Tomima’s Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

I meet regularly with various lingerie manufacturer representatives.  It’s always interesting though, when I meet with manufacturers who are not based in the United States.  For example, Chantelle, Fantasie of England, and Panache are all designed in Europe.  Without a doubt, European women have different taste and preferences when it comes to bras and lingerie.

The first curious comment from these manufacturers is that women from the UK have considerably larger breast sizes.  The average cup size is a D rather than the C in the US.  Now, their band size is not unusual – UK women are in good shape from all their walking.  But, in general, a British woman has larger breasts.

European women buy lots of white and ivory underwear.  The concept of nude underwear has either not caught on, or they dismiss it.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, European women are very accustomed to hand-washing their lingerie and then putting it up to dry.  US women have more washers and dryers than European women.  Truly white undergarments are a sign of them being clean.  If they get a little dingy, you bleach them or throw them out.  If you have nude colored underwear, there is no gauge as to whether or not it’s getting dingy.  The color ivory to European women is considered their version of nude.  It can still look clean, but has enough cream to better match their skin tone.

Now, having said this, European women are big purchasers of lingerie in wild colors – purple, red, citrus, chartreuse.  And they don’t care if it shows under their clothing.  American women buy very little lingerie that is colored.  In fact, colored lingerie makes up less than 8% of lingerie sales in the United States.  American women buy mostly nude and black bras and panties.  You will see beautiful colored lingerie in US department stores, but it’s really put in there just to show some contrast and keep the department from looking like a sea of nude.  Chances are if you like a colored piece of lingerie, hold off buying because it will be on sale shortly.

American women are obsessed with seamless, contoured and invisible underwear.  We don’t want anyone to see any sign of lingerie under any of our clothing.  We are on a constant quest for that lingerie item that won’t show.  European women, by contrast, could care less.  Let there be seams showing, let their lace show through, who cares if someone sees a panty line?  European women love buying pretty lacy and expensive lingerie and don’t care if it shows or not.

Viva la Difference!

Check out lingerie essentials in HerRoom’s Complete Lingerie Wardrobe.

Find Chantelle lingerie at HerRoom

Find Fantasie lingerieat HerRoom

Find Panache lingerie at HerRoom

Bras
Panties
 

A new line called Olga’s Christina was launched by Warnaco in 2007. Warnaco is the same company that markets the Olga brand of lingerie, so the name similarity is intentional. So, what’s going on with announcing this new brand? I put this question to two of my friends over at Warnaco, Elizabeth Sullivan, Sales Coordinator for Warnaco, and Todd Mick, Warnaco’s Merchandise Manager.

The traditional Olga bra line needed a new direction. It has been a favorite of many women for many years, but the core customer has always been the full figure woman. So Olga made the decision to adjust their size range. Olga bras now focus on band sizes from 36 to 42, and cup sizes from C to DD. As Todd said, "No one makes full figure bras more beautifully than Olga." So, to that end, Olga’s focus is on full figure bras that are extremely pretty and beautifully embellished.

The Olga bra cups and their fit are also a main focus as well. For example, the Olga Smoothback with Supremesupport 35061 has a great cup capacity. The cups are molded with Simplex fabric, which doesn’t stretch so holds a woman’s breasts while giving great support. This bra also has a lower center and lace for a sexy look. Both Todd and Liz agree this is a beautiful looking bra. The customer that wore the now discontinued Olga style 319 will want this bra.

Okay, so I understand the new direction with Olga. But why introduce the Olga’s Christina bra line? Isn’t this just going to confuse the customer? According to Todd and Liz, the answer is no. The two lines are really a complement to one another. Both are addressing the full figure customer. But what Warnaco has found is that within this bra demographic, there are two very different customers. Olga styles satisfy a woman who wants pretty, detailed, and embellished bras. Olga’s Christina customers want traditional and sophisticated styling that are streamlined – less fancy. This customer tends to also be a little younger.

The Olga’s Christina line is made up of underwire bras and minimizers that have smooth cups and design lines to be worn under t-shirt and knits. For example, their Lace Underwire 55007 is luxurious and elegant, but the surface of the cups are smooth enough to wear under fitted tops. This lacy looking yet smooth bra has been such a success, a minimizer of the same concept, style 55019 is planned for introduction shortly. Another focus in the Olga’s Christina line is modesty. Liz points out that this customer does not want their headlights showing. So, spacer foam is being used in many of the cups. Spacer foam is only about 1/8" thick, but goes a long way in masking nipple show-through and giving the wearer a very smooth and pretty shape.

Todd summed it up best. "Olga’s Christina brings to life a fresh perspective on intimate apparel. We are redesigning the bras, not the bodies, to deliver beauty, function and fashion to that DDD cup woman."

You can learn more about full-figure sizing and fit at HerRoom’s fitting guide.

Find Olga and Christina lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

You don’t see pants fitters, shoe fitters or dress fitters.  So why do we need bra fitters?  Except in unique cases, I think most women are smart enough to figure out their own bra size.  In this post, I’m going to tell you what most bra fitters know and then some.  With sufficient information, you can absolutely figure out the bra size that works best for you.

First, you need to start by putting on your best fitting bra. If possible, this bra should not have any padding. Get in front of a mirror and look at yourself.  Now, go through the following check list and choose "yes" or "no" next to each point:

1. Is the center of your bra sitting flat against your body?  If you are wearing a minimizer bra, or a soft cup bra and have breasts larger than DD cups, this may not be the case.  In these two cases, the center not resting against your sternum is okay.
2. Are your underwires sitting under your breasts in your breast crease and not poking out?
3. Is all of your breast tissue contained in your cup?  If you are wearing a demi style bra or low cut bra, your breast tissue may not be in your cup.  This is fine unless you feel the tissue is spilling out of this style.
4. Do your cups fit with no gapping or puckering?
5. Are your shoulder straps comfortable and not falling off or digging into your shoulders?
6. Is your nipple line half way between your shoulder and your elbow?
7. Is the bottom of your bra level and parallel with the floor?
8. Are your hook and eyes on the tightest or middle setting?

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, you’re in the right bra size.  The number one mistake women make is wearing a bra with cups too small and a band size too big.  Or put another way, she is wearing a 38C instead of a 36D. For some reason, women are more willing to go up a band size than a cup size.  But when you’re walking around, no one is looking at you and thinking you have a certain bra size on.  They only notice if you look good or not.  So, don’t get hung up on your bra size; it’s just a number and a letter or two.  The goal is to have you looking and feeling the best you can.

Okay, so let’s go through your list.. If you said "no" to any of the above questions, I have the answer for you below.

1. The center gore or center front of your bra is lifting away from your body.  When you have very larger breasts, it may be  impossible for the center of your bra to rest on your sternum because you have so much breast tissue – your breasts are already touching in the center.  Soft cup bras also have a hard time resting on your sternum because they don’t have underwires to anchor the bra under your breasts.  Minimizer bras are working to reduce your bust projection, so many minimizers do not have a center panel designed to lay flat on your sternum.  If any of these reasons apply to you, don’t worry about this symptom. For everyone else, if your center panel is not laying flat on your sternum, this is a symptom that your cup size is too small.  Your breast are actually pushing your bra away from your body.  The first thing to do is go up a cup size.  If your cups now fit, but your band is too big, the next step is to go down a band size, but go up a cup size to maintain the same cup volume.  Example:  Currently wearing a 40D.  First try a 40DD.  If band too big, go to a 38DDD.  If the underwires in the center are pointing out and away from your body, this is another symptom that your cup size is too small.  It can also mean that the bra manufacturer is not using strong enough underwires.
2.  If your underwire is sitting on your breast tissue instead of in your under breast crease, first make sure you put your bra on correctly.  Reach in to your bra cups and pull up your breasts into the cups so that your breast tissue is above the underwire.  If your breasts are now shooting out the top, you need a bigger cup size. If your breasts look fine now, you have the correct cup size.  If your underwires are digging into you on the sides, this is another symptom that you need to go up a cup size.   There is also the possibility that your band size is too tight.  If you are on your last hook, and your bra is literally pulling the underwires apart so that they are not following your breast crease, your band size is too small.  Go up a band size and down a cup size in this case to see if it feels more comfortably.  For example, go from a 36DD to a 38D. Conversely, if your underwires are resting below your bra crease and your bra can not be pulled up into the right position, this is a symptom of your band being too tight.  The band is sliding down your torso to a more narroer point on your body.  In this case, go up a band size and down a cup size. Finally, bra manufacturers use a variety of underwire shapes in different bra styles.  If your bra fits great except the underwires seem wrong, this could simply mean this particular style of bra is not for you.
3.  If your breast tissue is spilling out of your bra at the top, or if you have on a demi cup style bra and the top of the cup is causing an indentation in your breast,  your cup size is too small.  Go up a cup size.  If you are unsure about all of this, the ultimate test is to put a t-shirt on over your bra.  If you see a bulge above the cup line, the cups size is too small.
4. Gaps and puckering in your cup usually means the cup size is too large.  However, there are also other reasons.  Most women do not have the same size breasts – one is larger than the other.   Therefore, one cup will fit, and the other will usually be too small with gaps or puckering.  Always fit a bra to your largest breast.  Contour bras that are molded with a thin layer of foam do a great job of hiding different breast sizes.  You can also purchase what are called "cookies."  These are pads that can be popped into the bottom of your cup to compensate for less breast tissue on one side.  If your cups fit great except for gaps at the top of the cup where it attaches to the bra strap, your particular bra may have tcups that are too full.  As women get older, we tend to become hollow above our breasts.  Bras with demi cups or balconette styles will probably work better and be more flattering.   Another interesting point here is that when you don’t fill out the upper part of your bra cup, this gaping leads to your bra straps falling off your shoulders.  So, there is a very good reason to get a bra where you fill up the entire cup.
5. Shoulder straps digging into your shoulders is usually a sign that your band is too large.  Bra support should come 90% from your bra’s band and only 10% should come from your shoulder straps.  Test this by slipping your bra straps off your shoulders.  If your bra falls off, your band is way too big.  If your bra stays on – even though your breasts may become a bit droopy, you are wearing the right size.  The design of your bra back can also make a difference.  Bras with a leotard back helps distribute the support down your back.  So a great solution here is to go down a band size, and up a cup size (assuming your cup size is right) and look for bras where the straps are closer together in the back.
6. Getting the girls in the correct position on your chest is critical.  Too low, and they can make you look heavier and older than you are.  Your breasts – at any size – should have the nipple line equidistant between your elbow and shoulder.  If they aren’t you are in the wrong size, or in a bra without enough cup support, or in a bra with too large a band size.
7. Once I put my bra on, I go straight to the mirror and confirm that my bra back is pulled down and parallel with the front of my bra.  This simple adjustment can make a world of difference for every woman.  Think about it, most of us attach our bras behind our back.  It’s easy for the bra back to be left too high on our back.  Pulling your bra back down balances out your bra and helps give your breasts support.  If your bra band creeps up your back during the day, this is a clear sign that your band is too large.  You need to go down a band size and up a cup size if you are happy with your cup volume.  So, for example, go from a 42C to a 40D and see if you don’t get better support.  A tighter band that is also in the right location on your back will also help reduce back fat.
8. Hook and eyes don’t lie.  On the loosest hook?  Your band is too big.  On the tightest?  Your band isn’t big enough.  I personally do not like bra band extenders that can be purchased to extend your bra back. Very very few women actually need these.  Most of the time it’s putting a band aid on a wrong size bra.  Women need to go up a band size and down a cup size to see if that size fits better before going out and buying bra band extenders. 

So there you have it.  You can be your own best bra fitter.  And one final point.  when you change band sizes, this is a major size change. When you go up a band size from a 36C to a 38C, for example, in actuality you are going up a band size and up a cup size because a 38C cup is the same cup size as a 36D.  Conversely, when you go from a 38C to a 36B, (down a band and a cup size) you are going down a band size AND down 2 cup sizes because the cup size in a 38C is the same volume as a 36D.  In other words,  going up a band size and keeping the same cup size means you are going up a band size and up a cup size.  Conversely, going down a band size and keeping the same cup size means you are going down a band size and down 1 cup size.  So, changing a band size is a huge size change and also changes cup sizing as well.  Changing a cup size within a band size is fine tuning – as long as you keep the same band size, you can go up and down a cup size to hone in a better fit.  So, get your band size right first, then play around with cup sizes.

This chart on HerRoom gives more details on fit.
 

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