Archive for the 'Intimate Wisdom' Category
Anatomy of a Bra – The Center Panel
November 04, 2010
That little triangle-shaped patch of fabric sitting between the cups of your bra is no afterthought. There’s a lot of engineering taking place between your breasts.
That center panel, also called a gore, helps to determine the shape and placement of your breasts. Traditionally, the top of this panel should be horizontal with the apex of your breasts (read nipples) for the best breast support. This is the primary reason I show the "measured" image on every bra we sell. The graph overlay shows you many things, but it specifically shows you where that center panel is going to land on you.
Over the last couple of years, decollete tops have sent women looking for bras with what is called a ‘plunging’ center design. In this case, the center panel is cut lower. Now, these bras fit fairly well for women in cup sizes up to a D. But, the larger cup sizes must be fit very precisely, or the woman falls out when she leans forward.
Officially, the center panel should rest directly on your sternum. If it does not, this usually means your cup size is too small and you need to size up. However, there are three exceptions to this rule. The first is a minimizer bra. Because their design objective it to reduce breast projection, minimizer bras create a kind of compression of the breasts. The center panel in some is therefore missing altogether, but if it is there, the proper fit does not mean the center panel must touch the sternum. The second exception is soft-cup or wire free bras. Without an underwire, it is almost impossible for the center panel to successfully rest on the sternum. The final exception would be larger breasts. With so much breast tissue, there is sometimes simply not enough room for the center panel to get to the sternum.
Finally, no conversation about the center panel can end without a discussion of front-closure bras. These are bras that have a clasp in the center front. It is extremely difficult to design a good front closure bra. The center panel is now a clasp which reduces the bra’s stability in the center. Not to mention that the bra now has no adjustability, so it must be an extremely accurate fit. Women in between band sizes will find the fit unacceptable. Front-closure bras have some of the highest return rates on the market. So, if you are a lover of them, this is why you don’t see very many – the manufacturers and retailers shy away from them for this very reason.
The next time you are shopping for a bra, give some thought to its center panel. The more that’s there, the better the support.
Find bras in all styles at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
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Posted by Tomima at 12:56pm
2 Comments »
Laundering Lingerie
September 30, 2010
There was a scene in an old "Sex and the City" episode where Carrie was cradling a phone between her shoulder and ear while she was pulling lovely lacy bras out of her bathroom sink, then hanging them over her shower rod to let drip dry. Guess what? She had it right. This is really the best way to wash your lingerie – by hand in warm water with gentle detergent and then left to dry.
Why is this the best choice? It’s because of all the elastic and stretch fabrics used to make lingerie. Spandex has been revolutionary to lingerie because it gives a custom fit, reduces wrinkles and prevents bagging. But, spandex breaks down in heat. Keeping your lingerie away from hot water, chlorine and the dryer is the greatest gift you can give your lingerie – including hosiery and shapewear – and will exponentially increase its lifetime.
I hear women say they wash their lingerie in Woolite. Back when Woolite came in a jar, it was designed to wash wool sweaters quickly. Their advertising gave women the impression it was a mild detergent when in fact it was not. But today, Woolite products have changed. All are designed to go in to the washing machine, and they even have something now called Woolite Extra Delicates Care. I haven’t tried it, but it sounds like it is a mild version of traditional Woolite.
With our busy lives, it is less and less likely that we will hand wash our lingerie. Washing machines today have also become more sophisticated–they have delicate cycles and better control over water temperature and load sizes. So, washing your lingerie in a washing machine has become safer. That said, there are a few things you should do before dropping your lingerie into a washer. First, hook your bras shut. Those little hooks can catch on to other clothing. When this happens, you can cause damage to your bras as well as other clothes in the wash. You should then put your bras in a lingerie bag or one of these new washer bags specially designed for contour bras (bras with pre-formed cups).
Not containing your bras in some kind of washing bag can create havoc in your washer. The straps can get caught in the agitators or wrap around something and become stretched. This happens, and your bra can be stretched out and no longer wearable. Your lingerie investment is lost.
The water temperature should be warm but not hot. Cold water simply does not wash clothing as well as warm, but hot can deteriorate fibers in your clothing and loosen dyes which can then bleed on to other clothing.
Don’t wash your bras with items such as towels, blankets, jeans or other items that create a lot of lint. That lint could end up in your bras and could create pilling on your lingerie.
I wash my panties, shapewear and hosiery in individual laundry bags – and not in with my bras. Again, these items are delicate and you don’t want them catching on other clothes and being ruined.
Finally, let me close with another point about bras. Unless you are a profuse perspirer, you don’t need to wash your bra after every use. You can wear it up to 3 times before needing to launder it. However, it should not be worn 3 days in a row. You should alternate it with another bra, because a bra needs a good 24 hours to breath and relax back into shape before it is worn again. This alternating also helps to extend the life of your bras.
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Posted by Tomima at 10:50am
1 Comment »
Do Thin Girls Need Shapewear?
September 23, 2010
I received an email of this photo of Kate Moss from Denise, a treasured reader of my blog, along with her comment that it looks like even models could use an Underwearing makeover. Boy is she right!
Clearly, a strapless bra is in order on Kate. But, you can kind of forgive her for this omission since no model ever seems to wear a bra on runways or even out in public. But the bigger shocker here is her obvious spare tire. I’m secretly jumping for joy to learn she is mortal and has one like the rest of us. But, I digress….
Here’s the point I want to make – Everyone can use shapewear from time to time. You might be surprised to learn that HerRoom gets many email inquires from thin women asking why certain shapewear pieces on our site only start at size Medium. Yes, several shapewear manufacturers make the assumption that small women don’t need it (all, by the way, run by men). But they are wrong.
Small, thin women can show bumps and lumps just like the rest of us, whether it be a panty line or a little tummy. Now, do they need firm control shapewear? Probably not. There are great light and medium control shapewear pieces that can be worn to smooth you out and pull it in a little. For example, Spanx came out with their Skinny Britches shapewear that comes in a rainbow of colors, has light control and no edges that will show. And Body Wrap makes a collection of shapewear called Lites that has light to medium control and is comfortable to wear all day while keeping you smooth.
So Kate, get thee in some shapewear! And thank you Denise for your email.
Find shapewear for all body types at HerRoom in these departments:
Shapewear
Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.
Posted by Tomima at 9:04am
2 Comments »
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