Bras. Again. I HATE them!

AskNott Wins! :smack:

And, yes, at age 59, I need to go shopping for themthings again :frowning:

Very useful suggestions, and I thank y’all. I have a Decent Exposures catalog somewhere that I’ll give a good hard look. I’ll pay any price for comfort, and for something that will ‘dim the headlights’ under a t-shirt.

The only one I have that doesn’t become annoying after a while is the Spanx Bralellujah. It’s made on a hosiery machine with no plastic or metal, no fastening place, just slip it on, adjust a bit, and that’s it.

If women needed bras evolution would have provided by now. Fight the lies, do not succumb to the bra makers cabal. FREEDOM!

In the interest of full disclosure I’m a guy and have never worn a bra. Even while drunk.

Heh. While I’m sure they probably look nice to the average straight male when they’re bouncing with every movement, I assure you that does NOT feel nice to us!

I’m generally a bra snob, which is probably due to the fact that I wear a somewhat weird size that isn’t found at Target/Walmart, or even Victoria’s Secret. I stick to Nordstrom’s, they always have lots of Wacoal bras, which are both pretty and come in my size (and any other odd size out there too - namely, small band sizes with large cups, and large band sizes with small cups).

Though when I was younger and a different size, Playtex (IIRC) makes a line that is really comfy, they come in “half sizes”, up to “nearly C”, I think. The non-underwire ones are pretty comfy.

If you want to go really simple, these sports bras are very comfortable & soft. They don’t offer a ton of support, but if you’re someone who doesn’t wear a bra all the time, I don’t know how much that matters to you.

Forgive me, but those Decent Exposure “unbras” are um, sports bras. You can buy those at any store that sells underthings, from Walmart to Nordies (depending on your price range). In fact, those Decent Exposure bras look extra unsupportive, even for sports bras. Compare those to this or even this. Just some random examples.

Depending on what you look like I may volunteer to walk behind you wherever you go, holding up your boobs ;):D:cool:

Yet another recommendation to get a proper fitting. Your bra should not be an instrument of torture.

Something like 90% of women wear the wrong size bra. After advice from a friend, last year I went to a mid-range department store in the UK and asked for a fitting. Best thing I ever did. I’d been wearing a 40C; turned out I’m a 38D.

The fitting was free. But what it has done for my comfort and confidence is priceless.

5th? 6th? 7th?

Get a professional to fit you! I have only a few bras, I save up my money and go to victoria’s secret, get fitted every time, and take care of it. 1 good bra is worth 10 badly fitting ones, no matter how cute the designs.

You sleep in a bra? :eek:

They definitely are NOT that supportive (hence my reference to lack of perkiness). I wouldn’t wear them for anything involving bounce. Their real appeal is the combination of ultra-customizable (strap sizes etc.), made in the USA, and the variety of fabrics / colors that are available. For jogging etc. a real sports bra would definitely do the job better.

If the bra is comfy enough (see above!!) and the girls flop around too much otherwise, HELL yes!

I quite literally lived in the Decent Exposures bras for about 5 years - through 2 pregnancies and nursing both kids. 24/7. While pregnant, the ladies were too sore and wearing the bra helped some. While nursing, well, same thing plus reducing the risk of messes on the nightclothes.

I’m convinced a large part of this reason, not that I think the high statistic is actually accurate, is due to the size calculators on the manufacturers’ websites (and some folks who work in stores, from what I hear) which still add 4" to the band for no reason. For example, if you give it your under bust measurement as 34" and the fullest part of your bust measurement as 37" it returns with your size - 38AA :eek:

I’ve tried the Decent Exposure, but prefer the ones by Bravado. They’re nursing bras, which just means that the cups can be easily opened. I love them as they are so comfortable, but would caution to go for the “plus” as the basic one has very little support.

I like the Spanx bras a lot because they don’t give you the dreaded back fat.

Last year I was having a lot of problems with my bras, not fitting and pain which I was increasingly confused about as I’d gotten back into really good shape. I ended up in Nordstroms where they measured me. You may have had a late growth spurt, which happened to me in my late 20s (except I kept stuffing myself back into my old size). I had been a 34C since the age of 13, now I’m a 32D and I’m semi-fearful I’m going up to a DD. I say fearful because this is not an off-the-rack size at ye olde Target or whatever. It’s a headache of a Nordstromsbraprices size.

That’s what happened to me, and it’s why I mentioned the Wacoal brand upthread - they do make those sizes. Yeah, more expensive than Target, but not typically that much, and they last a lot longer than any Target bra I’ve ever owned.

I’ve been looking into having some custom made, actually. There are companies that do that.

More than $20 for a bra is expensive to me!! I’d rather spend the money on a hot dress at Bebe than have to pay $40, $60 or whatever for a bra that no one else is going to see.

I must jump in to defend Target here. I have a ton of the Gilligan & Murphy bras, and I loooooooooooove them. They’re not for everyone, but if you’re a fairly standard size and you don’t typically have problems with bras, they’re awesome. More than reasonably comfortable, they make the girls look fabulous, and I’ve had several of them for well over a year, which I think is a damned good return on a $12 - $15 bra.

I’d prefer to live in LaPerla, of course, but times is hard. :wink:

I think it’s O’Malley, not Murphy. One Irish name for another I guess :wink:

Some of them are not bad. They are pretty, fit well and are very supportive from what I have found. But I have to check closely before I get them. Some of them have this stronge fabric that irritates my skin. I’ve seen it on other brands also.
It’s a netted fabric that seemes to be used as an interfacing, sometimes on the straps or along a seam. It doesn’t feel scratchy but somehow up against my skin it itches all day and when I take the bra off you can see red lines all on my skin only where that particular fabric was.

You could always just start showing people.

It’s too late for me to start de-primming.