Boobs, I mean, Bras, and the eternal frustration

guys i think the new 'bombshell' line at VS, which claims to add 2 cup sizes, is the one with all the gel and shit.

i actually bought this perfect push up from VS last week that fit super well and held everything up just right but when i actually wore it for real i was horrified to realize it SQUEAKS. well, its more a squeaky creaky noise like loose floorboards or something coming from where the wire goes up toward my right armpit. another return.

Also any recommendations on size reduction bras? I use sportsbras a size or two too small but the straps are all chunky so it does work for dresses etc

Try Title Nine or Athleta, sunny. They have the widest selection of sports bras and movement-reduction bras I've ever seen, and a good rating systems for testing their strengths, levels of support.

Athleta is a bit on the luxury-yoga-wear tip, but skip past that and go directly to "Support My Boobage"*.

*Sadly, not the actual chapter heading in the table of contents.

will rep for title nine for all time

all my go-to bras just wore out at once, i think (and i threw out almost all the other ones during my apartment overhaul this week). i need to consult a Support My Boobage (tm)(lol) expert, but one who specializes in non-puffed-up bras that actually look good and maybe come in teal and a really nice shade of pink and almost-white pink and also cherry red. again, i feel like i'm asking for the impossible. but i will BELIEVE.

one of my bra straps randomly broke today. had to do some covert tucking and pulling, ohdear.
now i need to go buy a new bra :/

ubiquitous bra things that make me irrationally angry: when the cleavage-side of the cups kind of curls outwards after one wear bc the bra is a stupid stiff thing from VS. It is doing it today and I have these weird lumps under my shirt.

Got a good compromise from Debenhams a year or so ago but they must have discontinued that style as I couldn't find anything remotely similar when I went back. And the other styles I tried on didn't fit at all even though they were the same size and same brand as I was already wearing.

Aaahh Debenhams did this to me AGAIN, I finally find a new bra that fits and go back a month later and not only do they not have any more but the ones with the same style and size on the label don't fit.

And I can't just buy them six at a time because often I think they fit ok in the fitting room but when I actually wear them for a few hours of normal activity I find they dig in or stick out or something, or just find that the underwiring bursts through the fabric after like 4 wears.

(I don't really know what size I am any more but I am now way too fat to let a stranger measure me, sigh)

yes, that bit of fabric turning up and causing a line to appear in clothing is nagl. i try to avoid by only buying bras made of thin fabric in layers, but that can be hard to find. there are so many BAD BRAS out there! it's so wrong. and the really nice ones are so $$. i found a couple of decent calvin klein ones the other day but the size i took into the fitting room didn't fit right i and didn't have time to let the lady measure me (which i think is fine - it's their job!), so i will have to go back to the store...

I'm running out of bras. Baaad news, bears. Am I gonna have to go to one of those places where they measure you and tell you you've been buying the wrong size all your life? I'm not sure I can afford their advice!

i have zero decent bras right now - they either make my boobs like bad or they're highly uncomfortable. i always buy super cheap bras because... i'm super cheap and never think ahead. BUT i thought i was 'splurging' when i bought a $45 bra at VS. it was so great and nice and comfy for the first month. now it's useless. i bought a couple of sale bras online, none of which are any good.

ugh. i hate even thinking about buying new bras.

the eternal frustration remains eternal

I'm running out of bras. Baaad news, bears. Am I gonna have to go to one of those places where they measure you and tell you you've been buying the wrong size all your life? I'm not sure I can afford their advice!

Don't they measure you with your clothes on, though? Sounds useless to me.

Nope - they usually measure you in whatever bra you come in wearing iirc.

Which sounds to me like trying to measure someone for gloves while they're wearing mittens. I'm assuming that you can't get anyone to measure you when you're topless, but will they at least let you take the bra off and leave your shirt on?

Oh I don't mind the measuring. I just can't afford $80 bras.

I know, I was just talking in general terms again.

I would measure people shirtless/braless in the dressing room when I used to measure ppl for bras (for a job not for fun). Apparently I was DOING IT WRONG.

All of my bras look and feel like shit and are obvious through my clothes. Thus has it always been and ever shall it be.

I can't wear anything other than t-backs because anything else falls off of my shoulders. My last t-back bra fell apart a few months ago, so I'm wearing an old normal one. *cringe*

how do they fall off your shoulders? can't you just adjust the straps?

i went to a bra store once because my bras were too big. i asked the lady to measure me. she did so over my clothes and the bra i had on and told me i should wear the exact size of the bra that was too big. *facepalm*

i am still wearing that bra because i haven't gone bra shopping since! it's kind of hilarious because the cups are so off. but srsly all my bras are total garbage right now and i don't know what to do!

i think bra straps have a mind of their own!
xpost

I've been measured 3 times, I think, and each time it was topless, but I am in the UK and haven't done so for several years.

My bra straps have been really untameable lately, no matter how much or little I tighten them they slide off. I'd look for t-backs but it's already too hard to find bras. (I think the answer to both of these problems is probably "lose weight, fattey" but, yeah, I'd love to, but it just doesn't seem to happen...)

how do they fall off your shoulders? can't you just adjust the straps?

You can be petite and not have very broad shoulders! Mine fall off every time I pick up something or reach my arm out or w/e.

what does an average bra cost? how long are they expected to last? how many does one need to own to get from wash to wash?

Um. Cheap ones are like $20? Well-made ones probably start at $45 and go up to about...$80? $90? P much anything over $80 is where I consider it a luxury item.

How long they last depends on how you take care of them, and also how good they are. And whether you sweat.

and whether they are a prerequisite for breakfast?

Also depends on yr bra needs/size. Some sizes are more difficult to fit than others.

I only buy anything on sale, so my prices are not the normal prices. I covet beautiful lingerie, but when I see the price tags, it's just ridic.

My favorite bra is $15 from Target. It's the best I've ever owned.

I wanted to get a new bra, but when I went to Target they were all out of my size :(

Not that I know what it is really.

yeah i think i'm gonna go back to target bras - e, which one/s do you like?

yes, please tell.
why bc i need a new bra like, asap and i do not have money or time to find a $$ good perfectly-fit one.

i don't know about e, but i have one by that gillian whateversurname line that is usually $12.99 or 2 for $16.99
generic looking, inoffensive, don't notice it poking me, everyday bra without horrible lines

so i had these victoria's secret biofit(?) bras that i really liked except after about 2 months they became TOO BIG - this happened to my sister as well, so it was not just a direct result of some weight loss then. anyway, i found a gillian o'malley target version that was v similar and they are horrible! even worse than the vs ones, but not bc they got loose. the materials just dig into you. v uncomfortable.

so E, what about that target bra?

Lately my left nipple has been making a break for it in all of my bras! Bras in which this was never before a problem! What is going on here???

On a related note, wtf with all of these bras that are cut so that nipples are barely covered or are downright exposed???

Making a break for it… how? Is your left boob getting bigger?

Ha, I've got huge boobs so all of my bras are like full coverage to the chin. My nips go nowhere.

My left nipple is making its way *out* of the bra to hang out all by itself. I would prefer that it stay tucked inside the bra like it damn well should!

That's weird! Maybe your left boob is shrinking or your bra cup is stretched out so there's more wiggle room, so to speak?

I've all but decided to give up on underwire and just wear these cotton, no wire Lane Bryant bras all the time. Maybe save a couple of high and tight, suspension bridge bras for special occasions. I'm not convinced there's enough aesthetic benefit in the high and tight silhouette to justify the discomfort, and the LB bras are not unflattering. Plus who decides what boob shape is fashionable and do those people even have to wear bras??? I bet not.

I have two friends who swear by the LB bras!

also this is the gillian o'surname bra i was talking about
thinly padded but not pushup or pillows
http://img3.targetimg3.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/13/57/13573020.jpg

Yeah I like a full coverage bra too - not those demi cup styles. Think I might stop by target tonight and try some on.

As a Canadian (no Target til 2012), this "o'surname" thing is killing me! First mention, I was certain the poster had just forgotten the real surname!

haha i was about to say! i lolled and raised an eyebrow too

It sounds like a fake name they'd make up on The Simpsons.

at first i couldn't remember the name, but then it seemed like a better name than the real name so i didn't change it