The Bra–It’s just a foundational piece, right?
So can you tell which movie we just saw recently, by the title? Ha ha!! (no I’m not a Trekkie, but my husband loves the movies!)
I know you’ve read all the information about the brassiere and everyone has heard the fact that 80% of women wear the wrong bra size. But I’m not here today to expound on the right bra & it’s fit (I did a post many moons ago here on all that jazz if you’re interested).
Let’s talk about other related issues regarding that piece of clothing that can make or break a look!
The Size of bras
One of my pet peeves, is the statement “I wear size yada yada bra”. Because the size of your bra can vary. Bras are no different than clothing and shoes, in the fact that you may wear one size in one brand and another size in a different brand. Even with the same brand, your perfect fit may not correlate to the sizing on the label. (Case in point, my mother and I went to get her a new bra, and she ended up buying two. And even though they were the same brand, the cups sizes were different between the two). I only say this, so we can stop being so caught up in the numbers—what matters is how the piece functions!! Therefore, it’s so, so important to know how to evaluate the fit of your bra!
The Look of bras
If you are over 40, you should have at least one “pretty” bra. Now I realize this is only my opinion, but why not? I’m sure many of us older women, think of a brassiere as a necessity and we don’t appreciate it much. We think of it as that 24 hour support item we used to see advertised—very plain, and very boring! But what if you changed your perception about this item? What if you thought of it as a beautiful piece of architecture that is seen only by private eyes? Would you like it any better? Because part of my purpose in saying this is the fact that we should stop being so embarrassed when it peeks out of our clothing.
Now I know, this could be very controversial among the older generations. We were brought up to think that showing your under clothing was inappropriate. And I’m not proposing that you need to go around with everything exposed. But let’s be realistic. We wear bras. They aren’t icky. What if it peeks out under a strap now and then? Should we really stress about this when there are so many more important issues. Does it really mean you are a bad person?
For example, say you have a fabulous pink top that is cut so that your bra straps show occasionally. Then maybe you invest is a pink bra where the straps have a little design on them (like this one). I realize that $100 can be a lot to pay for a bra for some of you, but if you wear it two days out of every week, then in only one year you are down to $1 per wear, right? And just remember—this is one of those items, that the adage “you get what you pay for” applies!
Thus if you have a pretty bra with pretty straps, maybe you wouldn’t be so uncomfortable on those occasions when it does happen to show?
Other Issues
If you’re not well endowed you could certainly try out a bralette (like this one)! But if you need the support that a bra gives you—how about sewing a piece of lace over top of your existing straps (kinda like this one)? Then it’d be like your camisole is showing instead of your under garment!
How about the dreaded nipples showing through? Does that bother you too? Again…the reality is we were all born with them and they serve an important function. Consequently, they shouldn’t be banned from existence. The fact is if you get a bra that is padded so the nipples don’t show, then it can make you look a little larger—not that either one is bad. But I’d love it if we didn’t have to limit our choices for buying a bra based on the fact that someone might see the outline of the nipple. Besides—people shouldn’t be staring at that part of our anatomy anyways, right? I think it can be our own insecurities that make us too critical of these details.
Just in case #4 is a pet peeve of yours that no one is ever going to change—you do realize there are covers (like this), yes?
In case #2 is never going to change either, have you tried a converting clip (like this)? I realize you can do about the same thing with a safety pin, but this item makes it a little easier!
Anyways, my entire thought in this post was brought about by a couple of discussions with friends and family! It made me examine our beliefs and rules we learned a long time ago. And I have to think the younger generation has got us beat in this thinking—it should be no big deal if someone can see a bra strap or two! And in 50 years it may be as commonplace as seeing ankles (remember–that used to be taboo??)
So tell me—what extremes do you go to in order to make sure your bra doesn’t show?
Appropriately the styling theme for the week is sheer tops (but no bra straps will be showing—we all wore camisoles under our sheer shirts–ha ha!)
The Facts
Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.
Keeping in Touch
Are you registered for my email reminders to let you know when a post goes live? I’d certainly love it if you take the time to sign up and make sure all your friends sign up too!! There are other ways to follow my blog. Facebook readers can see my posts by liking my page. Or my Pinterest page has all of our outfits in a nutshell!
And if you’re new to the party, you can always see our outfits organized by categories, here! Don’t forget to check out the deals & discounts
It’s not impossible to shop online for your bras. Just make sure the store’s return policy is easy and order a couple different sizes (just like when you go into the fitting room). It’s nice because you can try it on with that item you want it to match or look good underneath! (And don’t get too frustrated—if they don’t fit—it’s the bra’s fault, not your body—but remember, you might need it altered)
