The Skinny on Skimpies
In honor of the bra's 100th birthday, a local lingerie expert gives you the ABC's (and DEF's) of finding a comfortable bra, and she bears all her skimpy secrets to help you get clever with your cleavage!
Whether for exercise, work, nursing, comfort or seduction, most women -
from almost A to double J - possess a rainbow of bras for a variety of
occasions. It hasn't always been this way, though.
The bra began its evolution a century ago to become the garment we
know, love - sometimes hate - and wear today. In the early 1900s, the
corset was still the standard for fashionable women. The tight-fitting
dresses and beauty standards of the era demanded ultra-tiny waists, and
cinchable corsets made this look possible.
In 1907, French dressmaker Paul Poret designed a line of looser, less
form-fitting dresses. And with them - God bless him - he introduced a
smaller, less constricting undergarment. Alas, the brassiere was born.
Fast forward 100 years, and Oprah Winfrey reveals that 85 percent of
women are wearing the wrong bra size. The show's makeovers were
incredible: droopy breasts were transformed into buoyant ones; torsos
rippling with back fat became silhouettes as sleek as porpoises. And
now - as Oprah's powerful word tends to do - women are flooding local
lingerie shops to find a good fit.
Jennifer Loerich, the store manager who specializes in bra fittings at
Candice's Boutique on Montgomery Rd., says there's a few tell-tale sign
that you're part of that staggering 85 percent. "The signs would be
seeing the breast tissue coming out the bottom of the bra, the bra may
creep up your back and you may see tissue bulge out the top of the
bra," she says. "These would all be signs of a bad bra fitting."
If you have any of the above, you'll want to get fitted. Loerich says
you'll want to go to a place that has private fitting rooms and bra
fitters on staff, such as those available at Candice's Boutique.
Proper sports bra fitting is important too, says Katie Rhodes, a West
side-based physical therapist. "Prior to my pregnancy I just wore two
or three sports bras to prevent the bounce, but when I jumped to a
32E/F, I had to get fitted," Rhodes says. "It has been the best
decision of my life. The girls don't giggle and I am a ton comfier."
So, hands down, a bra fitting is necessary. But if the sound of a bra
fitting makes your knees weak with images of public nudity and a bevy
of bra-fitters poking and prodding your breasts, Loerich says it's
nothing like that. She says they do take a measurement, but it is a
private situation if you go to a place with private fitting rooms.
"With this measurement they will be able to tell you what bra size and
body type you are and what bra will work best for you," she says. "They
will then explain and teach you what to look for in a bra that will
suit your needs."
If you're still apprehensive about the bra fitting experience, you can
go online to sites like www.brasize.com where there's a do-it-yourself
guide to measuring yourself and a bra calculator that will give you a
reasonably accurate indication of your size.
Once you do figure out your bra measurements, then you have a
completely different hurdle: cute - but tricky - summer tops. For
those, Loerich says, you'll want to get a bra that is a little lower in
front to accomidate the tricky cuts, but still give you a smooth look.
There are also some bras that have detachable straps so you can wear it
the standard way, or convert it to a racerback or strapless bra.
And something else that sticks out just as bad as stray straps is the
color of your bra. For example, just because you wear a white bra under
a white top doesn't mean it won't scream "Hey everyone, lookie here, I
have a white bra on!" Because it will. Instead, wear nude or other hue
of bra that best matches your skin tone. Also, black lingerie is best
worn under black garments.
If your garment is too tricky for those tips, don't fret, you still
have options. Loerich recommends stickies - adhesive-backed fabric
stickies to cover your nipples - for garments such as low back dresses.
"Because low back bras are hard to find, I don't recommend them for
everyone because everybody has a different shape," she says. "What may
work for someone may not work for the next person. So it really depends
on the body shape and the size cup and the look they are trying to
accomplish with the outfit or dress."
Loerich says Candice's offers many other products, such as backless,
strapless self-adhesive bras, breast prostesis and post-surgical bras,
hair prosthesis and compression garments, as well.
| Amy Scalia - |
|
Amy Scalia, a Cincinnati native, is the editor in chief and publisher of Cincy Chic. Send her an e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Read More >> |
|
|
More articles by this author
|
Little Black Dress Event Sneak Peek
Hillforest Victorian House Museum 
