Most women are wearing the wrong size bra- so the popular wisdom goes. For the lucky ladies who can wear halter tops and for whom bras are an unnecessary extra, it is probably fairly easy to find something that does the trick just fine (pardon me if I am wrong!). However, if you are rather more generously endowed, squeezing your girls into a too-small, un-supportive bra may be diminishing your "total package" or ruining your look. The correct size and type of bra will leave a smooth line beneath your clothing, make you stand up straighter, make your waist look smaller and make you look younger and perkier. Yes, please?
Some of the telltale signs you're wearing the wrong size include the ladies falling out of the cups when you lean over, the dreaded "four-boob," and generally spilling on the sides, bottom, or top of the bra. It's quite possible that as insane as it sounds, if your bras are not fitting you could be bigger than a D cup. Bigger than a DD even. Do they exist, you ask!? But of course, and not just by custom order or specialty store!
I recently discovered, through a marathon dressing-room session at Marshall's-- wherein I snagged all of the biggest bras I could find in several different cup and band size--, that I am not, in fact, a 36DD as I had assumed all of these years, but more accurately a 34FF. I allowed myself a moment of eyes-popping-out-of-skull before remarking how amazing I felt when properly supported and forgetting all about that pesky, "embarrassing" size. Forget about the number (or letter(s) ), once again, ladies. And don't make the mistake of just going up and up in band size if you don't feel your bras are fitting properly; most of the support comes from the band so if it's too loose you're doing yourself no favors! A good band will actually eliminate the back fat situation (if you've got lots popping out above and below, try a wider (3-hook minimum) band instead of a bigger inches measurement.
If you are unable to find a good fit on your own through trial and error, do make a trip to a lingerie store (not Vicky's or Frederick's; one that specializes in foundation garments, not bedroom outfits!) such as Lady Grace, and be professionally measured. Once armed with your new knowledge about what size actually fits you properly, GO SHOPPING! Lady Grace and similar specialty bra shops have plenty of stock but it may be heavily weighted toward the hideous category. Big boobs can have pretty bras, too! Fayreform is a new brand catering toward full-figured ladies and their high-end options can be found for as little as $7 at Marshall's, so keep an eye out. They are also carried at better department stores like Nordstrom, where you might be able to find a seasonal deal to bring them down from the $60 range, and HerRoom.com sometimes has them on sale also.
A few other excellent web resources:
HipsandCurves, catering toward plus sizes (with band measurements beginning at 38 and cup sizes up to J)
Bravissimo for the larger cup sizes (D-KK) with smaller band measurements (28-40)
BiggerBras carries every size imaginable, pretty much, although the interface isn't perfect and the sales aren't that inexpensive
BraExperience has a huge variety of sizes and styles, and a decent sale section, as well as a promo running right now! (use promo code "BE55OFF" when adding to the shopping cart to receive 55% of Sale Priced bras. (Only Valid on Style # beginning with dsx))
I've also heard wonderful things about Lane Bryant's boob-wrangling devices, though I have no personal experience.
Have you been fit properly for a bra? If not, do you suspect you could be wearing the wrong size? I hope this has been helpful. Get out there and treat your girls right!
Happy bra shopping!
Showing posts with label lingerie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lingerie. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Wicked Thrifty Shopping Spree: Arsenal Mall
It's been a long, long time since we set foot in a mall. Secondhand only, for a long while. Too long a while. Kiddo was at a birthday party this fine chilly Saturday afternoon, and with no fiance around to complain about the browsing time in the clearance section, it was an ideal shopping day. The Arsenal Mall in Watertown, run by the Simon company like many of the Boston area malls, is certainly not the highest-end nor classiest shopping center, but it has a couple of our favorite discount stores, and we could walk to it. Theoretically. If it weren't freezing out.
The elusive grey boot we found at Famous Footwear (finally!!!). Amiclubwear never sent the suede we ordered, but did send a refund. Sigh. These Steve Maddens were in the clearance section, a bit steep at $40, but we had a $10 off rewards coupon, so really $30:
Another view:
Yummy!
In order to qualify for the $10 off we did have to find another pair to get us up to $50, and we spotted these quite-unlike-anything-we've-ever-had cone-heeled brogue-inspired lace-up slingbacks by Hot Kiss for $15:
They're a little bit Fleuvog-y and librarian-nerdy without being too over the top with the crazy heel-- this one is a bit more timeless and less daring. Love the classic slingback shape and wingtip detail, and the hidden platform. They seem very comfortable, too-- we'll see after a long day hustling around managing an office!
Filene's Basement was a treasure trove for us today...
How about a gorgeous fall coat for $7.76??
Detail:
Ahhh... favorite colors, long-beloved pattern, cheaper than a skein of the poly/wool blend yarn it's made of... yes, please. Thank you, clearance goddesses.
Also, a divine teal float-away hem cardigan by Energie for $4.16!
This silhouette seems to do really well for camouflaging a bit of a mommy belly. Necessary sometimes.
Going with the bright theme, we couldn't resist this hanging-out-at-home top by Seven in a sheer hot pink cotton/poly blend with burnout velvet detail, at $3.19:
We also picked up some incredibly comfortable jeans in a deep aubergine heathered denim. So soft, so perfect a fit-- wow. They're a bit high-waisted compared to most modern jeans, and that seems to be the idea-- they're Not Your Daughter's Jeans brand, $11.96 No low-rise. But they're not really mom jeans either-- they're crazy comfortable but fairly flattering-- no major pooch. They have some kind of space-age flattening mechanism up front. Woot! .
Following the one-in, one-out theory (well, maybe not precisely, but in this case), we're going to toss (Goodwill bag) the $10 bright purple jeans from Metrostyle ordered not too long ago, which we really never wear. This is a much lovelier shade of purple and more flattering cut.
This lace tunic from DKNYC was marked down to a criminally low $6.79, down from MSRP $90, so even if we don't wear it and end up cutting it up and refashioning it for Edge of Seventeen, it was a good investment piece:
Detail:
From the clearance bin, some gorgeous tights-- purple butterfly-embroidered fishnets, $7.98, and 2 pairs of footless opaque for $5.96:
Then, on to Marshalls, where we found another long-coveted item (joy!), the black-and-white patterned cardigan, also in a float-away hem, by Kenar, $20:
...and also a great black tiered lacy sequined gypsy skirt by Max Studio that will most certainly be re-used to create something fabulous, for $7, which did not photograph at all, sadly.
Lastly, we finally gave in (though we weep inside) to the whole granny-panty-shaper-thing that Trinny and Suzannah (of the BBC's What Not To Wear) advocate. We have a couple of shorts-shapers, but what the hell, we'll give the Spanx-type panties a try. We reserve the right to not throw out all of our lovely matching bikini/bra sets just yet :( (It seems a bit extreme). Leopard $3.99, by Native Intimates "Confident and Beautiful," Black $7.99 each, by Maidenform.
We hope this isn't too bad for the soul, owning unattractive undergarments. At least they're not white or nude. And as the girls say in "What You Wear Can Change Your Life," while seduction is not a possibility whilst wearing these, they can be whisked off in the bathroom, and the mere mention of negatory (we coined it) knickers is likely to send any potential man-friends into a swoon that will incapacitate them from noticing any potential lumps and bumps under your dress ;)
Incidentally, a wickedly-figured Spanish chick saw us browsing the shapers (she was a customer, not an employee) and basically told us, with gestures and "Comprendo, Si?" which ones to get that would help with the muffin top. With-- um, demonstrations. On both of us. Erg. She was super nice, though... but she did pull up her shirt, and pull the waistband of her leggings to reveal that she, too, was wearing said shapewear and did not in fact just come into this world rocking flawless curves. Thank you, senorita!
Total shopping high!!! Some major wardrobe holes filled, some potential creations underway, and a few staples and long-coveted items gotten for a ridiculously low price. Lower than Goodwill, much of it.
We were sad to not have a chance to hit the new-ish 2-floor F21 nor the brand-new Ann Taylor Loft Factory Store (!)... But... next time....
Hope you had some great bargains this weekend if you went shopping!
Tell us all about them if you did!
If you're from or have visited the area, have you been to the Arsenal Mall? What do you think?
The elusive grey boot we found at Famous Footwear (finally!!!). Amiclubwear never sent the suede we ordered, but did send a refund. Sigh. These Steve Maddens were in the clearance section, a bit steep at $40, but we had a $10 off rewards coupon, so really $30:
Another view:
Yummy!In order to qualify for the $10 off we did have to find another pair to get us up to $50, and we spotted these quite-unlike-anything-we've-ever-had cone-heeled brogue-inspired lace-up slingbacks by Hot Kiss for $15:
They're a little bit Fleuvog-y and librarian-nerdy without being too over the top with the crazy heel-- this one is a bit more timeless and less daring. Love the classic slingback shape and wingtip detail, and the hidden platform. They seem very comfortable, too-- we'll see after a long day hustling around managing an office!
Filene's Basement was a treasure trove for us today...
How about a gorgeous fall coat for $7.76??
Detail:
Ahhh... favorite colors, long-beloved pattern, cheaper than a skein of the poly/wool blend yarn it's made of... yes, please. Thank you, clearance goddesses.
Also, a divine teal float-away hem cardigan by Energie for $4.16!
This silhouette seems to do really well for camouflaging a bit of a mommy belly. Necessary sometimes.
Going with the bright theme, we couldn't resist this hanging-out-at-home top by Seven in a sheer hot pink cotton/poly blend with burnout velvet detail, at $3.19:
We also picked up some incredibly comfortable jeans in a deep aubergine heathered denim. So soft, so perfect a fit-- wow. They're a bit high-waisted compared to most modern jeans, and that seems to be the idea-- they're Not Your Daughter's Jeans brand, $11.96 No low-rise. But they're not really mom jeans either-- they're crazy comfortable but fairly flattering-- no major pooch. They have some kind of space-age flattening mechanism up front. Woot! .
Following the one-in, one-out theory (well, maybe not precisely, but in this case), we're going to toss (Goodwill bag) the $10 bright purple jeans from Metrostyle ordered not too long ago, which we really never wear. This is a much lovelier shade of purple and more flattering cut.
This lace tunic from DKNYC was marked down to a criminally low $6.79, down from MSRP $90, so even if we don't wear it and end up cutting it up and refashioning it for Edge of Seventeen, it was a good investment piece:
Detail:
From the clearance bin, some gorgeous tights-- purple butterfly-embroidered fishnets, $7.98, and 2 pairs of footless opaque for $5.96:
Then, on to Marshalls, where we found another long-coveted item (joy!), the black-and-white patterned cardigan, also in a float-away hem, by Kenar, $20:
...and also a great black tiered lacy sequined gypsy skirt by Max Studio that will most certainly be re-used to create something fabulous, for $7, which did not photograph at all, sadly.
Lastly, we finally gave in (though we weep inside) to the whole granny-panty-shaper-thing that Trinny and Suzannah (of the BBC's What Not To Wear) advocate. We have a couple of shorts-shapers, but what the hell, we'll give the Spanx-type panties a try. We reserve the right to not throw out all of our lovely matching bikini/bra sets just yet :( (It seems a bit extreme). Leopard $3.99, by Native Intimates "Confident and Beautiful," Black $7.99 each, by Maidenform.
We hope this isn't too bad for the soul, owning unattractive undergarments. At least they're not white or nude. And as the girls say in "What You Wear Can Change Your Life," while seduction is not a possibility whilst wearing these, they can be whisked off in the bathroom, and the mere mention of negatory (we coined it) knickers is likely to send any potential man-friends into a swoon that will incapacitate them from noticing any potential lumps and bumps under your dress ;)
Incidentally, a wickedly-figured Spanish chick saw us browsing the shapers (she was a customer, not an employee) and basically told us, with gestures and "Comprendo, Si?" which ones to get that would help with the muffin top. With-- um, demonstrations. On both of us. Erg. She was super nice, though... but she did pull up her shirt, and pull the waistband of her leggings to reveal that she, too, was wearing said shapewear and did not in fact just come into this world rocking flawless curves. Thank you, senorita!
Total shopping high!!! Some major wardrobe holes filled, some potential creations underway, and a few staples and long-coveted items gotten for a ridiculously low price. Lower than Goodwill, much of it.
We were sad to not have a chance to hit the new-ish 2-floor F21 nor the brand-new Ann Taylor Loft Factory Store (!)... But... next time....
Hope you had some great bargains this weekend if you went shopping!
Tell us all about them if you did!
If you're from or have visited the area, have you been to the Arsenal Mall? What do you think?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
What We Bought: AmiClubWear
We have been singularly obsessed with finding a pair of grey boots lately, with no luck whatsoever in the shops. Lots and lots of tan (ew) and plenty of black (which we would usually love-- we used to think that there was no point in grey when black existed!)... but no grey.
Remembering that AmiClubWear, featured a few times in Lucky mag, has a great selection of super-cheap boots (mostly incredibly slutty, which is somewhat disturbing given that the site's tag line is "The Positive Place for Girls!"), we headed over to check out their clearance selection. And indeed, we found just what we were looking for! Amid the towering platform clubbing options were these two pairs of high-shaft flat boots, $10 each (click pics for listings):
We went with the suede. We were digging the kind of pirate thing going on with the cuffs. At $10 we doubt that these will be frequently worn or last particularly long, but boot season will be over before we know it, anyway, and we're sure we'll get some good use out of them before then. Certainly ten bucks' worth!
We also stocked up on more tights-- they carry a terrific selection of colored, printed and fishnet stockings, most from Leg Avenue, and many at super-clearance prices. We picked up bright nylon tights in kelly green and fuchsia for $2.99! (Available in eleven colors!!)
We disagree with whoever said that the printed stocking trend makes people look like they have "some sort of skin rash." We love it. So we grabbed these unusual flower-printed ones for $4.99:
Who knows if they'll work or just look bizarre, but we kind of love them.
They have a terrific selection of fairly-inexpensive lingerie, just as cute and trashy as Frederick's for about a quarter of the price. We picked up a cute little punk bra-and-mini set for $12.99:
As you may well know if you've been reading (or if you know us!), we were bitten hard by the floral/feather hair-accessory bug. We've been making our own after picking some up on clearance at Claire's and some on Etsy, but the selection and prices at AmiClubWear are pretty incredible. We scored this lovely grey feather version for just $10.99:
They have so many colors & sizes; floral and fascinators and feathers... 120 gorgeous options all under $25!
The last item we have been fixated upon finding for ages-- powdered facial blotting papers. We have combination skin which is dry in the morning and shiny in the evening-- adding pressed powder to try to combat the shine just exacerbates the dryness and makes us look flaky. Uncool. We had previously tried the blue plastic Clean & Clear version-- which does work but not quite as well as the powdered rice paper-- but the Burt's Bees Wings of Love that we once found and loved have proven nearly impossible to find. We located a great version on Amazon the other day for only $2.99, but they wanted $5 shipping for EACH ONE! No way. AmiClubWear to the rescue! NYX 50-packs of genuine paper pulp blotters are $2.99:
The best part about this order was that they are offering free shipping right now if you spend $50. Shipping would have been $29.95 or something ridiculous (watch out for that) but with the code given on the front page (AMISHIPPED) entered at checkout, UPS ground was FREE!
We are well aware that we shouldn't be shopping at all, but $10 shoes and staples like tights are things we feel we can sneak in without too much damage. And surely no boyfriend would complain about the punk schoolgirl outfit?
Have you ever bought anything from AmiClubWear? If so, tell us about it... we suspect the quality isn't terrific, but the prices belie that...
Happy shopping and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Remembering that AmiClubWear, featured a few times in Lucky mag, has a great selection of super-cheap boots (mostly incredibly slutty, which is somewhat disturbing given that the site's tag line is "The Positive Place for Girls!"), we headed over to check out their clearance selection. And indeed, we found just what we were looking for! Amid the towering platform clubbing options were these two pairs of high-shaft flat boots, $10 each (click pics for listings):
We went with the suede. We were digging the kind of pirate thing going on with the cuffs. At $10 we doubt that these will be frequently worn or last particularly long, but boot season will be over before we know it, anyway, and we're sure we'll get some good use out of them before then. Certainly ten bucks' worth!We also stocked up on more tights-- they carry a terrific selection of colored, printed and fishnet stockings, most from Leg Avenue, and many at super-clearance prices. We picked up bright nylon tights in kelly green and fuchsia for $2.99! (Available in eleven colors!!)
We disagree with whoever said that the printed stocking trend makes people look like they have "some sort of skin rash." We love it. So we grabbed these unusual flower-printed ones for $4.99:
Who knows if they'll work or just look bizarre, but we kind of love them.They have a terrific selection of fairly-inexpensive lingerie, just as cute and trashy as Frederick's for about a quarter of the price. We picked up a cute little punk bra-and-mini set for $12.99:
As you may well know if you've been reading (or if you know us!), we were bitten hard by the floral/feather hair-accessory bug. We've been making our own after picking some up on clearance at Claire's and some on Etsy, but the selection and prices at AmiClubWear are pretty incredible. We scored this lovely grey feather version for just $10.99:
They have so many colors & sizes; floral and fascinators and feathers... 120 gorgeous options all under $25!The last item we have been fixated upon finding for ages-- powdered facial blotting papers. We have combination skin which is dry in the morning and shiny in the evening-- adding pressed powder to try to combat the shine just exacerbates the dryness and makes us look flaky. Uncool. We had previously tried the blue plastic Clean & Clear version-- which does work but not quite as well as the powdered rice paper-- but the Burt's Bees Wings of Love that we once found and loved have proven nearly impossible to find. We located a great version on Amazon the other day for only $2.99, but they wanted $5 shipping for EACH ONE! No way. AmiClubWear to the rescue! NYX 50-packs of genuine paper pulp blotters are $2.99:
The best part about this order was that they are offering free shipping right now if you spend $50. Shipping would have been $29.95 or something ridiculous (watch out for that) but with the code given on the front page (AMISHIPPED) entered at checkout, UPS ground was FREE!
We are well aware that we shouldn't be shopping at all, but $10 shoes and staples like tights are things we feel we can sneak in without too much damage. And surely no boyfriend would complain about the punk schoolgirl outfit?
Have you ever bought anything from AmiClubWear? If so, tell us about it... we suspect the quality isn't terrific, but the prices belie that...
Happy shopping and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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