Tomima - Lingerie and Underwear Expert

This Friday, Oprah will be airing one of her "Favorite Things" show, and the new sensation - The Yummie Tummie - is one of her picks (That’s right, she changed the spelling from yummy tummy).  For a company that has only been around for four months, this is quite a feat. 

This new hot must-have was designed by Heather Thomson, a fashion designer for over 15 years.  She designed it to meet her own need to want to wear form-fitting clothing after having a baby.  She didn’t like the feeling of all the shapewear out there and felt most of it caused more problems than it solved.

So, what is a Yummie Tummie? It’s a shapewear piece with a twist - it can be worn as outerwear, or as a layering piece, and is designed to be seen.  Think about these t-shirts, tanks and camisoles that everyone is buying and layering one over the other.  A Yummie Tummie looks like one of these except right below the bust and all the way down to your hips, the fabric has been replaced with shapewear fabric to smooth you out and suck you in.  You then can put another layer over it and look fabulous without anyone knowing you have on a shaping item.  The Yummie Tummie Collection has about 8 silhouettes ranging from a tank, crew neck t-shirt to a long sleeve v-neck.  There is even a nursing camisole so you can look great after your baby but still be able to nurse.  All come in basic colors, with some fashion colors thrown in.  Oprah will be showing the white and salmon colors on her show this Friday.

I need to mention a quick note about how to put it on.  Yes, it can go over your head, but it could be a bit of a struggle and possibly mess your hair and/or make-up.  The quickest and safest way is to step into the Yummie Tummie and pull it up like you would a one-piece bathing suit.

The fabrics used in all Yummie Tummies are what really make this garment work.  The top bodice and bottom panel is made in cotton knit; just like your t-shirts.  The minimizing panel is a firm microfiber that is made with sleek yarns to prevent your top layer from clinging.  This two-fabric concept keeps the garment looking modern while staying in place and not riding up.

All Yummie Tummy styles also come in two lengths - regular and long.  The shape is the same, but the shapewear section is approximately 3 inches longer.  This way, if you’re tall or want a longer base piece for a layering look, you can order the longer style.  The longer length also lets you pull the Yummie Tummie down over your back side for even more shaping andn smoothing.

Also, be sure to check out the Yummie Tummie sizing.  They come in sizes of XS to XL with XL fitting a t-shirt size of 16 and hips of 42".

This new and exciting item is sure to be the hit this summer.  Stock up because we’re hearing that supplies are already constrained.   The other silhouettes are due to ship in July and August.  The long sleeve versions are due to ship in September.  The nude camisole in the regular length is totally sold out.

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.

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.