Panache: Sophie Soft Support - Candy Pink

I've been buying bras again. Of course, I run a bra blog, what else? I think this will be the last bra I buy for a while because- unless my boyfriend feels like buying me some- I won't be paying my phone contract or eating all summer. The joys of being a student! And before you ask, no, I do not have a job because I have temporary mobility issues that are under observation by different medical practitioners. Just throwing that out there because I don't want to be accused of being lazy. :)

I blame my latest Bravissimo catalogue. I either don't see any bras I like or I see lots. This time was the latter. I can count seven on my Bravissimo wishlist with the matching underwear. I had resigned myself to merely lusting after them due to the prices and mostly forgot about them until I was eBaying my usual bra sizes, seeing what I could pick up for cheap. I actually found one of the ones I had been desperate for; Panache's Sophie Soft Cup Bra. Unusually for me, this bra is non-underwired which I was wary about; something I noticed after the initial thoughts of 'Ooh pretty! Oh, it's a maternity bra.. Oh.. It's non-underwired.' I then realised they offered the maternity bra separately from the soft cup bra. This may not matter to some people but I didn't like the idea of owning a maternity bra when I am neither a mother nor pregnant. I chose to overlook the soft cup issue (I view them as somewhat 'frumpy' for reasons I'm uncertain of) in favour of how pretty it was. Even my boyfriend thought it was attractive.

See how pretty it is? <3

Anyway, back to eBay. I'd accidentally stumbled upon both the soft cup bra and matching thong in my sizes of 30F and 10 as opposed to my base of 28FF and 8. I didn't mind, both were brand new in their cellophane packets and were the only candy pink Sophie set in one of my sizes on eBay. Needless to say, I won the set for around a third of the price Bravissimo are selling them for- well justified in my opinion. Plus in this random heatwave, underwires are making me hot and uncomfortable.

I love the shape given :)

I was quite surprised with the support, given that it has no wires and the hint of cleavage I'm given. The straps are fully adjustable and it is so darn comfy that I can't believe it. There are also six separate sets of dual hook and eyes on the back; GG+ in this bra have three. I prefer having three but beggars can't be choosers.

The full set, with cleavage! <3

- Michelle x

Gorgeous by Debenhams

I have a real treat here today- not one, not two but six bras by Debenhams own Gorgeous label. Now I had no idea what I should be wearing from Debenhams with the only item remotely bra-like I own from them being a 34E bikini top which needless to say no longer fits. My last fitting at Bravissimo put me in a 28FF or a 30F so I went with 28FF as my estimate.

Four of them are a 28FF, one is a 28G (I'm sure I ordered a 28FF) and the last is 30FF. The reason behind the last one being it was the only size near mine as it was a sale item.

Kris Line: Freesia Balconette - Pink/Grey

So I've been a bit AWOL and skint recently (moving house, exams and all that jazz), so although I've found about ten new bras I need in my life, I realistically haven't been able to buy any.

Except this one by Kris Line at brastop. I actually gasped when I saw the picture of the bra and although that was partly down to the gorgeous model; it was mostly the bra. I needed this one like I needed no other bra. The only problem was they don't run to a 28 back and they only had sizes DD and GG in stock. Both out of my usual size range and it was a brand I had never worn before. I've only bought Curvy Kate from brastop and I wasn't too sure how my Kris Line bra would fit. I decided to order the 30DD due to the larger back size and the smaller cup and prayed it would fit.

Looks like a perfect fit but the wires don't extend back far enough.
Nothing too major though. I know, I'm naughty.

Upon arrival I did notice it actually isn't shimmery and iridescent like the website led me to believe but this didn't bother me enough to return it. It was still beautiful. I made a comment to my boyfriend, "look, my new bra is tiny!" to which he mentioned that I had a 'normal sized bra'. I wish my breasts weren't such a talking point or laughing stock in my family but they are. Looking down at the beautiful bra in my hand, I tried it on. And for some wonderful and inexplicable reason, the bra fit. I could have done with an E or F cup but there are slightly obvious muffins but no discomfort here. The band has four hooks not three and fits more like a 28 when using the tightest two. I was so happy I wouldn't have to send it back but at the same time I was disappointed I couldn't afford the matching undies! If I do at some point, I'll just edit the pictures into this post. Mis-matched underwear feels wrong.

Side view; Kris Line Freesia.

- Michelle x

Curvy Kate: Tempt Me - Scarlet

Curvy Kate shouldn't be allowed to make their bras so pretty. Tempt Me is another of their Showgirl range and is simply beautiful. Of course I'm a sucker for the combination of red and black especially on lingerie. I had planned to order this bra before I was paid so I was a bit disappointed when my 28G showed up as out of stock leaving me with 28DD or 28GG as my nearest. I knew a DD would give me horrendous boob muffins so I opted for the GG as I have bras by Curvy Kate either side of this cup size. Also, as with any of the Showgirls, I've heard Tempt Me also requires sizing up with the cup and down with the back. I didn't find a 28 back too big last time with the 28H Tease Me so I just went with sizing up. Of course I didn't think to order a 30F or a 30FF which were also in stock so if I wanted to return it I'd have to pay for returns and hope these sizes were still in stock.

I found this bra was a perfect fit as it seems to be a great shape for wider set boobs. The back didn't seem too big and the cups seemed to be perfect. No spilling, not too big. I LOVE IT! The colours, the shape, the style. I think this is my favourite of the Curvy Kate bras I own.

- Michelle x

Curvy Kate: Tease Me - Emerald

Here's the Curvy Kate bra, the Showgirl Tease Me in Emerald. I must say when I saw the pictures of it online, it was a case of love at first sight and I needed this bra. I needed it like a woman craves chocolate (even though ironically, I don't like chocolate)!

It's beautiful even in its pictures and I was determined to get my hands on it although I wasn't sure how with it being an Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. I hit ebay and didn't see any in my usual sizes even when bearing in mind the 'size down one band, size up one/two cups' I'd heard applies to this bra. I took a gamble and bought the first- and only- one I saw anywhere near my size: 28H. I'd never been in a bra above a G and I was hoping it would fit!

I found the back size wasn't too loose which I'd been worrying about but the cups were almost a perfect fit. As my boobs usually like to keep growing I'm not too worried- plus I picked it up for a bargain price. The pictures do make it look a worse fit than it actually is but I'm sure this is because I do have fairly wide-set boobs with little 'up top' and find it nigh on impossible for a cleavage. Or maybe I just suck at taking my own photographs. Long story short, I spent days trying to track it down in a smaller size and after somehow placing an order on a version of Lovebras that doesn't actually exist, I found it closer to my real size in a 30F. My back is usually 28-30 depending on the bra and cup is F-FF-G so . Brastop/Lovebras were extremely helpful regarding my non-existent order too!

See for yourself:

Please excuse my horrendous oily skin!

28H

28H

30F

30F

- Michelle x

Lingerie Models

I'm a firm believer in interacting with your target audience when trying to sell a product. I don't want to see an unachievable image and be disappointed when the item doesn't live up to this. My main pet peeve is lingerie models- especially those used by Victoria's Secret's 'Angels'.

Let's assume firstly the model is wearing a correctly fitting bra. I don't believe it is helpful in having a smaller busted model advertising a range that stretches beyond the model's cup size. A bra advertised on a B cup is going to look a lot different from the same bra in a FF cup which again will look different than a K cup.

I also fail to understand why many models for lingerie are tall and slim. Wouldn't it make more sense to showcase their designs on a variety of models of different shapes, heights and bra sizes? Surely the selling point of lingerie is advertising how great our breasts look, not how long our legs are? Personally I have never found VS Angels have made me want to wear VS lingerie. Ignoring the fact there isn't one in the UK that I'm aware of, the models look more like a catwalk model than a lingerie model.
I've seen people praise them for using 'models with curves' but I truly don't see it- curvy to me means larger hips and breasts compared to waist, not the modern uses of 'fat' or translated as 'boobs'. The majority of them have a square waist with average sized breasts squashed into badly fitting bras with long legs. Boob muffins are never sexy. I'm not sure who they are advertising to but they should have a diverse range of models, not just the so called 'glamazon'.

Secondly, it's rare to find a model in a bra in her actual size due to manufacturers insisting on producing 32-38 A-DD. Often the underwires cut into the breast tissue, the gore stands away and the band rides up.  Rather than creating bras in the correct fitting size, they just airbrush out the blemishes because god forbid it be their bras not fitting the model rather than the model not fitting the bras! If this is the image being promoted no wonder so many women don't know what a correctly fitting bra looks or feels like.

At least we have companies like Curvy Kate who actually do use a variety of models to show off their underwear. They also document the model's bra size which is useful when thinking 'will this bra look this good on me?' or 'how will it fit me as a larger cup size?' And using their Star In A Bra contest, girls with no modelling experience prove that everyone can look fabulous in the right fitting bra- regardless of her height and weight.

I honestly think that women will begin to wear correctly fitting bras when we are offered the diverse size range we require and are exposed to images of a correctly fitting bra that do not have bits removed with the airbrush. I think it all starts with the manufacturers and the advertising process. Who's with me?

- Michelle x

Fittings: How Accurate Are They?

Do you know your real bra size? Everyone knows you'll be a different size in different shops depending on their measuring methods. Apparently 70% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. There shouldn't be that many of us wearing an incorrect size. You wouldn't go around wearing a pair of jeans that are too tight and really long so why are we wearing bras that are too small in the cup and too big in the back?? Boob muffins are not good; you can damage your breast tissue by wearing a badly fitting bra.

I decided to work out my bra size according to each stores/websites measuring methods. I've included La Senza for comparison and also Victoria's Secret for those USA ladies. For reference I always found La Senza to be an accurate fit which allowed me to work out when I needed to change cup/band size- which matched up when I headed to Bravissimo. Without La Senza I may not have known my real size and may not be wearing the right size bra.

I've listed all of the stores that I know do offer bra fittings (although I'm probably missing some) and tested their DIY measuring guides according to each store or the result of an instore fitting service.

It's worth remembering that you may not be the same size across all brands.

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Ann Summers:

Method - The traditional and often incorrect way of measuring your underbust and adding four or five inches, measuring your chest at the fullest point. They state an A is an equal number not a one inch difference.

My Size - I measure 28" underbust so using their method I'd be wearing a 32E. I do have to wear a 32E in their store which is fine on the cup volume, however there is no support from the band- which is where the support comes from.

BHS:

Method - Surprisingly using just measuring, no adding numbers where they have no business. This one using centimetres not inches and sadly doesn't go to a 28. 
My Size - I measure 71cm underbust and 94cm over. Using BHS's chart I'd be wearing 32E or 32F. I had expected to come out with a 30 back measurement as the method requires just taking measurements. It appears BHS have added the extra incorrect numbers for us.

Bravissimo:

Method - No tape measures allowed! They fit you based on how well the bra fits you, not adding numbers to measurements.
My Size - 28FF or 30F. I measured 29" underbust when I went so now I would probably be a 28G. The different sizes are based on different brands they fit me in but Bravissimo are definitely the ones to go to for an accurate fitting.

Debenhams:

Do not offer an online guide and refer you to be fitting in one of their stores.

La Senza: 

Method - Tape measures, however at the time they were extremely accurate in their fitting.
My Size - At the time I was a 32FF but the lovely assistant mentioned that a 30 back would be better as the 32 seemed too big. La Senza only stocked bikinis in a 30 back when I went last year so she obviously wasn't trying to sell me an ill-fitting bra. She also suggested alternative stores that may have been able to help me.

Marks and Spencers:

Method - Shows a video measuring the model with the plus four or five method. 
My Size - The same as Ann Summers as they use the same guide. 32E. I wear a 30F/G from M&S which is quite different to my size using their guide.

Victoria's Secret:

Method - Oddly involves taking your band measurement over the top of your breasts level with your armpits. Cup size is measured over the nipples.
My Size - 32DD. This was probably the most inaccurate sizing I've tested. The last time I tried on a 32DD (smallest back and biggest cup the bra came in) was in New Look and it gave me horrendous boob muffins, the back rode up and the underwire dug into my breast tissue under my arm. If this is how badly VS fit bras then I'm glad we don't have them in the UK!

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If I were to listen to nearly all of these stores, I would be included in the percentage of women in the wrong size bra. Out of these seven different fittings, only two of them were accurate and fit me in a supportive bra. Unfortunately I outgrew (shrunk?) La Senza and they have since entered administration. So only one place was able to correctly measure my size and fit me in it.

Most of these places had me in a 32 back which is clearly too big and offers no support. In addition the cup size ranged from a DD to a G cup. That's five whole cup sizes which is quite frankly ridiculous! Bra manufacturers need to wake up and realise we aren't all 32-38 A-DD and stop trying to fit us in this small range just to sell bras. Stores need to learn how to fit bras correctly and not try to sell ill-fitting bras.

How can a woman wear a correctly fitting bra if she is being told an incorrect method of measure? No wonder the percentage is so high if manufacturers are offering such a limited range.

- Michelle x