Archive for August, 2011
Breast Separation – It Matters
August 24, 2011
Not all breasts are separated the same. And, I don’t think most women know this. Did you know that some women have touching or "kissing" breasts where there is no space between the breasts? There are other women with rather wide separation – more than 3 finger widths in fact. So, why does this even matter? Because breast separation can have a huge impact on how a bra fits.
I think one of the most overlooked feature of any bra is the center panel or center gore. There are wide design variations. And, how this piece is shaped, sized and attached to the cups effects how a bra will fit.
Let’s say you have touching breasts. You are one of those lucky ladies who always gets a center cleavage line. However, a traditional center panel will probably not touch or "tack" on your sternum. It can’t because there is no room between your breasts for its resting spot. Consequently, your bra will look like it doesn’t fit – the center panel and wires could bend out forward, or your center panel could be resting away from your sternum.
The solution here is to find a bras where the center panel is low, or where the bra does not even have a center panel. Also look for bras where the underwires are short in the center and do not come up very high. Plunge bras and some demi bras have these shorter underwires. A halter bra is also a good style because such a bra tends to be designed to push breasts together anyway.
At the other extreme are wide-set breasts. These are breast where there is more than 3 fingers width of breast separation between breasts. Because of this, touching cleavage is pretty much impossible. And, underwires can be uncomfortable because they are spaced too close to the center and will pinch the breast tissue under the arms.
In the case of wide-set breasts, the center panel again needs to be scrutinized. If your breasts are wide-set, chances are you have never been able to create cleavage, and you have sometimes put on a bra that doesn’t catch your whole breast under the arms. The wider your center panel, the better fit you will achieve. Wire-free bras will be comfortable. Push-up bras where the pads are both at the bottom and side of the cups will give wide-set breasts the best breast fullness. And triangle style bras and bathing suit tops will probably look the best.
My point in this post is to let you know that there is more to fitting a bra than just knowing your size. Based on your breast separation, you will have more success with some styles if you know how far apart your breasts are.
Find bra styles to fit your shape at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
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Posted by Tomima at 12:37pm
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Germ-free Underwear
August 16, 2011
A research team at the University of Georgia has come up with a new technology that can make clothing and lingerie permanently germ free. It’s simple to implement, works on synthetic and natural fabrics, does not come out in the wash and can be applied either at home or during manufacturing. Who’d have thought?
With the discovery of super viruses and pathogens showing up in our environment and hospitals, this new fabric treatment may become as ubiquitous as airport scanning. This technology is already available for licensing. It kills a huge spectrum of yeasts, bacteria and moulds that can cause disease. But this technology also goes after stains that can break down fabrics and produce odors. It can destroy the cause without damaging the fabric.
Clearly this is the wave of the future for underwear and lingerie. Stay tuned…
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Posted by Tomima at 11:30am
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Hosiery Will Be Getting New Sizing
August 04, 2011
Finding your hosiery size has always been a little bit of a game. I, for one, am always on the cusp, so I usually size up to the next size. Sometimes this works and sometimes not. Given a choice, I would rather my pantyhose be too big than not big enough and suffer the discomfort of a low-hanging crotch. But too big could mean baggy ankles or having to pull the excess over my toes and folding it under my foot before putting my shoes on.
The Hosiery Association (THA), a trade organization for US leg wear manufacturers has come up with a new sizing convention for women’s sheers and tights. The hope is to finally get accurate sizing across all hosiery brands.
This 4-year effort found that because hosiery has a variety of spandex content, and because certain knits and patterns can impact the elasticity, sizing accurately is quite a challenge. Specialized categories such as ultra sheers, patterned sheers, warm weather tights, body shaping tights and opaque tights can further complicate sizing.
US data collected through a 2001 survey calculated the actual body volume of a woman from her crotch to her toes, and then from her crotch to her waist. It found there are 3 forms – 2 for the leg sizing and one for the hips. They then sized by going up 1 inch in height and 5 lbs. for every size increment. The Hosiery Association feels this new standard should handle 95% of all women’s legwear products. The only exception would be the few styles like hip-huggers and others that have unique cuts.
This new standarization should go a long way in helping women get the right size. In fact, if we now get our correct size, we might follow in Princess Katherine’s shoes and actually start wearing pantyhose again.
Find pantyhose and tights in your size at HerRoom in these departments:
Hosiery
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Posted by Tomima at 7:17am
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