The Ultimate Push-Up Bra – Does it Really Give a 2 Cup Size Increase?
There’s been quite a bit of advertising about Victoria’s Secret’s "Miraculous" Push-up bra. Made by the Maidenform Company, the claim is that special padding lifts you up and out, thus adding up to 2 full cup sizes to your breasts. And it does all of this with amazing comfort while keeping a natural shape.
Wow! That’s quite a promise. So, I went and bought one and put it to the test. By way of explanation, a one inch increase in the circumference of your chest along the nipple line qualifies as a cup size increase. So, to make their claim true, a total of 2 inches to the circumference needs to be achieved.
So, here are the results. We used one of our 34B models. Her measurements are:
Band 34"
Bust 36"
First, we put her in the Spanx 216 Bra-llelujah contour bra. These photographs show her shape.
We then put her in Victoria’s Secret "Miraculous" bra. Her measurements became:
Band 34"
Bust 38"
So, the claim is correct; her bust circumference increased by 2 inches. And, I must say, her cleavage and shape look natural and fabulous.
As I mentioned earlier, this bra is made by the Maidenform company. And, apparently a deal was cut whereby Victoria’s Secret got the exclusive for the first 6 months. And boy, are they taking advantage. The Victoria price is $48 for the solid colors and $52 for the prints.
The Maidenform version arrived late June 2010. Their design does have some differences – a little more coverage in the cups, a more stabilizing center front, and a different back design to provide more support. Whereas the Victoria’s Secret bra goes up to DD cup sizing, the Maidenform will only go up to D cups. And, the biggest difference of all will be the pricing. The Maidenform price will be just $34. That’s a 30% price savings!
Personally, I’m very impressed. The Maidenform Company, in my opinion, is the current leader in innovative bra designs. They have done a super job here creating a look of more natural cleavage.
On a final note, I do want to point out that we tried to measure the thickness of the padding in this bra. In some places, the padding is over 1 inch thick. So, I have a bit of a concern with how to care for it. You don’t want to stick it in the dryer, yet with all that padding, will it dry fast enough so that there won’t be a problem with mildew from line drying? The jury is out on this one.
Maidenform & Victoria’s Secret have teamed up before on the Total Solution and Perfect One Bras.
Find Maidenform lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
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thank you for the compliment! i am the CEO of Maidenform
Comment by maurice
January 8th, 2010 @ 1:56 am
Love Tomima’s blog. Very informative and direct. I just purchased this bra … and then returned it. Not generous in fit, and it made my breasts appear like two big rocks. BTW, I am a DD, so ladies with large breasts will not be happy with this bra. Excessively padded.
Comment by robyne
March 4th, 2010 @ 10:16 am
FYI: Victoria’s Secret states that their bras should NEVER be put into a dryer b/c it will ruin the elastic in them… in addition, it’s best to gently hand wash these bras.
Comment by nona
May 27th, 2010 @ 11:49 am
I disagree with the “her cleavage and shape look natural” statement you said. Though I do understand this is a (extremely heavily!) padded bra and it’s not going to look like the real thing, it still gives that “Hi’ I’m wearing an overly padded bra” look. I have a friend (34A) who wears this bra every single day. I have not measured her so I don’t know how many inches it did increase her, but it actually makes her look about 3 cup sizes bigger! That must depend on breast tissue and your shape to start with though. And you can tell they’re not all real. Because with a bra that heavily padded, it gives a very stiff and slightly pointy appearance to the bottom and center of the breast (you can see it in that photo above too), and it also (on my friend) gives her that shelf look – where the padding ends and your upper ribcage begins, but sunken in. I for one detest this bra. I’m a natural 28G (34D in ill-fitting bras) so yes I would find this a bit ridiculous as I don’t need one. A little light padding is ok if you’re not as endowed, but don’t deceive people by making them think you’re 2-3 sizes bigger than you are. It’s not nice.
Comment by Heather
July 10th, 2010 @ 7:16 am
To maurice, PLEASE consider producing your Chantilly Classic under-wire bras again! Those fabulous Maidenform bras were just exquisite; they fit and wore like no others! Please bring them back!!!!
Comment by Olivia Kent
July 10th, 2010 @ 8:51 am