Archive for the 'Intimate Wisdom' Category
How a Seamed Bra Can Look Seamless Under Clothing
February 03, 2010
I’ve been watching some old movies lately – mostly ones with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. It is amazing how, no matter how much things change, they really stay the same. Specifically, the fashions. Tight sweaters, pencil skirts, fabulous pumps. Many of the fashions back then could be worn today. And guess what? In those old movies, I’m not seeing any bra seams.
A quick bra history lesson. The common t-shirt bra of today was first introduced by Josie Natori less than 20 years ago. The timeframe for these movies is late 1950′s and early 1960′s– before bra cups were molded as they are today. Older bras were actually "cut and sew," meaning there were seams in the cups to give them shape. Granted the shape was more cone-like, but even creating a round shape back then required seams in the cups.
So, how did women back then pull off a seamless look in those tight sweaters? The answer is they wore additional undergarments that most of us have forgotten about.
Adding a slip, chemise, or undershirt was a natural step for most women before putting on a blouse. Surely some of us may still have a full slip in the back of the lingerie drawer. This additional layer of fabric eliminated, or at least minimized, the seams in the cups of a woman’s bra.
It is still true today that a seamed-cup bra or cut & sew bra (as some call it) will give a woman the best breast support and will last longer than seamless bras. They also tend to be much prettier because they can incorporate lace and beautiful trims. But their popularity has waned because of the seams showing through t-shirts and form-fitting clothes. We seem to have forgotten that simply wearing an additional layer can solve the problem.
Women who are a D cup and larger, don’t shy away from a seamed bra the next time you go shopping. Instead, find a great underpinning such as a camisole or full slip, and enjoy the feminine feeling it gives you along with the seamless appearance.
Find seamed bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
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Posted by Tomima at 11:03am
2 Comments »
Not ‘Everyone’ is Wearing Thongs Anymore
December 01, 2009
I know I haven’t put a thong on in a long time. A couple of years ago, I wore them more. But, frankly, I like to wear skirts and dresses more than pants. Wearing a thong with these always left me feeling a little… shall we say "breezy" on my backside. So, my panty shape of choice is a low-rise bikini.
I was reading an interview with supermodel Gisele Bundchen in Elle Magazine. Now, if anyone would be wearing thongs regularly, I thought it would be supermodels. Guess what? I’m wrong. Here’s what Bundchen said:
"I’m a huge fan of big cotton underpants; they’re comfortable… I wear them every day." Now, it was also noted that her words are in Brazilianspeak – "big" in Brazil is equivalent to a bikini-cut panty and not a granny panty. But still, it was great to read this.
Another supermodel, Tyra Banks, was once quoted as saying that the smaller the bottom of a bathing suit, the thinner you look. And, I agree. Not only do bikinis not poke out above your pants, but they are comfortable while providing enough coverage so that you wouldn’t be embarrassed should a gust of wind raise your skirt.
Finally, on this same subject, an article came out in the New York Times about the panties that erase panty lines. Five panties were featured – not one was a thong. The winner was the OnGossamer Cabana Cotton Hip-bikini. The article stated that this bikini was "totally comfortable" and "Literally, there were zero lines…"
If a bikini can provide zero panty lines, what woman wouldn’t prefer a panty over a thong? Does anyone disagree?
Sometimes, the way a panty looks depends on the way we wear them. I wrote about wearing panties too high a while back.
Find thongs, bikinis and more at HerRoom in these departments:
Panties
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Posted by Tomima at 9:35am
1 Comment »
Do Your Underwires Poke Your Underarms? Here’s a Possible Solution
October 08, 2009
The industry answer to women complaining about underwires poking into their underarm is usually to say their cup size is too small. The theory here is that the underwire is not wide enough to totally wrap around your breast and the cup is not deep enough. Thus the wire is resting on breast tissue too far forward on your torso – the result being the underwire tip is getting in the way and hitting your underarm. A larger cup size comes with a wider underwire and deeper cup that will rest further back under your arm and not rest on your breast tissue. Thus you will no longer be poked. In many situations, I would agree with this recommendation. However, I own bras where this symptom has occurred, and I have been able to solve the problem without having to size up. Want to know how?
First, you need to put your geometry cap on. Think of your torso as a cylinder. As a cylinder, your torso has no flat horizontal surfaces – only curved surfaces. If you held a ruler horizontally to your torso, the center of the ruler would touch you, but the ends would not. They would be extending away from your torso.
A bra’s underwire is cut from a flat sheet of metal. It’s basically a smiley face shape, but flat. So, the ends of an underwire can have the same effect as the ends of a ruler. However, if you bend your underwire a little in the center of its smile, the underwire takes on a shape better suited to your cylindrical torso. (See image above.)
Personally, I give all my underwires this subtle bend. It’s not very much, but I’ve found that the fit is better and my underwires are more comfortable. And, when I try on a bra in my size and notice the underwire ends under my arm are protruding or resting on breast tissue instead of where they need to be, I’ll give them a little bend in the middle. This always seems to solve the problem. Again, it’s not much of a bend, but it can make a big difference.
Let me also share with you that there is sort of a moral to this story: don’t be afraid to manipulate your underwires. Underwires can get bent out of shape in a number of ways – during washing, mishandling in your lingerie drawer etc. So, don’t be afraid to work with them until they fit you. You have to put a lot of stress on an underwire before it will break. And, it’s been my experience that if I don’t like the bend, underwires are easy to manipulate back to the beginning position.
Learn more about underwires and bra fitting.
Find underwire bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
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Posted by Tomima at 11:09am
6 Comments »
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