Weekly Randoms w/o 7/5

inthewoods23

inthewoods23

Tuesday confession.... I totally still have bras that are likely 10+ years old so I'm going to be overhauling my collection of bras and have a question before I buy more.

How tight should the band feel? The two I bought off Amazon need to be clasped at the widest hook and loop. It's not majorly uncomfortable nor do I feel that I can't breathe. It does give me a little bit of that "muffin top" around the band. Does that mean my band is too small? Or since things stretch out a bit over time is this a good place to start?

Edit - brand recommendations are also welcome if you happen to know any that make a 30D or 32C size.

optimistgardener

Hey @inthewoods23! My thoughts on bra fit should definitely be taken with a grain of salt as I am, like you, prone to wearing bras until all the elastic gives out. That having been said, my understanding of band fit is that it should be fairly tight. Like you say, not so tight that you can't breathe or not so tight that its uncomfortable... but probably tight enough for a little bit of fat escaping below and above the band (mine does). Snug. It turns out that the idea with the tighter hooks is that they are there for when the elastic starts to give up!

I'm a 32DD and I bought a surprisingly comfortable underwire, no-lining bra from a company called Lively a little over a year ago online (actually I bought three different bras but that was the only one that fit). Their return policy was good and the bra has held up so far in heavy rotation as my favorite of the 3 functional bras in my collection (I know, I'm gross, but I hate bra shopping). I bought a cuup (edit: it may actually have been thirdlove, i can't remember now) bra a couple of years before that but it drove me crazy because the straps slipped down my shoulders all the time.

inthewoods23

Thanks @optimistgardener! Today I'm wearing one of them today as a test run. Thankfully I'm in the office today so I'm not suffering with it at home where I could easily go braless. I am definitely not used to wearing something so tight fitting lol but I'm getting used to it. Also this bra is a balconette style and that's a style I haven't had before but. I did the ThirdLove quiz too and it's one of the best styles for my boob shape.

I generally wear a bra for 3-4 days before switching to a new one so now I gotta figure out how many more I should get. Hard to know when I have like 10 bras in my drawer and obviously don't run out since I'm not wearing them most of the time with covid. I'd like to buy a good bunch but I hate the idea of spending a couple hundred on some new bras

optimistgardener

I feel like even though I'm 38 I never really graduated to being the kind of adult woman who actually understands bras. I guess I missed that part of my training along with a whole raft of other stuff. Anyhow, if the bra is really uncomfortable then it's probably wrong for you even if thirdlove's quiz says otherwise. And yeah, I hate how expensive they are, which is why I wound up with Lively, which at least sells some bras that are "only" $35.

Would love to hear the opinions of some other women on here who have more evolved ideas about this important issue.

inthewoods23

@optimistgardener actually, I did a quiz from A Bra That Fits that originally told me 30D. Using ThirdLove's quiz after trying on the new bras that arrived yesterday, 30D does appear to be correct (although it said 30d1/2 because 1 boob is slightly larger and does bulge ever so slightly). Which sucks because that's an obscure size and most department store brands don't make bras in that size. The ones I got on Amazon were $25-30. Brand is b.tempted by Wacoal. I don't think I could convince myself enough that it's okay to buy a bra for $50+ like a lot of brands are.

[Deleted User]

***If I may lurk on the bra topic***

Any time I have felt the need to overhaul my bras, due to weight fluctuations or just growing up and looking aghast in the bra drawer stuff, I have to recommend getting professionally fitted.  Now that stores are opening back up again, I would literally go hit THE MALL and find both a VS, and a decent department store to get measured at and get those, "professional opinions."  I remember being astonished at my sizing once I got measured, and being surprised that I needed a different size in different styles, even of the same brand.  I took a good long time getting measured and trying on various VS styles and surprising myself at what I liked / flattered the most. i.e. not necessarily what I would have picked if I had just been shopping online.  A good department store lingerie section will also have someone who can fit you, just remember some people are better at it or more inclined towards it than others, and may have their own opinions.  But at least that way you can compare to what the VS people say, and see if they actually match up / develop your own opinion about who seems to know what they are talking about, or fit your own personal bra philosophy, or whatever.  You could get fitted three times and get three different answers, but at least if you get 2/3 start to match, then you can maybe feel a bit more confident ordering online.

ETA
Apparently the struggle is real for smaller ribcages.  I learned something today!
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.change.org/p/victoria-s-secret-where-are-your-28-and-30-band-bras" title="Link: https://www.change.org/p/victoria-s-secret-where-are-your-28-and-30-band-bras">https://www.change.org/p/victoria-s-secret-where-are-your-28-and-30-band-bras</a>

anniemarie887

just chiming in to say i also need to like overhaul bras/underwear/socks/pajamas and am solidly in denial about spending the $ for it. i've heard mixed things about third love. 
@inthewoods23 i was always told to start at the widest hook and work your way in as a bra essentially stretches out. 

pajamstagrams

@inthewoods23 all my bras are Natori brand, and i get them from Nordstrom. ($60+ though) They *occasionally* have 30 band styles if I remember correctly. I used to be a 30DD ish back in the day, but I wear 32s now.  Alsoooo Nordstrom will alter bras for you, if you need extra adjusting.

I would go to a specialty bra store if possible (not VS, as they don't carry 30 band if I remember correctly) and try a bunch on, and/or get fitted.

gingermama29

Chiming in to say that I love my bras from Torrid. I got fitted there a few years ago and haven’t shopped anywhere else for a bra since. I had a really crappy experience trying to get fitted at VS; I think the woman that did it had no idea what she was doing because the size she gave me wasn’t one that they carried in their store (she said I was a G or something - I’m. DD) and the band was completely the wrong number. 

inthewoods23

@anniemarie887 yeah I also have pairs of underwear that are from my college days 10+ years ago. But hey they are still in good condition! Lol

@pajamstagrams that's the thing, 30 band bras are super uncommon so even if I got fitted by someone, would they even be able to show me bras in my measured size?

inthewoods23

@gingermama29 I was definitely a Maidenform girl for years after discovering their dreamwire bra that felt amazing. You couldn't even feel that it had underwire. Sadly they don't make size 30 bands 😢 I suppose I could try a 32C from them and see how it goes.

pajamstagrams

@inthewoods23 a specialty bra store/Nordstrom should carry 30 bands. Anything smaller and you'd probably have to order online, but I've definitely tried on 30s at a lingerie store, and I believe Nordstrom as well. Unfortunately none of the cheaper bras (aka under $50) ever come in 30s or below 🙄. At this point I don't even try on bras in store because my size (32DDD) is hard to find as well, and was even harder when I was a 32G. so I buy $300 of bras at a time and just return what I don't like. 

inthewoods23

@pajamstagrams I'd rather just buy online. It's easier 😆 I remember the days of going back and forth in a Kohls trying various B cup bras and C cups when I was younger. So annoying.

optimistgardener

@inthewoods23 i'd totally try the 32C and see if that works, esp. since you seem to feel like the 30 band is maybe a little snugger than you'd like, and since 30 is such a pain to find.

mamanbebe

@inthewoods23 depending on the fit, I’ll swap between 34C or 36B, so like @optimistgardener already mentioned, you could try going up in band, down in cup. I also remember that you want it to be snug on the first clasp.  The others are for when the bras start stretching out. There are some websites that help you do the fitting. 

Eta better link

https://www.wearlively.com/pages/fit-guide

inthewoods23

Alright ladies. In your opinion, if a bra feels snug as it should but you get the fabric indents in your skin, is that still considered too tight? Having worn this bra a few times now it's more comfortable, but I get some lovely lines near my armpit. Unless that's just due to the nature of this fabric band which is some kind of mesh. Thoughts?

pajamstagrams

As long as it doesn't hurt, I don't care about fabric indents 🤷‍♀️ 

inthewoods23

@pajamstagrams I figure too it'll stretch out a little after the first wash. I think the tag did say to wash it first but I didn't... oh well. How often do people not bother with that I wonder?

stormageddon-darklordofall

@inthewoods23 I like NEVER wash anything before I wear it, even though everything in the world tells you that you should.
Also, I don't worry about fabric indents, as long as it doesn't hurt/rub/dig in.