Archive for August, 2008
Help! My Bra Straps Keep Slipping Off My Shoulders!
August 17, 2008
I hear this complaint all the time. "My bra straps keep falling off my shoulders!" Most think it’s because their shoulders slope too much or they have narrow shoulders. Both of these could contribute to the problem, but you’ll be surprised to know that there are several additional reasons your straps could be slipping off your shoulders. And most have to do with the way your bra fits.
1. Your straps are not tight enough. This may seem obvious but many women simply don’t adjust their straps. Straps are only supposed to support about 10% of your breast’s weight. But they need to be providing some support or they will just fall off your shoulders. Make sure your straps are tight enough to provide support, but not so tight that they pull up your bra back.
2. Your cup size is too big. Many women, with age, lose their breast volume along the tops of their breasts. This loss of volume along the top of your breasts creates an empty space in the top of your cup. Without the cup being completely filled, the straps will tend to slip. Either go down a cup size, or make 
sure you lift and place your breasts into your cups so that the cup is properly filled.
3. You’re using bra extenders. A bra extender is an accessory that adds more length to the back of your bra. I sell them at HerRoom, but I really don’t like them. They can create additional problems, and shoulder straps falling off is one of them. When you expand the length of the bra back, you move the straps farther apart and closer to the edge of your arms. This increases the chances that your straps will fall off your shoulders. Instead of an extender, consider going up a band size and down a cup size. This will give you 2 more inches around your chest while keeping your cup volume the same.
4. Your bra back is not in the proper position. I know we’re all in a hurry when we’re getting dressed in the morning. But making sure you put your bra on correctly and getting it in the proper place is critical to your comfort the rest of the day. The final thing you should do after putting your bra on is reach back and pull it down so that it’s under your shoulder blades and even with the front of your bra. When you don’t do this, and your bra is left too high on your back, the front of your bra slumps, and the straps fall off. I can’t tell you how many times suggesting this simple thing to women has solved their strap slipping problem.
5. Your bra band is too large. Similar to the back extender problem, if your band size is too large, your straps will be further apart. This too can cause your straps to fall off your shoulders. A loose band also causes the back of your bra to hike up. If you are experiencing both these symptoms, try going down a band size and up a cup size. This will tighten your band size while keeping your cup volume the same.
6. Wrong bra style for you. Not all bra styles are for everyone. Women with very square shoulders can wear the popular bras with wide-set straps. Women with slopping shoulders will have trouble. Women with narrow shoulders need to carefully look at the strap placement to make sure they are not too far apart for her frame. The bottom line is to know your body style and what styles do and do not work well.
Several manufacturers have worked hard to design bras to address this issue. For example, several Olga and Olga’s Christina bras have what they call a "Comfort Back" design. This back style brings the straps closer together in back and thus reduces shoulder slippage.
Racerback bra styles are also an option. However, there are a few issues with this style. First, racerback bras tend to be front closure. This is limiting in terms of adjusting for your best fit. Additionally, racerback bras can cut close to the neck and provide pressure to neck tendons which can become sore after hours of wearing. So, keep this in mind before selecting racerback bras.
Leotard back bras look like the back of a leotard, rather than a traditional t-back where the strap comes down and attach perpendicular to the garment. This styling tends to give less slippage, but there are leotard back bras on the market that also slip. So, you really need to look and see how close the straps come together in the back.
As you can see the bra back is very important. Seeing how the bra back looks and fits will greatly help you in finding the right bra to solve your problem of slipping bra straps. The good news is that HerRoom photographs every bra with a back view. And, what’s even better is that while you are looking at a selection of bras at HerRoom, if you’ll scroll down, you will see a link underneath the collection of images called "click for back view." When you click on this link, all the bra images on the page instantly change to a back view of the bras. You can now swiftly shop for the bra with the desired back qualities that work for you.
So, you don’t need to have slipping bra straps. A simple evaluation of your needs and the selection of the correct bra will have you comfortable and content.
You can learn more about the bra strap problem in HerRoom’s Bra Fitting Problems & Solutions.
Find various strap and back styles at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Posted by Tomima at 7:44am
4 Comments »
What Happened to My Olga Bras in A and B Cup Sizes?
August 13, 2008
My site has received many emails from women asking why they can’t find their favorite Olga bras. Well, let me tell you what happened.
Olga bras are made by the Warnaco Company. Back in 2006, they made the decision to focus the Olga brand on C cup size women and larger. Since Warnaco owns the Warner’s brand, they felt the smaller cupped women could buy Warner’s and the larger cupped women would move to Olga.
Though this strategy is probably a good long-term one, it sure doesn’t address what their current Olga customers who aren’t a C cup should do. Well, here’s one idea for you.
At HerRoom, we track most discontinued styles from manufacturer. When you come to HerRoom.com, you can enter a style number, and find out if it’s still in production, or discontinued. If it’s discontinued, we make every effort to show you an alternative that is very similar to the bra you like.
So, my suggestion is to give our database a whirl. If we don’t have an alternative style, you can still search HerRoom and hopefully find something you like just as well.
Find Olga lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Find Warner’s lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Posted by Tomima at 7:24am
5 Comments »
2xist or 2(X)ist Has a New Marketing Strategy
August 08, 2008
2xist (pronounced "to exist") has become one of the most popular men’s underwear lines in the last few years, with a very loyal following . In our last meeting with them, 2xist shared with us their new marketing strategy going forward. Now you too will be in the know.
In the past 2xist has launched new collections, while maintaining popular pieces from the older collections. Unfortunately, this was causing kind of a mish-mash of styles that didn’t appear to have a cohesive vision.
Going forward, the plan is to introduce two new programs or collections a year. Each collection will have the lifespan of one to one and a half years before being discontinued. The thinking is that by doing this, the brand will always look new and fresh.
The downside is that if a customer simply loves a certain style or collection, he will need to stock up, for it will not be continuing or returning. Now, that being said, 2xist just re-introduced their former "Basic" collection from a few years ago. So, re-introduction could also be a trend… sort of like when Disney "opens their vaults" to bring back classics.
The Carbon and Fusion collections are expected to go away during Spring of 2009. However, one thing is for certain, the famous 2xist fit will remain the same season after season. So, at least you can feel confident that when you buy one of the new styles, it will have the familiar fit you have grown to love.
Posted by Tomima at 7:11am
1 Comment »
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