The Foundations of Success

I have two lingerie draws... one is full of pretty everyday bra and knicker ensembles and occasional lingerie in fabrics such as, embroidered mesh, lace, silk satin and velvet, it also contains, suspender belts, seamed stockings, hold ups, fishnets and, of course...a home made lavender bag ;-)

The other draw contains plain black 100% cotton briefs, sports bras, socks, opaque tights and weird looking 'problem solving' items. (more about these later...)

Please note that neither of these draws contain ANYTHING, grey (by design or decay), loose (in terms of fit or elastic) or holey (blergh!)

Your every day bra must fit, support, be comfortable and match your knickers.

If you want my advice, when you find a brand you like stick to it! I buy everything Freya make twice a year.

For me, their fit is second to none, their sizing is consistent, the quality is great and they use fabulous colours.

In my opinion there is little point in shopping around for bras when you are a 32F.

The companies beginning to make bigger bras haven't got it right yet, and old faithfuls like Triumph and Fantasie (whilst achieving a faultless fit with years of research) are frankly in need of a new design team and a company image to match! (*note to self*: maybe I should send them some sketches...)

I realise that they are working on it, but their collections continue to disappoint me season after season. For some reason lingerie companies were, until very recently, under the impression that every girl who is bigger than a D cup is also over 65 years of age and has no desire to look remotely sexy. Ever.

If you are amply blessed in the bosom department forget paying less than £20 for a bra. It's a false economy.

The fact of the matter is that you can't make a good, big bra cheaply (yet).

I don't even think Marks and Spencer's do a good enough job, forget Asda and Primark!
They woo you with pretty fabrics, expensive (airbrushed) celebrity photo shoots and £7.99 price tags, but don't be fooled!

They can not yet compete with lingerie companies who have been supporting giant bosoms for hundreds of years.

We are talking about engineering here! decades of pattern cutting and sampling and wear tests... you can't just send a vacuum press, a load of foam and some satin bows off to Shanghai and expect to get the same results.

When you buy a bra it should fit you on the loosest hook, over time and through washing and wearing the elastic will stretch which is when you will use the other hooks to achieve the original fit.
Over more time the elastic will perish and lose it's stretch even more, which is when you will throw it in the bin, (not when you will rename it your 'comfy bra' and develop some kind of ugly attachment to it )

When putting your bra on you should lean forward and allow your breasts to 'fall' into the cups.

The underwire should be flat on your rib cage and sit snug to your breast bone, if you have a gap you need a bigger cup size.

Your breasts should sit comfortably in the cups and there should be no spilling or cutting in.

The support comes as much from the strap around your back as from the shoulder straps.

Don't be tempted to wear your shoulder straps too tight to achieve more up lift, all you will achieve is unsightly back fat and ridges in your shoulders (which can become permanent after years of incorrect wear)

The strap across your back should be straight and in line with your under bust It should be snug but not tight.

As I said before your bra should ALWAYS match your knickers.

Do not expect me to justify this statement, if you have to ask why I'm afraid there is no hope for you.

To Be Continued....