Comfortable Bras?

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Hi everyone,

I need some help to figure out what kind of bras are good for me.

I feel very uncomfortable when I wear underwire bras. I've been wearing them now for a year or so, after I got some comments from both my mom and my boyfriend that I need to start wearing "real bras". I understand that comfort does not necessarily equal attractive, and I'd like to look halfway decent, but these bras with underwire that I've got are almost painful to wear. To my horror, I recently noticed I'm starting to get "callouses" right where the wire is. I'd like to change things up, but the last few times I've gone clothes shopping (which, mind you, are few and far between), the only other options have been these huge lumpy padded bras.

So my question is this...

Are there any attractive alternatives to simply wearing sports bras? And are there any places where I could order bras online?

I use wonderbra mostly.
I need that lift.

Playtex 18 Hour bra line does very well at providing comfortable non-wire bras that are supportive and make the girls look nice.

http://www.playtexbras.com/styles/18hour/

I've never tried wonderbra before. Do you find them comfortable?

They seem a little big to me, but I'll keep them in mind. Maybe I can find one that isn't so large.

yeah, i can't stand any bra without padding, it just irritates me.
plunge push-up tends to be most comfortable for me.

I've liked some padded bras that I've worn before, but I never actively sought them out. It's not that I'm so well-endowed, but more that it was never part of my decision process.

I'll look into the brands you mentioned and see if they might work for me.

Thanks for the information!

No personal perspective, but I've heard that this kind of problem can be caused by ill fitting bras. If money's not an issue, you could visit a store that specializes in bras and they could assist finding the right fit for you.

Sports bras are the most comfortable for me, they're more like tops and it's easy to find the right size because there's not loads of them.

Oooooh....one of my special interests. Bras.

Any bra that is the right size will be comfortable.

It depends on what country you live in and also it depends on your bra size. People saying to you "My favourite bra is XYZ - go get one" will do you no good at all if you are a G cup and they are a B.

Also it depends on whether you are currently wearing the correct size. Underwires should (and will) NOT cause callouses if they are lying in the right place.

A bra size is made up of two components. Firstly, the number. This has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the size of your boobs. Yes, really. Even so-called "trained" fitters often do not know this. It's the "band" size. You need to find out what band size you are. Anyone can do this. Measure your ribcage just under your boobs. This measurement is known as the underbust measurement and has NOTHING to do with boob size. It just relates to how fat or thin you are, and how long you need the strap to be that is going to pass around your body. Even guys have an underbust measurement!

Then, the letter. This part is the part that relates to your boob size and it represents the proportional difference between the underbust measurement and the bust measurement. This is where it gets complicated. Cup sizes are notoriously confusing. When is a DD not a DD? When you go up a back size.

Cup size is RELATIVE. It is not an ACTUAL measurement. Therefore, if two ladies were standing next to one another and they both wore a DD cup but one was a 36 and the other was a 32, the 36 would have much bigger boobs even though they both had DD cups (and she would probably be fatter as well, if her ribcage measured 36. Either fat, or very athletic, with wide, developed back muscles).

Confused? I know. I don't claim to understand why. My brain starts to hurt trying to figure it out. But I do know that it's true. It's some sort of mathematical thing.

Contrary to conventional fitting advice, I do NOT recommend that you go and allow yourself to be measured by some random stranger to determine your bust size and work out the cup you should be wearing and then blindly follow their advice about what bra you need, because bras are like shoes. They vary from make to make. Even though my feet are oficially declared a 4.5, sometimes I need a 5 and sometimes a 4 or even a 3.5. It's no good the saleslady insisting I ought to be wearing that size 4.5, when they pinch my toes and everything about them is screaming out to me "you need a bigger size." Bras are like shoes. YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM ON.

For the best fitting advice ever, check here: http://www.bravissimo.com/perfectfit/

I agree with all_white on almost everything that has been said except that correct fitting underwire bras makes them comfortable. I find when they are the correct size for me it means that I can wear them for about two hours before they start to hurt. I have a curve in my spine though so that may be why underwire hurt me.

The brands of bra that I like aren't really fancy, they're usually a tee-shirt bra (without underwire). I got a pair on Tuesday last though that have a nice lacy detail on the edges (while remaining my prefered bra type). Perhaps to look for a bra that feels like your prefered type that has some detail on it.

As all_white said though, a correct mesurement is key in finding the right bra.

I get mine at Victorias Secret. They have some very comfortable wireless bras with light padding. They also have front close razorback bras. Sometimes regular bras make me hold my shoulders oddly and I get a neck ache. So the ones designed to be a x-shape in back feel better because I don't have to worry about straps slipping.

I haven't found this to be true at all - I am a 28E, and can't wear anything with a wire in it, no matter how expertly chosen and fitted . . . and I have had literally dozens of bras over the last few years before accepting that I can only wear soft cup ones. Plunge/push-up bras are especially hateful - most of those that I try one hurt me immediately.

I can only wear bras by a company called Royce, which makes both nursing bras and everyday soft-cup bras, which are both pretty and functional. They are the only company I have found who make soft-cup bras in a 28 back.

This is my favourite one:

http://www.royce-lingerie.co.uk/product ... type=Sadie

They do a padded one too, which is really nice:

http://www.royce-lingerie.co.uk/product ... ype=Hannah

It's true, though, that you have to try them on to really know if they are right for you.

xXx

I take your points. The reverse is also true: if it's not comfortable, it's not the right size. "Size" is not only about the measurement. "Size" can refer to the pattern used by the manufacturer. The shape. The style. The pattern. Getting the proportions right to fit your body.

People's bodies are all different so even if two people are measured as being the same size, they may have different shape torsos, like one person pointed out. There may be one particular brand of bra cut in a pattern where the underwire swoops out differently to another brand. Tiny differences can make all the difference. Some people are very loyal to one particular brand because the patterns used are more suited to their own proportions, so they may recommend that brand to another person in an evangelical manner, and person 2 may try it and think: "what are they talking about? I hate it. It hurts."

My point is: don't wear the one they tell you that you "ought" to be wearing. Wear the one that fits.

To know what fits, you need to know how to tell if a bra fits you. It's similar to shoes. Shoes shouldn't pinch or rub (or you'll get blisters and malformed toes) and they shouldn't slop around with loads of extra space (or they'll fall off and be useless). Bras are the same. Not too big, not too small. See video by Bravissimo in link above. It's actually incredibly EASY to know if a bra fits, once you know what to look out for. You'll no longer need to rely on some saleslady telling you which one you should be wearing, and getting it wrong. Nine times out of ten, they either don't know how to fit you properly, or are aware that they don't stock your true size but are fobbing you off with something else, just to make a sale. Most shops do NOT stock big cup sizes or low band sizes. And if you're a combinatinon of both of these, you can forget anything but online shopping (unless you happen to live in the UK, where they're easier to find than in the US, thanks to lots of helpful campaigning done by Bravissimo).

I'm guessing it might be due to the positioning of your boobs.

Most bra patterns work using the breast positioning of an "average" body, and there's no such thing as average. Some people's boobs are very close together, with almost no space in between (ie lots of cleavage) whilst others are far apart. This is not related to size; it's just about placement.

If the pattern has been cut in such a way that the shape of the underwire does not follow the curves of your body, it will be impossible to ever find an underwire that does not cut into your breast tissue, even if it's deemed the "right" size for you.

Or maybe, being an Aspie, you have sensory issues and are just hypersensitive to anything remotely uncomfortable.

Sorry - I'm just rambling on and I'm sure nobody really cares but it happens to be one of my hobbies / obsessions! Boobs and bras!

I don't know your size but I'm a B and prefer tank tops with added shelf bra they also help keep me warm. If I have to wear a bra I prefer the padded t-shirt bra.