Archive for the 'Intimate Wisdom' Category
Why Are Bra Strap Adjusters in the Back Instead of the Front?
June 29, 2009
Mary from Boston wrote in to HerRoom this week with a question: Why are strap adjusters on the back of the bra strap instead of in the front? We actually hear this question on a regular basis, so what better to do than blog about it. Here I go…
It makes perfect sense that the strap adjuster should be in front on bras. Think about it. It would make putting on a bra easier because the straps could quickly be let out to get them on your shoulders. Once your bra is on, you could easily adjust the straps yourself until you had adequate breast support. So, why aren’t they in front? Well there are 4 reasons.
1. Strap design. More and more bras now incorporate the front of the bra straps into the overall design of the bra. If there is lace, you will see it also crawling up the bra strap If there is a design element on the cup, many times it will continue up the strap. Designers also like to shape the bra straps differently. For example, start them wide where they attach to the bra cup and then taper them up to your shoulder area. These design options would never work with a strap adjuster. In these cases, the strap adjustment needs to be in the back.
2. Wide Strap Designs. In the last 5 years, the concept of "comfort straps" has really taken off. This is where the top of the strap that rests on your shoulder will be wide and possibly have padding. Such a design necessitates any strap adjusting being handled in the back.
3. Aesthetics. It is the common opinion of the industry that when looking a a bra, it is more attractive if all the hooks and adjusters are in the back. It’s a rather old concept, but one that seems to stick around.
4. Show-through. In this age of t-shirt bras, when no one wants seams from a bra to show through their form-fitting clothing, the strap adjuster gets the same scrutiny. If it’s in front, you would have a bump that would be visible under clothing.
Another interesting piece of information on this came from our friends at Wacoal. Years ago, the strap adjustment was always on the front of a bra. But, unlike today’s adjusters, it was a slide and pull-through strap adjuster that was rather bulky. Women complained about it showing under tops so the industry moved them to the back. When the new adjusters became popular, the industry never moved them from back to front.
So, for all these reasons, we are left taking off our bras and then guessing as to the right adjustment, or depending on someone else to do it for us. Now, there are some bras out there with front adjusters. You’ll just need to look closely at our images, or use our nifty feature to have all the back shots pop up in your search. And, you can purchase a convertible bra and switch the straps to your liking.
With all these explanations, it’s now understandable why the adjustments are in back. But, it sure would be great if someone could figure out how a girl could get to them once she’s put on her bra.
Find bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
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Posted by Tomima at 11:56am
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Sagging Breasts – Does Wearing a Bra Prevent This?
June 19, 2009
Let me start with the punchline here: No one knows. Believe it or not, research on what causes breasts to sag has not been done. This fact is probably due to the time involved to find out. You’d be hard pressed to find a woman willing to go without a bra for 10 years all in the name of science – especially if she’s full figured.
So we don’t know if bras prevent the inevitable breast sag. But, here are a few things I do know. My 80 year-young mom has great looking D-cup boobs. Even her gynecologist has commented on how high they are compared to those of other women her age. I too have pretty perky ones. What both of us have in common is that we have always worn a bra. Though I’m a C cup, I really avoid clothing where I can’t wear some kind of bra.
I had the opportunity to work with Joanna Scurr last year. Dr. Scurr is the only one I know currently doing work on breast bounce and movement. Her research shows that our breasts move in a figure-8 motion as we move – especially while running. Though she wasn’t able to measure an increase in sagging, she did discover that breast pain and thus breast movement can be reduced or eliminated by wearing a supportive sports bra. The more support, the less the bounce and thus less breast pain. HerRoom, in fact, is the only website that conducts a bounce test on every sports bra and shows you how much breast bounce to expect when wearing various sports bras.
Our breasts, like our faces and other body parts, are subjected to daily gravity. They will sag. And, since they have little to no muscle tissue, it’s not possible to tone our breasts to make them firm. Wearing a bra may or may not reduce your sag over time, but what a bra can do is put your girls in a more flattering light. A bra can lift, separate, push up, minimize, plump up and generally present your breasts in a more youthful and attractive silhouette to make your clothes look better. And, wearing a bra cuts down on breast pain, reduces jiggle, provides modesty from headlights showing, and makes us more comfortable. All in all, it’s a great idea to wear a bra.
Find Sports bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Sport Underwear
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Posted by Tomima at 11:41am
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Shapewear and Strapless Bras with Silicone Gripper Tape – Does it Really Work?
May 11, 2009
I just returned from New York this week where I was meeting with several shapewear manufacturers. Specifically, I was in a meeting with Maidenform who also makes Flexees and Lilyette. While looking at their exciting new styles for 2010, some interesting information came out.
I think we all know about that silicone gripper tape that is often used to line a strapless bra or the edges of shapewear. Consumers, and I’m one of them, have always thought that when a garment has this, it will stay in place – no more pulling up a strapless bra or feeling that creeping up feeling from the legs of your shapewear. Well guess what? Having that silicone inside your garment doesn’t do anything. That’s right, Flexees in particular has run tests and found that it doesn’t really work. It’s a purely cosmetic feature. Consumers see it and the perception is that the garment will stay put. If deciding between two garments, a consumer will pick the one with the gripper tape because the perception is that it will stay in place better.
So, the lesson learned here is to look at the construction and fabric of the garment. Quality elastic that isn’t skimpy, and fabric with an ample percentage of spandex will provide the best support and staying power. All that gripper tape is doing is pulling on your body hairs and irritating your skin.
Find strapless bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Find lingerie accessories at HerRoom in these departments:
etcetera
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Posted by Tomima at 9:52am
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