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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Bra Shopping

May 16, 2006

It’s been over three months post breast augmentation for me and the time is near when I’m back into wearing a bra again. I decided to go try some on to see what size I’m currently and what brand and styles fit and look good on me. My usual bra shopping routine is to pick out a bunch of bras that appear to fit and pretty too. Pre-BA, my favorite brand was Chantelle, size 36B. These bras are made in France and Euro size bras tend to run slightly smaller than US bra sizes. During a shopping trip to Nordies, I stopped by the undies department, picked out a few of my favorite Chantelle style (#2115, now #3115) a few other Chantelle styles in a 36C and one 36D. I got a few Wacoal bras of similar size and one of the sales gals set me up in a fitting room. Then I began the process of trying them on. Much to my surprise, the 36C bras were a bit small cup wise. Some of my breast tissue was overflowing at the top and the center of the bra where the under wires meet were pulling slightly away from my chest wall. When I tried on the 36D, it fit well everywhere, OMG! I asked the gal who does bra fittings to come in have a look and tell me what she though of how the bras fit. She asked if I have been measured before, I told her it’s been a while since the last time that was done, go ahead and measure me. According to what she measured, I’m 36 band size, US size ‘C+’ or Euro ‘D’. depending on brand and style. My head was rolling. I never expected that 275cc added to the girls left and right would make me a full C or D cup. I put the Chantelle 36D bra back on and the bra sales gal asked me to put on my top so we could have a look. She felt the bra fit me well and the girls look well supported. She smiled with approval and I got to agree, the “girls” look pretty darn good.

During another recent bra shopping trip, I tried on several Donna Karan and Wacoal bras. Donna Karan is a “designer label” for Wacoal. It turns out, Donna Karan bras that are sold internationally are different than the ones sold strictly for the US market in sizing. The US sized Donna Karan also DKNY and Wacoal run bigger in cup size than those sold internationally. The international label bras have international sized all on the same tag, while the US market only bras have a single size on the label. For these brands, I’m generally a 36C+. The average female in the US wears a size 36C bra, up from 34B about 10 years ago. This is also why women’s clothing from years ago are not the same as sizes today. I did purchase a few new bras from Chantelle, Wacoal and Donna Karan.

It’s been said that you typically get two bra sizes up when you do a BA, it appears the numbers worked out pretty much that way for me post-BA. They have dropped quite a bit since new and much softer than before. The best thing about my BA is they look and feel very natural (unless they are press on hard, it’s difficult to tell I have them). The revised girls look really well proportioned to my overall body size, but I’m surprise to discover my current bra size. No wonder why some of my tops are slightly tight around the girls, basically my women’s size M tops just fit and if the girls were any bigger, clothes fitting around the bust area would be a problem. I’m back in the daily bra routine now and really like the overall results in many ways.
Shopping for new undies and clothes is going to be fun. I’m already in the process of cleaning out my draws and closet so there will be room for new clothes. A good number of my gently worn bras found a new home with a few friends of the same size.

Sports bras are next on the to do list.

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