You don’t suppose her crossed arms and the look she gave really said ‘stop looking at my boobs!’? 
Kanicbird, you are not a gentleman.
I, the Idol of American Youth and a follower of The Cowboy Way am a gentleman and would have asked the lady in distress if I could lend her a hand for those.
O.K. I am here to answer any questions. I am a lingerie specialist. Honestly, it is a full time job for me, I am a certified bra and prosthesis fitter. I am a sales consultant for a fine french lingerie company called Chantelle. My company was founded in 1876 and we replaced the bones in corsets with strong elastic binding, making wearing a corset much more comfortable for all women. Today we are the leading manufacturer of fine french lingerie in the world.
To answer a few questions, Yes the bra was invented by a man. My company manufacturers bras sized from 30A to 44G, although many companys specialize in full figure sizes ranging up to 56H. The purpose for a bra is to provide support while offering comfort. Once the elasticity has broken down in the breast tissue, their is no way to repair it. Good news, their are bras designed to take care of that for you. After pregnancy, breast feeding, weight loss and when dealing with the issue of a loss of elasticity in the breast tissue, often you will find that you are no longer as full at the top of the breast as you once were. A good suggestion is to look for a 3 piece cup for the average to full sizes or a demi for the small to average. They will offer support in the bottom of the cup and offer a lift to give you a younger look and give you the comfort you need. 85% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. It is important to be fit by am expert every 6 months or after a change in your body, ie: surgery, pregnancy or weight loss or gain. One thing I notice all the time is that women are tightening their bra straps so tight that the straps are cutting into the shoulder, causing reddness and sometimes even permanent indents. By tightening the straps it is not going to offer you any more support, only cause discomfort. The type of bra that is going to offer the most support is one that is a triangular shape and the straps are located directly above the cup offering support and lift. Many bra comapanies offer average to full size bras with comfortable padded straps. Another popular style bra is the t-shirt/sweater bra. These bras range from small to full figure and basically they have a light fiber fill in the cup( they are generally not padded and will not add any size) and will hide the nipples. They are smooth and seamless giving a very nice shape under any type of t-shirt and sweater. They vary in colors from toffee, moka, skin, black, nude and white, but also in a varitey of fashion colors. This type of bra is a must have for any shape women. Keep in mind that a white bra will create a shadow under a white top, so you want to wear a nude bra (that best matches you skin tone) to wear under white so that it is invisible and looks natural. For full figure women who want to look small then a minimizer is for you. A minimizer has no elasticity in the cup and will re-distribute the breast tissue to give you a flatter/smaller look. Like most full figure bras they will come with wider straps for comfort. All strapless bras will be convertable 4 way. You can wear it with the straps, without the straps, as a halter(by taking one strap and lengthing it all the way and wrapping it around the neck and fastening both ends in the front) or by making it criss cross(like a racerback, you want to cross the left strap and fasten it on the front right side and vise versa). Their are alot of accessories for bras as well. Back extendors, Clips that will pull the straps together in the back, stick on nipple covers and also (popular in Las Vegas and seen on Sex in the City) Stick on plastic nipples. I could go on and on and on but I will spare you the details. If anyone has any questions let me know. If you would like to be fit by an expert just visit one of your local better department stores (Saks, Nordstroms,bloomingdals or Neiman Marcus) and ask them if they can fit you. Often times they can have a representative from a bra company come in and fit you at your convienence.Stomp - you may want to start an “Ask the bra professional” thread because I have a gazillion questions to ask an expert.
If it’s OK to hijack this for a couple more factual questions:
-
Why is it so difficult to get (cheaper usually) bras in larger cup sizes (eg D+) - outside underwear boutiques - when larger ladies have much more need for bras? SO often the ranges only go up to a C cup. (What’s the most common size)?
-
Why are so many bras SO bad? I know from experience that your Chantelle bras are great. But so many bras offer zero support, even squash down your breasts in a worse way. Do some manufacturers not bother to test their models on larger ladies, or just fit them to plastic dummies (which need no support)?
I have found the most flattering AND supportive bras are the “balconette” style - almost like the top of an old fashioned bodice, but just the top part. Sort of like semi-circle cup shapes, rather than triangular ones. Lift AND support for the minimum fabric, so it still feels sexy and skimpier. But: it’s vital to get the right cup size or you can fall over the top. Literally.
I wear a bra because I’m very old and have fragile bones. Without one I trip too easily.
When I was in 5th or 6th grade the class had to write a short story. I remember it was about a rabbit looking for something to wear. One of the objects was an over the shoulder boulder holder. Each student had to read their story in front of the class and when it was my turn, I started to get a case of the giggles. I started reading the story but soon the giggle took over. My teacher was not amused and asked to see my paper. Most of the class had no idea why I was making a fool of myself standing in front of them. The teacher read the line before I mentioned the OTSBH and asked me, “Excuse me, what is an under the butt nut hut?”.
I lost it. Most of the class burst out laughing. I looked at the teacher and tears were running down her face. After about 5 minute order was restored. My teacher read the next line and I could see her mouth the words over the shoulder boulder holder. She looked at me kind of funny, I lost it again as did she and most of the class joined in. A teacher from across the hall came in to see what was going on. She was much older than my teacher and she read my story without once cracking a smile. I was later sent to the principal’s office and was told my story was inappropriate for a classroom. My teacher gave me a C on my story, she wrote that I got an A for creativity but an F for subject matter.
Thats the only bra story I have.
I told cadolphin about this thread, and after reading her the OP, she blurted out:
“To keep from getting black eyes, of course!”
Did I mention she is very well endowed?
ISTARA,
Great questions and I think I will start a thread. To answer your first question, full figure bras are harder to find because the average american cup size went from a 34B to a 36C in a matter of a few years. The department stores are going to cater to the majority rather than to the exception because fashions change so often and they need to be turning them over fast, they can’t have bras sitting in the stock rooms for a number of years. The reasons why some full figure bras cost more is becase of all the reinforcements and the added material, but also because your paying for innovative design, unparalled quality and a guaranteed fit to best suit you. . Buying a bra is an investment these days and it is better to spend a few more dollars on a bra that is of good quality and that will last years rather then head down to Victorias Secret and purchase a high fashion bra that will only last 6 months. I am going on 7 years with many of my bras now. If you tell me what city you are in I can recommend a speciality botique in your area that caters to full figure and hard to find sizes. A few good fitting bras that are reasonably priced are Olga and Goddess.
To answer your second question, some bras fit poorly because they were not tested for the full figure customer. Also, many companys don’t bother to use innovative materials like lycra or ridgid elastic for reinforcement and support, or microfibers. When purchasing a bra their are a few things to look at…are the straps wide enough to offer support and comfort, are the seams strong, is their room for the underwire to slide a little( this is important, there should be a little bit of room for the underwire to slide a little, otherwise when you put it on the preassure will cause the underwire to breakthrough the seam and pop out), does the material seem ridgid and strong enough to offer long lasting support. One more reason why many bras seem to fit poorly is because they were niot tested for quality control.
In regards to your last question, A great bra for lift is the demi(type you described). If you are shallow up top and want a lift this will create a "shelf-like" look, for an open plunging neckline and projected silhouette. Very feminine and sexy. The straps are wider set, so if you have sloped shoulders they may slide off. These type bras are usually high fashion and the materials are generally embroidered lace. You can get them up to a 38E cup. You want to make sure that you are not overflowing over the top of the bra creating the 4 boob look, lol. If that happens, just go up in the cup size. As, ISTARA mentioned, it is very easy to fall out of the top if you are fit properly.