The Bra Discussions: 1

I am reworking my bra collection.
I have been wearing all of them, and then tossing them almost daily.
The old ones, even if unworn, lose elasticity.
I have only Black and Beige, and I stick with the Le Mystere Tisha,
since that works best for me. I have some others, but they aren't
even a close second.
What does your Bra do for you? Should it be doing more? Does every
great bra fail eventually? Unlike me, do you change styles?
Advice?

Joanne:
I have a couple old faithful styles that I go to over and over. I
rebuy them from time to time as well. I have 4 the same. They are
Fantasie 4510
These bras give a really great shape under jerseys and knits and are
smooth cupped. I probably have been wearing this style for 2 or 3
years now.

I just bought two new ones that I really like, one is soft white and
one is very soft fabric, flesh tone. They are new styles, not the
same old ones, and I am very happy with them. The new flesh coloured
one is Simone Perle 109315.
109315
The soft white one is Chantelle (I think #805/3061).
Chantelle
All my bras are underwire and all are molded cup, but not padded.
Sometimes I getthe band taken in and made smaller if I can't get the bra I like in
the right band size. I like smooth bras, no lace, but I do have a
couple that are lacy. Different bras give a different shape, more or
less cleavage. I also have 2 that are convertible to halter or
strapless.

Right now I have 17 bras which is a bit ridiculous and some should be
discarded. I do treat my bras like we try to treat our clothing,
which is to move the new ones to the front of the drawer and discard
from the back. Bras do stretch out and lose elasticity and need to be
discarded. They also should be hand washed and air dryed to keep
their shape and elastic longer. I think as you grow older and your
body changes and you gain or lose weight you need to change bra
styles. Mostly what I want from my bras is to keep the girls up where
they belong, to provide support without relying on the straps to hold
me up, and not to flatten me. I hate bras that push the breasts
against the chest wall or towards the underarms. A lot of minimizers
do that and I don't want to feel breast tissue squished under my
arms. I am well endowed and I am an hourglass. I may as well play it
up. So I like bras that put the girls front and center, so to speak!

CheryleB:
The Fantasie 4510 is my favorite everyday bra as well. I have the
convertible version of the 4510 too. I also have 3 of 4 of the
fantasie allure in cream, red, and black. I think it was replaced by
one called Ava recently. I also like Panache but more for the lace
balcony styles than the smooth styles. My favorite before they
stopped making them was the Rigby & Peller balcony styles but I've
also had Lejaby that I love.

I ordered a new bra a few weeks ago. It is a bra by Va bien. It received very good ratings
and quite a few of the reviews indicated that the band was a bit
smaller for the size than many so it may work unaltered.

I've been having bra issues lately. I find the weight of the breast
is pushing the bra down in the front. I am having trouble finding a
good balance between a snug band and straps and comfort. I did decide
recently that it was time to replace some of the favorites. I will
probably order another 4510 soon.

Ilie:
i treat my bras like royalty (handwash and air dry, just like
my spanx) and i buy one every 6 months, strapless once a year since i
only use when it's hot. i like nude or black. no lace, no bows. my
clothes are fitted and i don't need to show that little lace or bow
under my blouse, which happened with the dreaded minimisers. i wore
minimizers for Years and in fact i gave them up with that oprah show i
always talk about. since then i've heard it is not really good for the
breast tissue to be confined/punished like that. all my bras have
underwire but it's 'not your mother's underwire'. they are so comfy.
mine have moulded cups that i prefer because i hate it when things
show through. i do NOT put up with a bad bra. maybe all those years
of embarassment being young and busty and embarassed of having them
and wearing a horrible fitting bra, but i do not let mine get bad
enough to have to replace them. i do a pre-emptive attack before they
expire, although i don't have that many. i alternate the use between
three (not including the two strapless ones)~ i now make a point of
buying new stock every 6 months. the hardest personal issue is
finding a small enough band. i fluctuate between a 30-32 band and a D-
DDD cup. when i'm really thin i'm a C. (like that Cabo photo i
showed).

so what do i demand from my bra? i demand that it creates a waist
because the goods are so high that they don't obscure my best torso
feature. i demand i don't have to readjust it because it slipped
anywhere. i like things snug, no loose bands, no loose straps.
my best bra quote is from oprah. i remember biting my lip wondering if i had to buy a good brand of bra after watching that
show. oprah did the work for me; she said: you can't stuff DDs in a $5 bra.

-natori's band tends to be too loose on me, even their 32.
-for my small-band issues nothing better than a le mystere strapless
bra (and regular bra) to make it stay in place. until you take it off!
i just checked my favorite new bra.
It's a
Chantelle


CheryleB:
I have found that the Le Mystere is smaller in the band than most
other brands. I usually need to wear a 32 in Fantasie, Freya,
Panache, and Rigby & Peller on the tightest hook or have them altered
down but the Dream Tisha fits on the loosest hook. If only it was
prettier and didn't feel like I was wearing armor.
I am on the search for
new bras. I sometimes find that they look and feel good at the store
but after one or two wearings, I am not as keen on them so I try to
stick to my favorites that I've had consistent success with in the
past.

Ilie:
i don't blame you for sticking to what works, especially since you
rely so much on internet sales. i found this one as a fluke, there was
a nordies sale and i noticed they had a DDD section. the minute i put
it on i knew it was right. the band was perfect and as a bonus the
straps had a generous area to tighten, another problem i encountered
with Natori, the straps don't tighten enough for me. (another side
effect of being a shortie). when i have the opportunity i try new
brands because i used to only buy the familiar (because i couldn't
take a chance on spending money on a dud) but after venturing out
thanks to nordies,who has a good return policy~ i've come to love each
new bra more than the former, so it paid off. my first 'good' bra was
a natori, and i loved it because compared to the kind i used to have
before it was immensely better, but compared to the comfort and
snugness of le mystere and chantelle it is far from perfect and i
demand more from my brassieres now. i've been wanting to try the
'balcony' style you've mentioned. does it ever show the demarcation of
the bra (across the bust) through shirts or do you wear that style
with low-cut dresses for like the Opera, etc?

To be Continued....