A month back, Jeni at Ponderings of a Pastor’s Wife wrote about how she
feels like a new woman because she has finally been properly fitted for a new bra!
After reading her post, I thought about my own personal experience being
properly fitted for a bra for the first time in my life at the age of 30! Why did I never share my experience? If I can help just one woman to treat herself
to a bra that fits the way it should, it is worth sharing my experience (in
my opinion).
I will start out by stating that I’ve had a large chest for
as long as I can remember. I have always
wanted to be part of the itty bitty…well, you know what committee I’m referring
to, but that’s just not going to happen unless I have surgery (and that’s not ever going to happen). I’m not sure how my mom determined my bra
size growing up, but I know that in high school after losing some weight I was
wearing a 38C. I am not sure if this was
the correct size for me, but I refused to believe my chest was any bigger than
that.
Fast forward 10 years, and I was still attempting to wear
38C’s…unsuccessfully. I had gained
weight in that time but I refused to believe my bust got any bigger. My bras dug into my shoulders to the point
that it left scars, I had a constant muffin top, the clasps rode up my back so
high it was uncomfortable and I was always tugging it back down into place
where it should have been. After years
of promising my mother I’d get properly fitted, I was invited to a bra party at
my step-mom’s workplace. The company is
called Essential Body Wear and I absolutely love their product line! It is perfect for big-busted women like me. A consultant takes you into a room and fits
you, gets you the size bra you need to try on, and you can either walk out the
door with the proper bra size or they can be ordered for you! The consultant was so happy with my results
(I actually DO have a waist! Who knew?), she let me keep the bra I had tried
on. I was amazed at how good I felt with
this bra on! When I looked down, I could
only see my cleavage because I had such boost!
Was that where my breasts were supposed
to be when I wore a bra?
Here are a few tips that I learned from the bra lady (as she
liked to be called):
The Magic Number: 3
You should be fitted and purchase 3 new bras each and every year
(and dispose of the old, worn out, ill-fitting bras you had been wearing).
Alternate Bras
You should never wear the same bra two days in a row. The bra needs at least 24 hours to return
back to its normal shape and elasticity.
If you wear the bra two days in a row, it will become stretched out much
quicker than if you were to give it time to re-shape itself.
Wear the Bra 2-3
Times between Washes
You should wear your bra 2-3 times between washes. Because 3 is the magic number, this means you
only need to wash your bras every week to week and a half.
When Washing: Put in
a Garment Bag
I went out and purchased an inexpensive garment bag at the
dollar store. This keeps the bras in a
small space which helps to prevent them from stretching. I generally put the garment bag in the wash
when I have a load of work clothes or a small load of towels to be washed.
Never Put Bras in the
Dryer
When you wash your bras, hang them to dry. This is where the 3rd bra can save
the day while waiting for the others to dry.
In Jeni’s experience, she went to Dillard’s and was able to
obtain the same results with a professional bra-fitter. I’m not sure how expensive the bras are at
Dillard’s compared to Essential Body Wear, but whatever the cost, it’s worth
it! And only having to purchase 3 a year
won’t break the bank! Even me, the
cheapest most frugal person in the world, can dole out $120 for bras each year. Especially when they make me feel so good
about myself in my own clothes! It has
been a couple of years since I purchased my Essential Body Wear bras (I
purchased 8 of them); however, it’s time for me to go get re-fitted. My bras have become stretched out, one of
them has a large rip, and most of them have clasps that are misshapen and hard
to hook.
When was the last
time you purchased a new bra?
How do they fit?
Do you get fitted
every year?
Dillards does a good job and have a large selection of sizes. I choose to wear the T-Shirt-type full coverage bras to work . They are formed, so not soft and bendable. I have a very large walk in closet and have a place where I hang them up, nesting in each other so they don't bend. I also very carefully hand wash them. I will do a cheaper at home bra that is thinner and bendable but those too I always hand wash and never put in the dryer.
ReplyDeleteGreat points about housing them in one another so they dont bend. I left that out. I still havent gone to Dillards to get fitted and to get my 3 new bras for the year. It's on the "to do" list to get done by the end of the year! :-)
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