This week I was pounced on by a very good friend who wanted to take advantage of the fact she was home for Christmas, combining a Boxing Day trip to the sales with a bra fitting. Since we live in Bournemouth and to be completely honest there’s nowhere where I would trust 100% with my future maid of honour’s jugs, of course I had to do the deed myself.
She’d been complaining about how none of her bras fit any more, and after getting dressed together and seeing her in her undercrackers; yes, there was quite a gape going on with her very VERY well-loved Freya Deco.
She’s been a 30G/GG for quite a while now and had worn the same size for probably around two years. As a regular reader of my blog she’d recognised the signs of a bad fitting bra and thought the sales would be a good time to stock up on some new frillies.
My first port of call was to try a cup size down. I picked up a 30FF Freya Arabella which had been reduced to a crazy cheap £12 or so, but the rigid embroidery was pretty restrictive and despite fitting OK when stood perfectly still, any amount of reaching or moving back of her arms there was quadboob all over the place.
So, we tried a different shape bra. In fact, since the Freya Decos were 20% off and they are her all time favourites, I picked one up, again in a 30FF.
Wrong again. The band fit perfectly but she resembled Katie Price. Far too much cleavage for the office and a bit too much squidge to be sexy. Back up to a 30G we went, and it fit perfectly. The exact same bra she’d come into the store with, in the exact same size.
It was a reminder that size and shape isn’t everything in the world of bra fitting. Bras are meant to be changed after a good 6-12 months of year, or at any sign of heavy usage such as slacking elastic, wearing, misshapen or faded fabric, especially if you’re very naughty and machine wash your boulder holders. There’s a fine line between a dead and a dying bra, so it’s important to be aware of the signs.
How to save your bras!
Size matters
Having the right sized bra is a good start – wearing a bra which is too tight in the band or small in the cup will obviously cause unnecessary stress to fabrics and stitching. Not a good look, plus it makes your boobs unhappy. So don’t do it.
Bra storage
Storing your bras correctly will drastically help in prolonging their lives, especially in the case of moulded cups. It may look like the above picture is the perfect example of bra organisation, however, folding moulds in on themselves like this can distort and misshapen your cups. Mega points to Katie Weir, PR Assistant of Freya Lingerie who so expertly arranges her decos with the moulds in tact!
Putting it on
I need to make a bit of a confession here. I’m a bugger for putting my bras on by fastening at the front and twisting them around your body. This, however, is not the best way if you have preserving your bras as the forefront of your mind. This extra stress on the elastic does not a happy bra make! Instead, try fastening at the back. It’s good for your flexibility too, girls!
How to hand wash your bras
I’ve done a whole post and a video on this one, so why not check it out?
But really, hand washing is the way forward if you want the best of your bras for longer. Machine washing is pretty much a no-no in my books, especially if not in a special bra washing contraption like a bra wash ball or a lingerie washbag, but drying in the tumble drier is pretty much sacrilege. If in doubt, always read the care label!
Even if you follow all of these steps to the letter, your bras will, one day, be no more. This is why a bra fitting at least twice a year should keep your bra-drobe in shape, whether you’ve lost or gained weight or suspect any change in size or not.
So, when to get rid?
Slacking elastic in a bra
All good things come to an end, and after months of natural wear and tear after holding up your ‘girls’, it’s inevitable that eventually your bras will wear out. Elastic is not indestructible, so if your bra is starting to sag and gape, it may be time for be re-fitted, or it may just be time to replace. It’s safest to get fitted just to be sure!
It no longer fits
Don’t hold on to a bra that no longer fits, or if you do, store it away where you aren’t likely to wear it. Wearing an ill fitting bra just because you like it is just not acceptable in my books. It either fits or it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t fit now and never will, try selling it on eBay (if in good condition) or donating to a bra charity which recycles them. Wearing a bad bra is never a good idea.
Wires poking out
Well, something’s gone wrong there, hasn’t it? The top two reasons your wires might come out to say hello (other than a manufacturing fault!) is from machine washing or from the decay of time. There are plenty of bra wire repair blog posts out there, but ignore them all and buy a new bra: it’s dead. Let go.
Age
This is only going to give you a ballpark figure, but most bra fitters and experts I’ve ever encountered when asked about the expected lifespan of a bra suggest about 6 months on average. Bearing in mind that the average woman owns 4-7 bras, that’s between 25-45 wears each. For those of us with a larger collection this might be able to be extended – for instance if you have 8-14 bras in regular rotation, you can expect to wear your bras for a year, with, again, 25-45 wears each. After this, you should check the signs above for clues that it may be time to part ways with your boob slings.
As for my friend, I asked her: “How long have you had this bra, babs?”
…”About two years?”
Yikes!
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