Monday, June 7, 2010

34 a, b, c, d, dd...

Yes, you guessed what this post is about! It's a bit of a revelation, actually. If you feel like you've never found the perfect-fitting bra, read on...

I had an opportunity to be sans kids on Saturday, so I took that opportunity to go bra shopping and FINALLY get a proper bra. I just finished nursing (for the last time!) a few weeks ago, so I thought it would be a good time to start back into "normal" bras.

I was told that there was a store on the west side of Vancouver that did the best bra fittings. I was skeptical. I mean, how much more could I get a bra to fit me, right? But in the world of shopping, I'm willing to try anything once! So off I went...

It was difficult to find the store because my girlfriend knew where the store was but she couldn't remember the name. So, I wandered into the store called Bare Basics Lingerie on West 10th Street and hoped for the best.

And it was the best. Seriously, I can't believe that I have never been wearing the right bra! Not to get too technical, but I have never been able to wear a bra so that the intersection in the middle of the chest actually rests on my chest. I've tried going up and down the band scale and up and down the cup scale and I've never had a bra rest nicely in the middle of my chest. So, I just resigned myself to the fact that the bra didn't have to rest right on my chest, as long as it was close.

Well, it turns out that I just hadn't found the right bra! Not only do you have to wear the proper-sized bra, but you also have to find the RIGHT bra. Period. So, all these years I've been trying on or wearing all these bras - WonderBra, Warner's, Maidenform, Jockey, Triumph, Victoria's Secret, La Senza, La Vie en Rose, Calvin Klein, etc. - it wasn't that I wasn't wearing the right-sized bra. It's just that they didn't have a bra that actually fit me! Is that possible?! All those brands and sizes and NOTHING fits?! Well, I guess so, because Bare Basics lingerie carries a line of bras that actually fits me! And it only took them 2 tries to find that perfect bra for me!

What is this miracle bra brand, you ask?! It's a French company called Empreinte. The ladies at Bare Basics say it's their best-selling bra. And I know why! BTW, I would give you a link to the Bare Basics Web-site, but they don't have one yet. Quite a shame as I would highly recommend them.

So, all this missing out on the perfect bra for so long...there must be a catch, right? There IS a catch. And it's a biggie. I wanted to get a whole collection of these bras, but at that price, I settled for one for now. And if you are wondering how I could spend that much money on a bra, let me stress to you that I have NEVER had a bra fit me properly until now!

And the worst part is that now I have a bra that fits me, I'm not sure that I can just "settle" for other bras again. I envy women who are perfect 34B's and C's or whatever the cookie cutter build is for each size! Because I'm not. And for that, I pay the price. Literally.

3 comments:

Derek said...

Every woman I've ever heard about who's gone to have a proper bra fitting has had a similar reaction, i.e. "I've been wearing the wrong bras my whole life!"

I don't know if we men have anything similar, but if anything it's like getting a properly-tailored suit for the first time, I'm guessing.

Sarah said...

Okay, you have inspired me to go bra shopping! I never even knew the middle part was supposed to rest on your chest.

Karen Lepik Brock said...

Oh Yvette, I hear your pain. I went to Intimacy in Manhattan a couple of years ago and IT CHANGED MY LIFE!!!!! I pay a lot for my bras now, but they make me look at least 10 pounds thinner and 10 years younger... so let it suffice to say that it's worth it.