Boobs, I mean, Bras, and the eternal frustration

I have tried the Spanx bra (I think Le Lechera tried one too), and it was both ugly and awful. They have a good return policy though, so less risk if you want to try one yourself.

oh you're back! missed ya :D

I loves me some Spanx power panties. Never tried other Spanx products, though.

Am I the only girl on the big side who likes padded bras for support?

No. I'm not big big, but I'm not small.

I wear slips and half slips all the time.

I've always had the polyester slips, half ones, mostly. But I got a stretchy microfiber one recently, with no defined waistband, and I really like it. It's not poufy at all, and if I'd bought one size smaller it would probably do a little holding in, too.

Deptartment store in Michigan, though, so not convenient for NY.

In any case, girdles and slips don't really do the same thing, so it depends on what you wanted it for. Frankly if I'm going to wear a girdle I figure it might as well have garters attached because there's no point in only being HALFway uncomfortable.

i basically just want something to smooth over my gut, i got a new dress that clings to it in a particularly unflattering way. maybe i should look into spanx but they just seem so uncomfortable!

i got a bra from victoria's secret yesterday that isn't so bad - it's wireless and pretty comfy. it did have a stupid bow on it that i have already snipped off though.

a slip isn't going to do that, bell. it's just going to add another layer. if you want smoothing, you need some kind of bodyshaper.

hm yeah. maybe something like this would work http://www.barenecessities.com/SPANX_product_SPANX060_,size,.htm
i wish it didn't cost more than the dress itself, though

some brands (bali, miraclesuit, etc) are cheaper than that, although i haven't seen much for under $50. still, you should be able to do better than $72.

Anybody noticing too much VPL with spanx?

A slip doesn't hold you in, strictly speaking, but it keeps outer layers from sticking to you, so that clothes slip over the parts you would like people not to notice. Slips are like...lubricant -- motor oil -- in keeping parts from wearing on each other. It can make a surprising difference. But for compression, yeah, you need a shaper.

I have one girdle-ish thing which I occasionally wear and it's tight but you know what? With the girdle smoothing my waist out, I don't even feel the waistband of my skirt, which would otherwise feel like it was cutting into me all day. The girdle keeps all of me tucked in and not being pinched.

Spanx are the anti-VPL weapon of choice, MW! Have you somehow experienced otherwise???

so i went to target yesterday, on the recommendation of my MIL, to bra-shop. i have to say, for $9-13 the gilligan/o'malley (i think that's the brand name?) bras are really great (altho not sure how long they'll last - MIL says they don't stretch out too much). they're t-shirt bras, so they're lightly lined but not padded, which is what i like.

this was my first time bra shopping in the US, and not knowing my US bra size, i tried a few on... kind of shocked to discover i'm a D, when i'm only a B/C in NZ. but i am turning into a bit of a fatty now that i haven't worked in 2.5 months, so that could be why.

still, my boobs really aren't big at all. maybe you just have better sizing gradation here.

i finally bought really great new underwear (calvin klein) last week :) but tho i tried on several dif bras, all of them were dumb and ill-fitting despite being my size. which is confusing. i will try again, but i did buy two ck camisole/undershirt things made out of lycra whatever and they act like bras and i really like them. i even bought one in 'nude' which i have never done before even tho i understand the point of having 'nude' undergarments. i just think they're kind of ugly, despite being the perfect colour to wear under white or light-coloured clothes. i mean but it's not exactly a sexy colour. despite its name.

No, it's terrible. It's the color of plastic. And old '80s pantyhose. I hate "warm" tan shades. BUT you can probably go with a peachy pinky color instead, if you are the offspring of lots of pale people like I am.

yeah, this is more pink than tan, which is good, as i am more pink than tan

still weird tho

i have a spanx strapless slip and a camisole. they are pretty awesome.

i bought a new bra, finally! it is kind of exactly what i wanted too - whoa. even though there is some lace on it, but it is nice looking lace and only around the band, the rest is smooth but not nec shiny. anyway - triumph brand, no padding (yaay). not quite 70s boob but in its spirit. also, triumph website: pretty lol

(i also bought the bra at the Bay (department store) where the lingerie section is so huge it's like walking through a cornfield except the corn is made of bras and panties

i love department stores tho

haha awesome:

http://www.amazon.com/70s-jiggling-boob-movies/lm/28WXA0X9L0OM3

lol proof that this descriptor is real!

i can't believe it took me 2.5 months to buy one bra

You should probably have bought three of them, while you were there.

awwww I love the Bay!

I bought a couple of bras at La Senza a few weeks ago by Lola and Coco or something like that - and they have this little loop/hook thing that allows you to turn a "regular" strap bra into a racerback (is that the term? joined in the centre of the back?) and it's been such a refreshing change. My bra straps slide no more!

i need a better sports bra. recommendations?

btw i support that 70s boob, as a look

"support"

VERY HELPFUL THANKS GUYS

duct tape

oops wrong thread

i support boobs of all decades

i support boobs of the 19(.)(.)s

Thz, check websites of Title 9 or Athleta (Title 9 prob cheaper) for good sports bras and explanations of levels of, erm...support.

thank you, laurel. that was very helpful :)

tehresa, Title 9 has stores in Seattle and Portland, if you want to check fabric and such. Also, if you buy stuff in Portland - no sales tax!

lolflashvid aside, is this a legit product?

http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html

amazing... it's interesting that in heavy exercise, nipples move all around the boob, but the boob tends to stay in the same place. i had no idea that's how it was.

suggest bra

has anyone used the shock absorber bras?

i was just looking at those at bare necessities. i like the one that looks like a normal sports bra instead of a Very Complicated piece of boob engineering that goes up to your neck. a lot of the beyond-c-cup sports bras are kind of alarming looking.

tho i was coming on the thread to curse wacoal. i found a bra that seems like the best useful-everyday style evah, and they don't go up to the size i need. fucking hell.

there's a panache bra that i have high hopes for, though.

normal-looking shock absorber bra:

http://www.barenecessities.com/Shock-Absorber-Level-4-Max-No-Wire-Sports-Bra_product_ShockAbsorberB4490_,search,.htm

btw, if anyone's eyeing bare necessities lately, they've had great cust support for me, and i have a coupon code: 15thanks for 15% off til 9/15 (excluding a few brands, but fuck wacoal anyway)

ooooh thanks!

this is the shock absorber i was looking at: http://www.figleaves.com/us/product.asp?product_id=BB-109&mci=&size=&colour=&image=r574155-p390320-front

cheap!

i am in desperate need of something more supportive. as i age, i am getting more and more paranoid about the sag and then adding to it by bouncing up and down at the gym is making me really frightened.

I think I am in sag denial ... on a vaguely related subject, one of the actresses in Synecdoche, New York was sporting side boobs. I realized that I don't really have side boobs.

you don't want them, believe me.

they do go to the side, but because of their, er, width, there isn't a major gap between them.

my eternal frustration continues, and i just made my FOURTH order with bare necessities in, uh, a month? i now, however, have one bra that fits me better than any bra has fit me before. everything else is being returned, ffs.

i like their customer service. i called them at 3 am and left a msg about adding something to my order if they could and call me back but NOT before 10 in the morning because before then i might kill someone, but after then i have to be awake anyway. i don't think i told them all that.

they called me at five after 10. and now my order is straightened out.

i got the shock absorber bra i linked to upthread, so if it fits, i will come back to this thread and rejoice.

a big annoyance with bra manufacturers:

in british/european brands (panache, wacoal, fantasie, etc.) my band size is a size larger than my measurements. ok, whatever, i don't like things too tight on me. so i figured that was my band size for bras, full stop.

then today i tried out a bunch of vanity fair/lily/american less-expensive bras, and i'm swimming in the same damn band size. i can see cup sizes being variable according to style. so it goes. but fucking band size?

the ribcage measures x inches. the band size should be x inches.

the shock absorber bra, though: fits! hurrah! i really like it.

how did you go about finding the right size for the shock absorber?