For those with larger bra sizes...

blahblah

Wed, Oct 28 2009, 11:34 pm

I'm seeing a lot of talk about wacoal and minimizers. I'm not sure what size you all are that are saying that. but......I'm a heavy 34F. meaning, the rest of my body is a size 4-6 so my breast is all tissue....no fat. so the breast itself is very heavy. and let me tell you: when you're that big, the minimizers and wacoal are both worthless.
essentially, a minimizer shmushes you so you're flatter. but the tissue has got to go somewhere so it goes to the side. so it makes you look wider. when you're a D, the amount that gets pushed to the side is not such a big deal. but when you're bigger than a DD, you look very wide. therefore, it's actually very hard to find minimizers at all in the larger sizes, let alone good ones. as the sweet lady in my specialty bra store said to me when I was 17: when you get to a certain size, there's just no point of trying to hide them. you just have to find the right clothing to wear (which by the way, t-shirts are generally not on the list of "right clothing" for anyone that is big busted. I find that most of us need to get something that has something breaking it vertically - such as buttons or really big cowl necks, or something that pulls attention to a more flattering part of you - so maybe a long sweater with a belt that you wear on the hips - not the waist ---otherwise you just look like betty boop Smile

as far as wacoal: it's an american brand. and sorry, but the quality of the materials that they use here stink. it may be supportive enough for a D or DD, but not any bigger (notice that they don't really sell much of their bigger sizes in the department stores......)
I but mostly european bra. you can't compare the quality. but expect to pay for it. my bras range from $70 for the sports bra (anita active - www.anita.com -- I run marathons in this thing. it's the best sports bra out there) and around $70-90 for basic bras - I like fantasie and rosa faia (an anita brand), to $150 for the sexier stuff.
the only american brand bra that I've found actually supportive is elila (I wear model 1603 - which is actually no wire so really comfortable but it has great paneling so its very supportive. it's full coverage and a very tight fit so it's great for days where I'm running around a lot so would almost want a sports bra but want it to be a more flattering look. this bra I've seen run in the $45 range but I have also discovered that it does not last as long as my other bras.
remember that the most important thing is that the bra actually fits. the 4 boob look is not flattering for anyone and always makes you look bigger. I remember the first time I got a bra that really truly fit, my sister thought I lost weight b/c I was wearing a smaller size. in reality the bra was 2 cup sizes larger than my other bras.
so the bras are expensive but with proper care they can last. I handwash with lovelast detergent which is very gentle, and never wear the same bra 2 days in a row. you need to give the elastic a chance to go back to what it was before you permanently stretch it, which is what will happen if you wear the same bra 2 days in a row. think of a rubber band - if you hold is streched out for a while, it'll become permanently stretched. but if you stretch for a couple of seconds and relax, then repeat, it wont stretch out permanently as fast.
so for me, taking into account how much pressure I put my poor little (well, not so little) bra through, after taking care of it this way, I'm happy if I get 50 days out of each bra. but it's worth it. because no one believes I'm bigger than a D until I literally show them the F on the tag.
and now that I did the math on how much I'm spending on my bras at an average of $2-3 a day, I'm thinking of reconsidering that reduction surgery Smile

I'll end up saving loads of $$$!

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Oct 29 2009, 6:29 am

I am a 32G and as Blah blah mentioned all these minimisers are only good up to a point.

Every time I go to be fitted they tell me - a well fitting bra will in itself minimise you.

Although I look busty nobody would ever dream I am this size because of the style clothes that I wear. in england the companies Freya and Fantasie do really large sizes. I never had much luck with them because the wire comes up to high for me in the middle and cuts into my bone. I am now wearing debenhams own brand - gorgeous, and am really happy with it.

Rigby and Peller (corsetieres to the queen) do a fantastic job of fitting you and give you fantastic bras. be beware they are very expensive though, but it often is well worth it!