going bra shopping (not for my own wearing, in case you were wondering [though there was that one time when-. . .ummm. . .never mind]) was frustrating, too, now that I think on it. Apparently 32-E is a "really weird size" according to the sales clerks in the stores, and trying to buy online without being able to try things on has its own perils due to the above-mentioned idiosyncrasies of sizing methods.
Must never read these threads with coffee. I read "sock topic" and mah brain derailed it the rest of the way. My sister gets me these cute deco-print footies, and the heel and toes always wear out fast. I've taken to making heel and toe caps for them in similar colours(bargain bin scraps are marvelous) and darning them. If I remember, I also do this with the new ones.

Try finding 36-8DD. Or 40DD in HQ shoppes. Really hard. VS apparently does make larger sizes, but they don't have them in house normally, but for a few loud ones. They still use all the cute patterns for the ibtc ones. I have a royal blue one that's really nice, and a summer punch one with a braided t back strap. My Angels are sadly tan or sand(as calling it flesh coloured on my olive complexion is silly). They make most of the cute ones in my size tan, black, grey, white. I only keep one in each colour. I also need to practice my trapunto, as im replacing the metal with rolled poly corset boning, and it's hard to fit...and I'm refusing to waste another $150 bra because the metal corroded in three months(with rotations).

Tempted to goto their blowout sales and pick up several fugly cotton ones, then tie-dye them into cute colours.
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Atomic »

Sounds like it's time to learn a nice Sari wrap bra and be done with it!

And just remember clothing sizes have changed numbers over the years -- vanity and all that. Marlyn Monroe was a size 12 -- today she'd be a size 6 or less!

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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Julie »

Atomic wrote:Sounds like it's time to learn a nice Sari wrap bra and be done with it!

And just remember clothing sizes have changed numbers over the years -- vanity and all that. Marlyn Monroe was a size 12 -- today she'd be a size 6 or less!

Image
Never mind that bust is only one half of the sizing issue. According to my most recent shopping trip, my hips and thighs are one size...my waist is the next size down...and my bust...well that's another ball of wax entirely. There's a reason I only own one dress at the moment. :roll:
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

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DinkyInky wrote:Must never read these threads with coffee. I read "sock topic" and mah brain derailed it the rest of the way. My sister gets me these cute deco-print footies, and the heel and toes always wear out fast. I've taken to making heel and toe caps for them in similar colours(bargain bin scraps are marvelous) and darning them. If I remember, I also do this with the new ones.
My problem is that due to having spent sixteen or so years running around without shoes on, my feet are larger and wider and more "oddly shaped" than the usual that sock companies cater to. Added to that is how my toenails grow in extremely fast and very sharp, and I end up having to search long and hard to find socks that will fit me and then usually have my toes poking through the gaping holes in the end within three or four wearings. Replacing the toes only fixes the problem for a short time.

I did have a friend knit me some out of an alpaca/Kevlar mix, and those have held up pretty well. Maybe I need to go down to the local alpaca ranch and start feeding the critters fragments of body armour. . .
Try finding 36-8DD.
Nah, I look ridiculous in anything larger than an A. Errrrr, or so I would imagine. . .yeah. . .
I also need to practice my trapunto, as im replacing the metal with rolled poly corset boning, and it's hard to fit...and I'm refusing to waste another $150 bra because the metal corroded in three months(with rotations).
Why the heck wouldn't they use non-reactive metal in the first place, or something other than metal?
Atomic wrote:Sounds like it's time to learn a nice Sari wrap bra and be done with it!
Though those have their own hazards. I did once go shopping with a female friend of mine who tried one of those on in a store, and things got a bit overly interesting when she lifted her arms over her head. . .
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Julie »

Catawampus wrote:
Atomic wrote:Sounds like it's time to learn a nice Sari wrap bra and be done with it!
Though those have their own hazards. I did once go shopping with a female friend of mine who tried one of those on in a store, and things got a bit overly interesting when she lifted her arms over her head. . .
I also seriously doubt how those things could possibly be helpful in minimizing movement or providing lift to a heavier set of bosoms. :?
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

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Catawampus wrote:
I also need to practice my trapunto, as im replacing the metal with rolled poly corset boning, and it's hard to fit...and I'm refusing to waste another $150 bra because the metal corroded in three months(with rotations).
Why the heck wouldn't they use non-reactive metal in the first place, or something other than metal?

Duh... so they get you to fork over ANOTHER $150 bucks? they are a company trying to make a profit after all... they must have figured out just the right mix of the durability-to-flimsness ratio to keep the customers coming back despite the bra's falling apart so soon.

PS, "IS" that too soon for a bra? i would assume it IS: as i don't wear them, so i don't know how long they're SUPPOSED to last.

PPS then again, it may not be their fault... i knew a few people when i was in the Navy, that went thru wrist watches like crazy because their skin literally corroded the back faces of them; various brands, qualities, materials... nothing worked one gave up trying and just bought an old-fashioned pocket-watch on a lanyard/chain thingy. the others just switched out to super-dooper el-cheapo's that they could replace all the time and not worry TOO much about the expense...
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by TazManiac »

Julie wrote:
Catawampus wrote:
Atomic wrote:Sounds like it's time to learn a nice Sari wrap bra and be done with it!
Though those have their own hazards. I did once go shopping with a female friend of mine who tried one of those on in a store, and things got a bit overly interesting when she lifted her arms over her head. . .
I also seriously doubt how those things could possibly be helpful in minimizing movement or providing lift to a heavier set of bosoms. :?
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by Mark N »

scantrontb wrote: PPS then again, it may not be their fault... i knew a few people when i was in the Navy, that went thru wrist watches like crazy because their skin literally corroded the back faces of them; various brands, qualities, materials... nothing worked one gave up trying and just bought an old-fashioned pocket-watch on a lanyard/chain thingy. the others just switched out to super-dooper el-cheapo's that they could replace all the time and not worry TOO much about the expense...
We, the people with overly high or low PH levels, are great at messing up metals and the surfaces of items like keyboards and car interiors and also have a horrible time with finding decent watches and jewelry. If it is not near pure gold it is a disaster. We also have a habit of absorbing the base metals that are on watch-backs and cheap rings.
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Re: I've been bra shopping...

Post by shadowinthelight »

Julie wrote:I also seriously doubt how those things could possibly be helpful in minimizing movement or providing lift to a heavier set of bosoms. :?
You could probably get great support from duct tape. Taking it off, however...
Mark N wrote:If it is not near pure gold it is a disaster. We also have a habit of absorbing the base metals that are on watch-backs and cheap rings.
Wouldn't it be something if cheap jewelry was the real reason the Incredible Hulk is green and angry?
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