Boobs, I mean, Bras, and the eternal frustration

Spanx are the anti-VPL weapon of choice, MW! Have you somehow experienced otherwise???

so i went to target yesterday, on the recommendation of my MIL, to bra-shop. i have to say, for $9-13 the gilligan/o'malley (i think that's the brand name?) bras are really great (altho not sure how long they'll last - MIL says they don't stretch out too much). they're t-shirt bras, so they're lightly lined but not padded, which is what i like.

this was my first time bra shopping in the US, and not knowing my US bra size, i tried a few on... kind of shocked to discover i'm a D, when i'm only a B/C in NZ. but i am turning into a bit of a fatty now that i haven't worked in 2.5 months, so that could be why.

still, my boobs really aren't big at all. maybe you just have better sizing gradation here.

i finally bought really great new underwear (calvin klein) last week :) but tho i tried on several dif bras, all of them were dumb and ill-fitting despite being my size. which is confusing. i will try again, but i did buy two ck camisole/undershirt things made out of lycra whatever and they act like bras and i really like them. i even bought one in 'nude' which i have never done before even tho i understand the point of having 'nude' undergarments. i just think they're kind of ugly, despite being the perfect colour to wear under white or light-coloured clothes. i mean but it's not exactly a sexy colour. despite its name.

No, it's terrible. It's the color of plastic. And old '80s pantyhose. I hate "warm" tan shades. BUT you can probably go with a peachy pinky color instead, if you are the offspring of lots of pale people like I am.

yeah, this is more pink than tan, which is good, as i am more pink than tan

still weird tho

i have a spanx strapless slip and a camisole. they are pretty awesome.

i bought a new bra, finally! it is kind of exactly what i wanted too - whoa. even though there is some lace on it, but it is nice looking lace and only around the band, the rest is smooth but not nec shiny. anyway - triumph brand, no padding (yaay). not quite 70s boob but in its spirit. also, triumph website: pretty lol

(i also bought the bra at the Bay (department store) where the lingerie section is so huge it's like walking through a cornfield except the corn is made of bras and panties

i love department stores tho

haha awesome:

http://www.amazon.com/70s-jiggling-boob-movies/lm/28WXA0X9L0OM3

lol proof that this descriptor is real!

i can't believe it took me 2.5 months to buy one bra

You should probably have bought three of them, while you were there.

awwww I love the Bay!

I bought a couple of bras at La Senza a few weeks ago by Lola and Coco or something like that - and they have this little loop/hook thing that allows you to turn a "regular" strap bra into a racerback (is that the term? joined in the centre of the back?) and it's been such a refreshing change. My bra straps slide no more!

i need a better sports bra. recommendations?

btw i support that 70s boob, as a look

"support"

VERY HELPFUL THANKS GUYS

duct tape

oops wrong thread

i support boobs of all decades

i support boobs of the 19(.)(.)s

Thz, check websites of Title 9 or Athleta (Title 9 prob cheaper) for good sports bras and explanations of levels of, erm...support.

thank you, laurel. that was very helpful :)

tehresa, Title 9 has stores in Seattle and Portland, if you want to check fabric and such. Also, if you buy stuff in Portland - no sales tax!

lolflashvid aside, is this a legit product?

http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html

amazing... it's interesting that in heavy exercise, nipples move all around the boob, but the boob tends to stay in the same place. i had no idea that's how it was.

suggest bra

has anyone used the shock absorber bras?

i was just looking at those at bare necessities. i like the one that looks like a normal sports bra instead of a Very Complicated piece of boob engineering that goes up to your neck. a lot of the beyond-c-cup sports bras are kind of alarming looking.

tho i was coming on the thread to curse wacoal. i found a bra that seems like the best useful-everyday style evah, and they don't go up to the size i need. fucking hell.

there's a panache bra that i have high hopes for, though.

normal-looking shock absorber bra:

http://www.barenecessities.com/Shock-Absorber-Level-4-Max-No-Wire-Sports-Bra_product_ShockAbsorberB4490_,search,.htm

btw, if anyone's eyeing bare necessities lately, they've had great cust support for me, and i have a coupon code: 15thanks for 15% off til 9/15 (excluding a few brands, but fuck wacoal anyway)

ooooh thanks!

this is the shock absorber i was looking at: http://www.figleaves.com/us/product.asp?product_id=BB-109&mci=&size=&colour=&image=r574155-p390320-front

cheap!

i am in desperate need of something more supportive. as i age, i am getting more and more paranoid about the sag and then adding to it by bouncing up and down at the gym is making me really frightened.

I think I am in sag denial ... on a vaguely related subject, one of the actresses in Synecdoche, New York was sporting side boobs. I realized that I don't really have side boobs.

you don't want them, believe me.

they do go to the side, but because of their, er, width, there isn't a major gap between them.

my eternal frustration continues, and i just made my FOURTH order with bare necessities in, uh, a month? i now, however, have one bra that fits me better than any bra has fit me before. everything else is being returned, ffs.

i like their customer service. i called them at 3 am and left a msg about adding something to my order if they could and call me back but NOT before 10 in the morning because before then i might kill someone, but after then i have to be awake anyway. i don't think i told them all that.

they called me at five after 10. and now my order is straightened out.

i got the shock absorber bra i linked to upthread, so if it fits, i will come back to this thread and rejoice.

a big annoyance with bra manufacturers:

in british/european brands (panache, wacoal, fantasie, etc.) my band size is a size larger than my measurements. ok, whatever, i don't like things too tight on me. so i figured that was my band size for bras, full stop.

then today i tried out a bunch of vanity fair/lily/american less-expensive bras, and i'm swimming in the same damn band size. i can see cup sizes being variable according to style. so it goes. but fucking band size?

the ribcage measures x inches. the band size should be x inches.

the shock absorber bra, though: fits! hurrah! i really like it.

how did you go about finding the right size for the shock absorber?

and does it really hold things down well?

grrrrrr can't find the wacoal bra I like and can't read the labeling inside (worn right off) so I cannot search the internets for the exact same one!

Out of laundry & wearing something today that is basically like not wearing a bra. Useless.

also, stupid felina changed the undies I like; I stocked up on a bunch before realizing the banding was different and now have to deal with riding-up-the ass new model!

I hate that ...riding-up-the-ass undies are horrible.

i found these super cheap no-riding-up-the-ass undies at target - they're like $7 for 6 pairs. sure, they look hideous, but they feel GREAT.

do you go to the Target in El Cerrito? That's a seriously fancy Target.

hmm i dunno - it's the huge one right off the freeway. i never pay attention when my chauffeur is driving me around.

I guess it's technically Albany, but yeah that's the one ... huge!

every time we go there to buy one thing (usu undies/bras) we end up coming out with a cart-full of stuff. that place just sucks me in!

tehresa, i ordered the same size in shock absorber as i do in wacoal, and it seemed to fit well. i seem to need a different size in european bras than in american ones--i'm 34 in ribcage with american ones, and 36 is more comfortable in european. so i go up a band size, down a cup size when i consider european bras. though tbh i've kind of given up on american bras. i'm sick of bra shopping, and now at least i have a couple that fit.

i ended up returning the shock absorber bra, tho, because there are two fasteners at the back, with a big space in between. if that makes sense. that's great for support, but it also meant that i had to wrestle to get the fucking thing on. for that price, it seemed ridic.

i have no idea what my wacoal size is. i think i'm gonna go to title 9 on wed and just pay for an expensive bra and get it fit right and then order online from then on.

i finally went to title 9 and now i have an awesome bra. it is by moving comfort. they were v helpful! i went for a mini run tonight and it was a completely different experience :)