Tomima’s Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

This is our Second Annual Undie Awards.  Last year, we had over 12,000 votes.  This years voting brought in more than 15,000, and is the first year that men got to vote on their favorite underwear too.  The Undie Awards are all about finding out what lingerie/underwear  America loves to wear.

The winners fall into two categories.  First, we give  you The Undie Award for the garment receiving the most votes in its category.  We also provide The Undie Select Award as well.  This award is given to a garment we feel deserves attention in the category.  There are many great garments that for reasons of distribution, aren’t as well known.  The Undie Select Award gives these lesser known garments an opportunity to be recognized. In fact, two Undie Select winners last year are this years Undie Award Winners.

So, here are the 2008 Undie Award Winners:

 

Womens:

Favorite Overall Bra:

            Average:           Vanity Fair Body Sleeks Contour Stretch Bra 75-266

            Full Figure:      Vanity Fair 75-005 and 75-134 (tie)

Favorite Overall Panty:

                                    Vanity Fair Perfectly Yours Ravissant Brief 15712

Favorite Overall Shapewear:

                                    Spanx Power Panties 004

Select:

                                    TC Fine Shapewear Firm Control Camisole 444

Favorite Sports Bra:

            Average:          Lily of France In Action Sports Bra 2101755

            Full Figure:      Enell Sports Bra 100

Select:

            Average:          Moving Comfort Cara Sports Bra 728460

            Full Figure:      Goddess Sports Bra 5056

Favorite Strapless Bra:

            Average:          Maidenform One Fabulous Fit Strapless Bra 7955

            Full Figure:      Goddess Cantilevered Strapless Bra 391

Select:

            Average:          Wacoal Halo Lace Seamless Convertible Bra 65449

            Full Figure:      Fantasie Smoothing Seamless Strapless Bra 4530

Favorite T-Shirt Bra:

            Average:          Chantelle Body Sculpt T-shirt Underwire Bra 2895

            Full Figure:      Le Mystere Renaissance Tisha Bra 9955

Select:

            Average:          Hanro Sensual Deep Plunge Underwire Bra 1263

            Full Figure:      elomi Smoothing Foam Underwire Bra 1220

Favorite Seamless Bra:

            Average:      Elita Silk Magic Cross Over Bra 8838

            Full Figure:      Fantasie Seamless Molded Balcony Bra 4520

Select:

            Average:          Bali Smooth Compliments Underwire Bra 3100

            Full Figure:      Anita Seamless Underwire Bra 5490

Favorite Minimizer Bra:

                                    Wacoal Seamless Minimizer Bra 85154

Select:

                                    Olga Sheer Tapestry Full Figure Minimizer Bra 35984

Favorite Push-Up Bra:

                                    Wonderbra Gel Satin Push-Up Bra 7234

Select:

                                    Calvin Klein Perfectly Fit Push-Up Bra F2541

 

Favorite Brief:

            Full Cut:          Bali Skimp Skamp Brief 2633

            Hi-Cut:            Vanity Fair Sophia Hi-Cut Brief 13072

Select:

            Full Cut:          Calida Ajour Brief 21060

            Hi-Cut:            OnGossamer Mesh Hi-Cut Brief 3012

Favorite Bikini:

                                    Barely There Invisible Look Modal Bikini 2113

Select:

                                    Barely There Jeanious Bikini 2548

Favorite Thong:

                                    Hanky Panky Thong 4911

Select:

                                    Elita Silk Magic Thong 8831

Favorite Boy Short:

                                    Barely There Flawless Fit Boyshort 2855

Select:

                                    Natori Body Doubles Femme Hipster 153002

Favorite G-String:

                                    La Perla Sexy Town G-String 2353

Select:

                                    Natori Lace Trim Body Doubles G-String 157001

 

 

Mens:

Favorite Boxers:

            Woven:            Mansilk Silk Satin Boxer M333

             Knit:               Tommy Hilfiger Knit Boxer U62512231

Select:

            Woven:            Hanro Retro Boxer 3829

            Knit:                Adam+Eve Undershorts ABJB7

Favorite Boxer Briefs:

                                    Tommy Hilfiger boxer Brief U62512229

Select:

                                    Calvin Klein Tech Active Boxer Brief U2724

Favorite Briefs:

                                    Munsingwear Full Rise Pouch Brief MW21

Select:

                                    2xist Contour Pouch Brief 3103 and 3103C

Favorite Jock:

                                    C-in2 Bamboo Street Jock 3068

Select:

                                    Bike Performance Cotton Strap Supporter BASP17

Favorite Thong:

(tie)                             2xist Original “Y” Backed Thong 3102

                                    Calvin Klein Steel Thong U2706

Select:

                                    Grigioperla Skin Thong 0022174

Favorite T-Shirt:

                                    Hanes Crew Neck T-Shirt 2136

Select:

                                    Schiesser Original Fine Rib Seamless V-Neck T-Shirt 05-123

 

 See all the winners at www.theundies.com/winners.aspx

 

Finding a bra you love only to discover its size range stops just before your bra size can be frustrating. However, in some circumstances, you may not be totally out of luck.

Say you’re a 40C and the bra you have found stops at 38DD. You MIGHT be able to wear the 38D or 38DD in that bra if the band doesn’t feel too tight. Deviating from your traditional bra size is called the cup size game. Substituting bra sizes really works more successfully on women with band sizes 40 and above and D cups or larger because there is more breast tissue and body circumference to work with – a 2" band increase or a 1" bust line circumference increase is less significant than on a smaller framed person. But, smaller framed women also have way more bra choices.

There are 2 important things you need to know about cup size. The first is that a cup size on one band size is not equal to the same cup size on another band size. In other words, a 32D bra has smaller cup volume and diameter than a 34D bra even though both bra sizes are a D cup. So I bet you’re wondering why the industry assigns the same cup size to both.

Cup size is a measurement of how far your breasts project from your chest wall. Each cup size denotes a 1" increase in your body’s CIRCUMFERENCE measurement at your bust line. Knowing this fact can help you zero in on your correct bra size. For example, you try on a bra and the band feels comfortable, but your breasts are spilling out. Keep going up in cup sizes on the same band size until you find the bra that fits. Alternately, the cups fit great, but the band is too big. When you go down a band size, you now know that you need to go up a cup size to maintain the same underwire diameter and similar cup volume (Example: Go from a 40C to a 38D).

The second important point about cup size pertains to women with cup sizes larger than a D cup. Trying to find cup equivalents among brands can be very difficult. In one brand you are a DDDD, but this same cup size can be a G, F, or FF in other brands. The first thing you should know is that all manufacturers size their cups up by 1" circumference increases. They may call their sizing by different letters, but the increases between sizes are uniform. So, as mentioned above, find out how many cup sizes above a D you are. At HerRoom.com, when you look at the sizes available in a particular bra, HerRoom displays the cup sizes in order from smallest to largest. If you are 4 cup sizes larger than a D cup, you can count 4 sizes from D to find your correct size in that particular brand. Again, it doesn’t matter what the cup size letter is. Just make sure you count the right number of sizes above their D and you will have the right size.

 When a manufacturer grades his patterns to create different sizes for a bra style, he moves the bust points slightly wider with each cup size increase. B cup bust points are 1/2" farther apart than A cups. Bust points get 1/4" farther apart between B, C and D cups, and 1/8" farther apart with larger cup sizes. Now that I’ve shared the cup size game with you, I want to make a final point. It is always best to purchase your true and accurate bra size if you want to maximize your proper fit.

Learn more about bra cup sizing at HerRoom.

Have you ever bought an underwire bra in your size and felt like the underwires didn’t fit right? This posting is to help you understand bra underwires and how they are designed, selected and ultimately sewn into your bras.Let’s begin with some basic geometry. Breasts, for the most part, are shaped like orbs. They have a diameter and a projection. When selecting your cup size (e.g. B, DD, G, etc.) you’re basically choosing a size that addresses your breast projection — how far out from your body your breasts project.

Your breast diameter measurement, on the other hand, is already predetermined by the manufacturer who makes your bra. Your band size (32, 38, 42 etc) has a pre-determined breast diameter built into it in the form of an underwire. That’s right, manufacturers determine your breast diameter whether you like it or not, when they decide on the underwire that will be sewn into your bra. And all lingerie manufacturers pretty much follow the same sizing conventions with regard to diameters. As a side note, augmented breasts tend to have a wider diameter than their natural counterparts. This is why many augmented women tend to wear larger cup sizes than they thought they would wear – it’s to get the correct fit with a wider underwire.

So, now that you know this, you can understand why changing your band size will also change your breast fit. And here’s another industry secret. Manufacturers use the same underwire in different bra sizes. This is done to reduce the number of different underwires they need to work with., but it also makes sense. Remember, your cup size is determining your projection. A woman with a larger band size, but with the same projection should also have the same diameter – in theory. Here’s an example to explain how all of this works. Suppose you are a 36C. The industry has quantified over the years that your projection is the same measurement as a woman who is a 32DD, 34D, 38B and a 40A. So, most of the time, these bra sizes will all have the same underwire sewn into them. This makes sense when you consider what you do with weight fluctuation. If you are in a 36C and the cups fit, but the band is too tight, the correct size change would be to go up a band size to a 38 and down a cup size to a B to maintain the same cup volume. After all, your girth changed; not your breast diameter.

I put this chart together to guide you in all of this. So, the next time you feel you need to change your bra size, stop and think about what needs to change. If it’s just your band, consult with this chart to find the next size you should consider moving to.

30A	30B	30C	30D	30E	30F	30G	30H	30I
32A	32B	32C	32D	32E	32F	32G	32H	32I
34A	34B	34C	34D	34E	34F	34G	34H	34I
36A	36B	36C	36D	36E	36F	36G	36H	36I
38A	38B	38C	38D	38E	38F	38G	38H	38I
40A	40B	40C	40D	40E	40F	40G	40H	40I
42A	42B	42C	42D	42E	42F	42G	42H	42I
44A	44B	44C	44D	44E	44F	44G	44H	44I

Underwire shapes can and do vary among brands and manufacturers. In fact, many feel their underwire grading and shaping choices are the trade secret to their fit. This is why you’ll find slight underwire variations among manufacturers (however they will not tell you or us what they are). This explains why one manufacturer may fit you better than another.

Underwires also have different lengths – their curve will follow the same size circle, but, like a pie chart, the diameter length can vary. For example, demi cup bras, balconette bras, bras labeled "petite" and low-plunge bra styles generally have shorter wires. If you are short in stature, this is good to know, because a shorter wire will have a less chance of poking you under your arm since these wires do not come up as high. Strapless bras tend to have the longest underwires, and for good reason. Without strap support, a strapless bra requires more wire to circle around the breast in order to give proper support and keep the bra up.

Now that you understand underwire sizing, you can understand why underwire swimsuits with just a cup size like a "C" don’t fit all C cup women. And, for you analytical types who are probably wondering, when underwires are graded to create their different sizes, the diameter increase is approximately 3/8" and the underwire length increase is approximately 5/8". Underwires are also engineered to have some spring. Once a bra is fastened, horizontal pressure is exerted on the underwires so that they splay or spread. Then, when a bra is unhooked, the underwires return to their original shape. This springing or splay gives additional support to your breasts by exerting inward pressure on them – like a gentle squeeze. If you are in the wrong size bra such that your breasts are wider than the splayed diameter of the underwire, over time the pressure and weight of your breasts can cause an underwire to break in half. If this happens to your frequently, you are probably in a bra with too small of a band size, or one where the cups are too small.

I appreciate that learning all of this may be a little overwhelming. But, you should also know that manufacturers work very hard to get you the best fit possible and try and make your size selection easy. However, it’s always nice to know the logic behind what they do.

 

Learn more about underwires and the perfect fit in the HerRoom fitting guide.