Desperately Seeking Better Bras...

ND~ Wacoal! I love there bras. They are a little on the pricy side, but they last... Always buy two or three so you can rotate them. Also, get a proper fitting, VS doesn't do a very good job. When you find the perfect bra it should fit on the middle hook, that way you have wiggle room for going up or down in weight. I love Betty Schwarts in deerfiled or Highland park, they are very patient and make you try on tons of bras to get a couple that fit right.

If i am staying around the house or going to the park I just wear a sports bra, I love champion seemless. So comfortable!

M.

I actually use Maidenform (found at Kohl's or Carsons) and they have a type called "True Fit" and they work pretty well! They feel very comforatble, and the nice thing is, a lot of the time you can find sales on them, like buy one get one free or half price sales - so they are almost usually under $20 and come in different colors.

Hi,
JCPenney or Sears you may have to pay a little more but there are worth it and they last. I'm a 38D and can't wear all types of bras I need the support.

FYI
K. :)

I don't know how Victoria Secret stays in business. Like yourself, I discovered that their bras are of bad quality as well.
I found this out more than 15 years ago. I thought they had changed. But according to you, the quality is still the same.

hey, youre more than welcome to attend our "bra fitting" event i have planned for our women's group... we ALL have that problem! anyway i have a rep from "Oprah's Favorite Bra" coming out to do custom fittings for us, not sure on the prices, i'm guessing the bras are between $30 -&60 but its worth it to me, i'd like to have one good nuetral bra and one good black bra!!!.
the bra lady's email is
____@____.com

and here's a link to our calendar with the bra fittings if anyone would like to attend! http://women.meetup.com/242/calendar/list/

i love tina's closet she got the "girls" back where they belong

When did you buy these bras? I read somewhere that VS bras are designed to last a very short time in order to get you to replace them pretty frequently. I actually went into one of the stores to get fitted for a bra and the lady who measured me echoed that as well.

I got one at nordstroms that is a little pricey but well, well worth every penny. I can get the name of it if you want but I love it. Through nursing and all it is super super supportive and majorly comfortable. Victoria Secret's bras have only given me grief. I never buy there any more.

I LOVE the Playtex 18 hour bras. They are very comfortable, fit well, etc. (I don't like the cross your heart ones at all)I REALLY don't like Victoria Secret bras...used them a while back and they were TERRIBLE. I've heard others say the same. I keep wanting to go to Nordstroms to be fitted, but haven't done it yet, though the Playtex 18 hour ones work GREAT for me. At Christmas time I got a bunch on sale for $16 each. Shape can be quite different too, so I think it ideal to get fitted at Nordstrom's if you don't have a direction to go with it so you know what size AND brand work well for your shape/size. Hope this might help some.

I highly recommend Tina's Closet in Lisle. I am large breasted and cannot go to a "regular" store to find bras. I am bigger in the cup than around so off the reack do not work for me. One of the bras I had adjusted had to be taken in 6 inches to fit right. To give you an idea when I was pregnant with my second child I was fitted at 48G. Thank god I went back down to my usual 44 DD/E after, as if that wasn't bad enough!! But I walked out wearing a new bra and was actually "perky" for the first time in a loooooooooooong time!!:) Definitely worth the extra $ and time.

N D

I was recently fitted and was told that the bra should lay flat between each breast and that the outer edge of the cup should not be squeezing any of your skin. The outer edge of the cup should be lined up with the outer side of your breast.

I actually went to Betty Schwartz because of the fabulous reviews here at Mamasource and was horribly disappointed. Within 3 mths I was experiencing the bras to be too big! I called them and of course I could have the bras taken in for a nominal fee. The manager shared that all bras change shape after a few washings. Those bras were $42-45 each. I would never go back to that store. Horribly disappointed.

Luckily I was fitted at Nordstrom and LOVE the bras. They are a little pricey, b/w $60-$80 but not all brands fit the same. I had 10-12 bras of the same size with 4 different vendors and they all fit differently.

You could always buy bra extenders. I used some while I was pregnant and they worked well for under $8.00.

Good luck.

F.

I'm a 36DD and around the house, going to the park, etc. I wear a softcup bra that is very supportive by Bali double support wirefree bra style 3820. I have one in every color. Even if I'm just going out to eat with the kids and husband I wear it, they look that good. I get them on onehanesplace.com for 17.99.

I couldn't live without them, I started using them during my first pregnancy because the underwires dug into my belly. I haven't gone back!

Tina's Closet on Main in Lisle. I have been going there for over 10 years!

Nordstrom is the way to go! They found me the BEST bra ever. I won't wear anything else now - and they cost around the same as the ones from Victoria Secret.

The brand I wear is called Natori. The style I have actually conforms itself to your shape. Fantastic!

Hi N D,

I just bought a Sassybax bra from ebay. Not sure all the stores that sell them, but I know Macy's carries them. You have to try them on because they come in S, M or L. Check out their website www.sassybax.com for more info. Anyway, I have the underwire bralette and it's sooo comfortable. The main reason I got it is because it's guaranteed to eliminate bra lines on your back! It's true. When you go to Nordstrom, see if they carry it, and try one on! Pricey, but worth it in my book! It's definitely frustrating trying to find the best-fitting bra because we end up trying so many on. Sometimes I end up wearing the same old one for too long. Good luck!

Have you heard of Essential Bodywear? They do home fittings and parties with bras! Oprah endorses their products. I attended a party last year, and the consultant was VERY cool and made you feel very comfortable. I personally don't have an issue with regular bras-- I grew up jealous of those who did (now, I'm thankful). But, she is great and I can see how many women can be just desperate for a good bra that fits. I think she said she will even fit you for a bra without booking a party. The bras are definitely more expensive than VS and dept. stores, but they are extremely high quality and the fitting is key to a good fit.

Let me know if you'd like the consultant's email address. She's based out of Gurnee. The website for the company is www.myessentialbodywear.com.

N D,
I just have to post after the fact to reiterate how great Nordstrom is. Everyone there is trained to fit and they have a large selection of styles and sizes. Besides, I'm sure that no matter how much you spend on a bra from Nordstrom's, you'll get more for your money there than you would from VS.
Amy

Dear ND,

I also went to Victoria Secerets and they measured me and they told me I was in between sizes and they recommended I try a 36DD or a 38D, to me that is a big difference. I bought the 36DD like the lady there said. The bra fitted comfortable for about 1 month. So I decided to go to Kohl's and try on different sizes. I ended up getting a baly's bra size 38DDD and have had it for almost 9 months and I don't have any problems. I wish you good luck.
B.

Try a store called Intimacy. It's in the Bloomingdale's mall at 900 N. Michigan Avenue. I started going to the store in NYC and was so glad to find out they have a store in Chicago, too. All the fitters there are amazing; they don't even use measuring tape, they just look at your in your existing bra and then bring you some choices. Tanya has fitted me a few times (I'm pregnant now) and she's very good. Their bras can be expensive, but before I got pregnant, I was wearing two of the Prima Donna brand bras that I rotated and handwashed after every two wearings, and they were still going strong after more than a year. They are boxed up waiting for me to lose my pregnancy weight. Good luck- because I know what it's like to hate your bra, and I'll never go back to wearing an ill-fitting bra again.

I agree with the comments about Victoria secret. I could not find a bra to fit me and I'm a D cup.. all of the darn models they have photos of appear to be larger chested and funny.. not one good bra for larger chested women there..they didn't fit my daughter right either.. so..
I don't even look there anymore. I'm going to follow the suggestions of the posts here too..THANKS!

There is a place in Lisle called Tina's Closet on Main Street and she is wonderful she has so many different styles and colors and materials she measures you and fits you. I am very very happy with my bras they are so comfortable it doesn't feel like I have one on.

Good luck

T.

I swear by Body By Victoria bras. I wear the full coverage one and it is so soft and comfortable. No riding up or being too tight (as long as you have the right size). I buy them on ebay for half the price, and still brand new. I have never had a quality issue with mine. They last for a good 6+ months, if not longer. I have 5 of them I rotate around.

I know you wrote this a long time ago and I hope you found one by now. But if you didn't I have four that I love. A few months ago Macy's had a sale buy one get one half off or something like that. Well I tried on the Bali bras which are expensive but at with the discount being offered I got four for $60. They fit great. Sometimes I have to touch to see if I have a bra on. You don't notice them at all. On the side of the cup it looks like fingers holding you up. It feels like soft material. I love them. From now on I will be getting Bali bras. I think the sizes go up to a DD. Even if you don't buy one you should at least try it on.

I am absolutely in love with the new Victoria's Secret bras. They're called Sweet Embrace and they have built in underwire that I never even notice that it's there. They are pretty pricey running $50 a pop, but totally worth it.