Straight girls can be obsessed with boobs too, you know.

[badseed1980]

So I spend a lot of time looking at sites that show pictures of women with big breasts, wearing just a bra and no shirt. These sites are about the bras, though, not the boobs. At least, not like that. The sites either sell bras, or talk about bra fit, or both. I'm even on a Ravelry (knit/crochet/spinning site) forum that's specifically about how to fit the bust. One thing I've learned from this research: I am practically normal compared to some people out there. Right now, my best guess is that I'm a 34DD or maybe a 34DD. There are chicks out there who wear a 26F, or would if they could find one. And these women do not have implants. I can't imagine having a frame that tiny and breasts that big. Now, sometimes on that forum, I'm afraid that people are going to go, "OMG STFU. You aren't REALLY a busty woman with a busty woman's problems. Stop bitching about not being able to find good clothes and bras, and go count your blessings elsewhere." But they don't. I think mostly, people acknowledge that if you're above a D cup, you're already in a segment of the population that designers think are like fairies or unicorns or something: pretty to look at in pictures, but not real. Because of this, we all share a kind of solidarity. Granted, there are some in that group who sneer at those with smaller-than-D-cup breasts, but they seem to be very few and far between.

Anyway, yeah. I've done a lot of looking at boobs and bras, and thinking about boobs and bras, and talking about boobs and bras lately. Right now, it'll be easier for me to get a bra that fits just right than clothes that fit just right: while there are a lot of brands that make bras in my size, there are fewer brands that make clothes that will fit me all over. Eris Apparel is great, but their selection is limited, and their dresses are unattractive. Bravissimo has gorgeous, gorgeous dresses, but they are in the UK, and very expensive: no trying on first, and expensive shipping back if they don't fit or look good. Bratique Helen is expensive and limited, and AJ Rumina is limited as well, though more affordable. Custom anything is ALWAYS expensive. It may be worth it, but it's simply not practical for me to build a wardrobe of $100+ shirts for work. So because of these clothing issues, I've decided that right now, I'll focus on bras. I may ask for a Bravissimo gift certificate for Christmas from my parents, or something.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm rambling about here, except maybe to say: I may be on the small side of big, compared to some, but it's enough that finding Stuff That Fits has become something of an obsession. I'm DYING to go to my fitting appointment on Friday. I'm dying for a chance to bra-geek. I'm weird, I know.

Comments

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Boobs!!!!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

In short, yes. :P

FREE RANGE BOOBIES!

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Right now they're free range?
Aren't you at work?
I'll be in my bunk.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Not now, alas. But I look forward to the time when they will be.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

There was an MTV "True Life" episode about women who hated their large breasts. It was a damn shame, because they had beautiful forms, yet they all wanted reduction surgery.

One of them did go to therapy as an alternative, and through that found a boutique in NYC that catered to large-busted woman. Having clothes that fit helped her soooo much! I'll see if I can find the name of the place...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Thanks for looking for it, but I'm willing to bet that they're probably super-pricey. NYC boutiques usually are. If not, though, that would be cool.

Well, that depends...

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

...if you think $150 is expensive for a shirt!

Um, wow.

But here's the link if you ever hit the lottery!

http://www.rebeccaanddrew.com/index.asp

Re: Well, that depends...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah! I saw that place in my online travels. :)

Yeah, that's way too much for me!

Re: Well, that depends...

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

What? Really? 300 bucks for a work dress, which is more than I paid for my wedding dress, is too expensive?

Okay, I'll stop with the sarcasm.

I _thought_ I'd have the same problems looking for nursing bras. Luckily, Isis maternity carries larger sizes, and I didn't even have to cry in frustration once!

Re: Well, that depends...

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Isis! Isis! Ra Ra Ra! :D

Re: Well, that depends...

[elissa-carey.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't that be "Isis, Isis, Bra Bra Bra"?

Re: Well, that depends...

[leenah.livejournal.com]

holy shit.

$258 for a (granted, 100% silk) smock (https://www.rebeccaanddrew.com/store/shop/item.asp?itemid=547)??? oh yeah, that's real flattering.

i really should be writing contracts. sigh.

[leenah.livejournal.com]

i have a hard time finding a bra that fits me. i want to hear about this fitting when you've done it -- any idea if someone w/ a somewhat more "standard" size would find it useful?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

EVERYONE should get a fitting, IMO. If you're a more average size, you probably won't be forced to shop at the expensive places, but you might well find out your size is different than you thought it was. Something I see over and over again is that most women tend to wear bras with a band size that's too big for them, and therefore don't get the support they need out of their bras. They also often have cups that are too small. Many people who get a professional fitting find that instead of, say, a 38B, they really fit better in a 36C.

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Oh, this, indeed. Happened to me. And while I wear a more mainstream bra size, my adventures with shoe-shopping make me relate some to your frustration (practically NOBODY makes my real size...so if I ever hit it really stinkin' rich, it's custom-made all the way.)

Have you ever seen Carson Daly on that "Look Better Naked" show? It's nothing short of amazing what a great-fitting bra can do for a woman. I wonder if it might even make some of the off-the-rack clothes fit better.

[leenah.livejournal.com]

appt made. :)

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

I am so with you. I'm a 34DD and, yeah, we may not be freaks of nature, but it sure feels that way when trying to find a button-up shirt that fits or a jacket you can button.

I was lucky enough to have a mother who understood the importance of a good bra (she's a 32DD). She got me fitted when I was a teenager, and I've been playing with those measurements ever since. What I really learned there is how to tell if a bra fits (the big hint: the band feels too tight the first time but the cups feel fine).

Then I worked at Lane Bryant in and after undergrad. They went on and on about the importance of busty women having well-fitted bras, but then held religiously to the old formula for calculating size. I learned there that said formula completely fails for many busty women. I consistently measure out to a 38, so much so that experienced bra fitters are fooled. Then they actually get me in the bra and I'm back to a 34. Ultimately I've learned that I do better eyeballing a woman's size than I do with a tape measure.

So yeah, I'm in your camp and feel your pain. Let us know how the bra fitting goes. If you have rave reviews, I might have to get one too!

LB sizing

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

I went to LB to get some underwires when I was about six months pregnant.

The woman there measured me and told me I was three sizes and 2 cup sizes smaller than what I was wearing before I got pregnant. Said I went from a 46DD to a 42C. Ummm, what?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Most of the online calculators tell me I'm a 38 too! And they count my cup size as anywhere from A (HA!!!) to F.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity, if you don't mind my asking a personal question, what are your underbust and full bust measurements? I'm curious to see if I'm right about the size I think I am, and if we're really close in measurements, chances are I am.

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to compare (I just had to break out the tape measure again) my underbust is 33.5, full bust is 38.5.

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

According to all the online calculators, this means I wear a 38A. I don't know how they figure that, but HA!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! I have made a private post to record the results of all the online calculators I tried. When I get the fitting done, I'm going to make that post public, along with the results of the fitting, to demonstrate how dumb the calculators are. :)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

*nods*

OK, I measured myself at 32.5" and 39", so I wouldn't be surprised if I DO need the same size. I almost certainly don't need a 36, it seems.

I've shopped with smaller-chested women

[drwex]

and I'm sad to report that they also have trouble finding things that fit properly. My first wife was somewhere between 32C and 34D depending on a bunch of things, not least of them what time of month it was. Also, short. Apparently women's clothing designers Do Not Believe that short women can have cup sizes larger than B.

Re: I've shopped with smaller-chested women

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Never mind short women, they believe that of all women.

Re: I've shopped with smaller-chested women

[elissa-carey.livejournal.com]

It's actually that most clothing designers have no concept of a Real Woman. They think there is ONE woman, and they keep making clothes for her. The rest of us get castoffs just altered up or down from it.

[cygninae.livejournal.com]

Although I'm a C cup myself I have a wide back which makes finding bras tricky too. The majority of larger sizes go up cup sizes but completely forget the rest. And I hear you regarding the clothes issue too. I've taken to playing safe with jersey v-necks these days. Frustrating, but it works. Having said that, would it be worth chatting to a dress-maker?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Custom stuff is always expensive.

[etainwilson.livejournal.com]

My sister is a 42D. Her husband calls her Hooter.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

$50-70 I could cope with. More than that, not so much. That's the range I'm hoping for.

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

I used to be a 38-triple D. Currently a 42C. Every so often my body weight redistributes itself. When I need new bras, I go for a fitting at Lady Grace, buy one fancy bra there, and, having obtained the currently-correct size, buy the rest from Lane Bryant (excuse me, "Woman Within"--they changed their name).

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I hated Lady Grace's fitters. They kept telling me my band size was bigger than it should be and my cup size was smaller. This isn't just vanity talking, either: most women wear too big a band size and too small a cup size. These fitters were making the same mistakes they do. Plus, when they altered a strapless bra for me, it lost any support it had.

[disownedheidi.livejournal.com]

I hate them too. I went shopping with my mom and they gave her a plastic surgeons business card for me.

[satyrgrl.livejournal.com]

Totally a tangent, but I cannot believe LB changed their name! And to something so lame! They've gone steadily downhill since Charming Shoppes bought them.

There are several cut-offs... it's like half-lives of bras

[disownedheidi.livejournal.com]

Up to a D you're fine anywhere.

Then there is an ok but not good amount in DD and DDD... bad enough to bitch about.

Then there is the G-HH range.

Then there are a few that go up to a JJ.

Then there are some that go up to an M.

Each category has less and less choices.

Re: There are several cut-offs... it's like half-lives of bras

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Yup. That's pretty much it.