Lingerie life: Size is important!

Lingerie life: Size is important!: Size is important because...... There have been two ladies that stood out recently to my staff and I.  The bra they were wearing wa...

Size is important!

Size is important because......

There have been two ladies that stood out recently to my staff and I.  The bra they were wearing was not only uncomfortable but damaging to their self esteem.

Lady number 1

A young girl, fitted locally at a well known large department store.  Explained that she was experiencing discomfort in her fitted bras so had taken to wearing her sports bra as it "squashed her breasts and made them look smaller".  Rachael (one of my fitting staff) invited her in for a fitting to find out the exact manner of the problems with the bra.  The young lady was anxious about her body image, she apologised for her "fat body" and other perceived problem areas. 

Rachael ascertained that the young lady was in fact wearing a 38DD contraption of a sports bra.  Her breasts were spilling from the top and sides, the back band was almost between the shoulder blades and possibly the most uncomfortable looking bra we had seen in a while!!! During this time more apologies came, "sorry my back is enormous, I have to loose some weight".  The young lady had come along with a very lovely friend who chirped up with "nonsense, you are no bigger than me".  We love a good friend with positive words!

Rachael commenced fitting asking questions as to which styles and colours the young lady liked.  This is important to us, as we want each lady to leave with a bra she not only looks good in but feels good in.

The end result was that this young lady was actually stood in a very well fitted 34G.  An astonishing size change!  Boobs not squashed, boobs contained in the cups, back band down where it should be, no discomfort...............

............and one happy young lady!  Her whole body was relaxed, she couldn't believe her boobs could look so fantastic.  Above all else she was excited that she was a 34 back band, she asked several times that it was actually a 34?.  Her words changed from negative self damning to "so I haven't got a fat back, I'm just a normal size???".  Her good friend chirped up again with "That's the size I am, see I said we were the same!" (I love this friend).  Smiles all round.

Lady number 2 

"I know what size I am, just show me the ones you have, I'm a 42E".  Ok, so this lady is not a 42 or an E and I have to tackle this with great care as she might not want to be fitted or told she is not either of those sizes on any chart anywhere in any country (just how did she get to be in that size???).  I didn't ask but I got the answer to the question in my head, (yes you have guessed) a well known department store.

So, I asked if I could help her with styling for her new bra in the hope of not offending her by saying she was a good few sizes out!

Hoorah, she was happy for me to help.  I was shocked to find the 42E bra under great strain and boobs perched in some form of hammock.  This fit was among the worst I've seen.  

The fitting commenced, we hoisted and scooped and lifted and holstered.  The end result was incredible, this lady looked so different, her waist appeared more narrow her body more upright and her boobs were at last where they belong.........above the line of the elbows, lifted and separated! My job was done, until she asked "so what size am I?"  "Erm erm erm, actually quite a difference in what you were wearing to what you are now wearing........38J". A brief silence followed by a small giggle from the lovely lady, Rachael and I stood wondering if this was in fact going to be a giggle followed by tears or smiles?  The lady put her clothing on over the bra and looked at herself again and then smiled the biggest smile I've seen in ages!

Size does matter, both of these ladies thought they were huge and overweight, voicing their negative feelings about their (beautiful) bodies because of a back band measurement that was incorrect!  

Fitting a bra does not start or end with a tape measure.  A bra fitting comes with knowledge of how a bra should fit and the relationship between bra and body, experience, a good eye for detail, product knowledge and having compassion for the lady stood in front of you. Listening to what she wants and needs and guiding her through the confusing world of bras.

Claire.xx      

Is your daughter ready for a bra?

Our children grow up so fast!

One minute we are buying vests, the next minute we are considering the question "does my little girl need a bra?"

I can hear you sobbing..... she is still your little girl and she needs you right now to show her the way.  The right way to care for her developing breasts.

As a mum or carer of a young lady we all want to get it right.  We want to know we are doing the right thing, when is the best time?

Stay calm, help is at hand!

Listen

"My friend has a new bra"

"Can we go shopping without DAD"

"What size bra do you wear?"

"What age were you when you started to wear a bra?"

"When I run or jump I have pains in my pickles" (or the word used in your house for children's nipples)

Look 

Pulling clothes away from her body

Hunching shoulders

Little breast buds showing through clothes

Changes in her body shape

She looks at bras in shops

How you react to these little messages is important.  Think before you react, try not to be dismissive if she you don't think she is ready or try not to be too alarmed if you have missed that she has grown seemingly overnight.

Your daughter needs your support during this tricky time, she is looking for guidance.  Girls very much want to be accepted by their friends, they like to look alike, wear the same clothes and hair styles.  Having a bra is another item on the list for her to worry about.  If all her friends have a bra, then she will want to fit in and be just like her friends.  Your daughter will need you to help her understand that we all grow at different rates, have different bodies, breast shapes and sizes.

Shopping!

Well shopping can't be difficult can it?  Until you are stood in the middle of the shop and arrrhhhh!!!!........there are as many girls bras as there are ladies bras.  Crop tops, triangle, T-Shirt style, padded (yes padded), Lycra, coloured, wired (for goodness sake...wired!!).

This is where I suggest going to a small independent shop.  

• Maybe call ahead to check they stock girls bras?  Lots of us do, I think its important to start in a good bra and then the rest will follow.  
• You can ask the best time to visit?  I suggest the times when the shop is quiet, perhaps first thing or if the young lady is particularly shy then a special appointment time before or after the shop is officially open.
• If you have a favorite bra fitter in the shop, ask when she will be working and if you can have this fitter for your daughter?
• Ask what clothing your daughter should wear?  I suggest to ensure she is wearing a crop top or if no crop top then a vest top.  This is so that she can be fitted without the need to strip the top half completely.  

The Bra, which one to buy?

If its a first bra, I try to explain that this bra is about to getting used to wearing a bra.  The first bra should be soft, preferably non-wired and comfortable.  There are a few styles on the market, many are a foam form bra (looks like a T-shirt bra), this is not padding its a foam layer which gives a little bit of modesty and a smooth appearance under clothes.  I stock the little triangle style bras too, as not all boobs are the same!  

A good bra fitter will fit with age appropriate bras, this will lend itself to an easier purchase as the choice is limited to the items that fit and are suitable.  If there is a choice, let her decide which one she likes.  She is more likely to wear it if she likes it.

https://www.clairewoodall.com/candy-floss-girls

Reassurance Reassurance Reassurance 

Your little lady will be anxious at this time, reassure her that everyone grows at different rates.  It is normal for one breast to grow larger than the other or a slightly different shape.  There may be periods of growth when she feels her boobs are growing too quickly and hers are far bigger than her peer group or not growing quick enough.

Breast shape and size changes many times throughout a womans life, puberty its just the first stage of these changes.

We are all subject to perfect body images from the media and your daughter is no different.  She will compare herself to the images she sees, we learn from looking at others and mirroring ourselves in those images, be it an athlete or a movie star.    Reassure her she is perfectly normal and gorgeous just the way she is.

Lastly enjoy your outing together, its another shopping trip with the special little lady in your life.  Buy her lunch or ice-cream afterwards, give her time to settle down before going home.  She may still have burning questions about her bra that she wants you to answer.

Claire.xx

Whats my size?

Whats my size?

So, there we have the most popular question asked in my shop.  The answer, "I'm very sorry, I cant give you an exact size as it is almost impossible to do so.  I can fit you for a selection of bras to suit your needs though".  Its not that I'm trying to with hold information from my customers of appear difficult and obstructive, its just that unless every bra is made the same and therefore no choice is available then a definite size cannot be given.

The reply is generally, "cant you use a tape measure to give me a size?".  So the best way to explain, or so I think, is to ask the lady what size shoe she takes?  She will often reply that it depends which shop she buys in and the style of shoe.  There will of course be a mid size for example (the example is me btw): I take a 6 but could take a 5 or 7 dependent on the a fore mentioned.  

This is when the lady in front of me smiles, she is now relaxed in the knowledge that she is right that "they (meaning the bras) are all bloomin different everywhere I go".  We have a good chuckle about it and so the fitting commences.

The tape measure is not an effective tool for fitting a bra, it is rigid and doesn't understand the human body needs to move around, sit at a desk, go running or breathe!  The best method (in my opinion) is to assess and discuss what is required from the bra.  I listen to what the lady in front of me is saying, she hates it when her boobs spill over, she likes the sides deep so cover the bits she doesn't like.  I have already started the fitting process.  Whilst she is talking about what she likes, I'm listening and thinking about the stock on the shop floor, I have several bras with deep wings and are a little more full in the cup.  

This bra will be the equivalent of a sensible shoe from a sensible shop (we all know this brand). This bra has given me the size to base other bras on, example 32E (now you know my shoe size and bra size).  The bra she wants next is perhaps something a little less 'robust' and is required for luncheons (I like to think I am a lady that lunches but its just a dream for when I'm retired and my children have flown the nest).     

6 months in....

After months of planning, preparation, meetings and ordering of stock the doors to my shop open.  The paint just dry and windows sparkling and my anxiety at an all time high I welcome in the first few ladies.  My dream has been that this will be the most insightful and delightful shopping experiences that ladies have experienced.

Bra fitting is not for the faint hearted or those with little patience.  After all my months of planning and scouring the internet, shows and attending enough courses for my head to explode for latest trends, fabrics and styles to ensure the perfect fit it seemed I still had more to learn and more bras to discover.

My glam heels causing my feet to throb, the stifling warmth in the fitting rooms (you see, I am dressed but the lady I'm fitting is not!) causing me to melt, I wonder again why I chose this new profession?, why I left behind the reassuring comfort of my old job?  Then of course I hit jack pot, the lady in front of me wells up with tears of happiness that "at last she has a bra that fits".  She is over the moon, she turns to hug me (yes I'm hugging a half naked crying lady in my fitting rooms!) and we rejoice in being a woman.  The pleasure of lingerie.  I forget my painful feet and am once again reminded why I love my new job.

So after 6 months of lacy undies and fabulous bras, I can't wait for the next 6 months to tell me again why I am of course "The Bra Lady".  Shouts of "coo eee bra lady" while I'm shopping or flashing of sports bras when I join my local running events are all proof I need to tell me that I did the right thing.xx