Tomima's Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

(un)covering what's under everything

The 5 Lingerie Must-Haves For Your Closet, on Oprah

October 29, 2008

 

The other day, Oprah had a show about women getting their sexy back. Her style team from O Magazine took 5 women and transformed them into really attractive and sexy looking goddesses.  It was truly impressive.  Part of the show had a segment from Susan Nethero sharing her list of 5 lingerie must-haves every women should have in her lingerie drawer.  Here they are:

1. A Date Night Bra – This is a bra that is pretty and makes you feel pretty when you wear it out in the evening.  One idea was for this bra to be in a color other than nude – like red.  I think black can be a good choice as well.
2. A demi cup or cleavage showing bra – A demi cup bra has cups that cover less of your upper breast tissue.  This allows you to wear lower necklines. A cleavage showing bra, I call a plunge bra. The center panel is cut very low so that you can wear lower v-necks or be able to keep one more button unbuttoned.
3. A strapless bra -  I find myself more and more reaching for a strapless.  With today’s unusual necklines, a strapless sometimes seems like the only choice if you want to wear a bra.
4. An elegant camisole – I must confess that I frequently forget about the camisole option.  It’s a great solution as a layer under jackets and sweaters.  As winter approaches, and we all must go in and out of hot and cold temperatures, having a pretty camisole as your base layer can give instant relief when you want to take off something to cool down.  And, there are great support camisoles that not only look pretty, but give you the added smoothing benefits.
5. Matching bra and panty sets – After this recommendation, Oprah polled her audience as to how many women were wearing panties that matched their bra.  Not many raised their hand. A conversation between Oprah and her stylists ensued.  The overwhelming opinion is that women who wear a matching set feel more confident when they walk and talk – even if no one but themselves know they have it on.

Also on this show, Susan highlighted the Mary Jo Avero plunge convertible bra as her preferred date bra.  It’s pretty, has fabulous detailing, a low center and convertible straps.

I must say that I agree with this list, with the possible exception of the camisole.    So, breaking this list down into figure types, here is my list of favorites for each of these 5 lingerie must-haves:

 

Petite Plus size: Chantelle Legende Demi Underwire Bra

Posted by Tomima at 10:46am
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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
5 Comments »

Do-It-Yourself Bra Fitting – You Don’t Need a Bra Fitter.

July 05, 2008

 

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.
 

 

 

Find Bras at HerRoom

Posted by Tomima at 9:40am
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