Yes. Bras. I know. Ranty Friday this week is all about bras. If you are in one half of the population that doesn’t need them then you might not understand this post so you might want to go and put the kettle on or something.
But if you are in the other half then you might empathise.
So how on earth can this be the subject of this week’s Ranty Friday?
I have boobs. That is no secret. I am a girl, after all. And as you may know. I have big boobs. Boobs that require a bra and under no circumstances can I go out of the bedroom without one, let alone leave the house. If I were to dare go without one then sitting down would result in my losing my lap and standing up I would no longer be able to see my feet.
I need a bra. Which presents a problem. Bra manufacturers fall into two camps: those that specialise in making bigger size bras and who sell them in luxury stores such as Rigby and Peller and those that make pretty little bits of lace and play at making larger versions so they can claim to cover the whole market. The former charge upwards of £100 each for them and the latter around £20 to £30.
And quite frankly these cheaper bras are rubbish. Full stop. The end. I wish the companies that make them would appreciate that bigger bras need to be up to the job and need to be structured so they actually work. That you can’t just put some more elastic round the back, expand the cups a bit and call it a bigger sized bra.
I bought one of these bras last month. I wanted a new black bra and decided to try a new local lingerie shop in the hope they might have one (they rarely do). Lo. They had one in my size in three different colours. I tried it on, it fitted, I bought them. See, I do that when I find them that fit. I buy them. I am a bra buyer and like to spend money on them and get frustrated when I can’t find any. Or have to travel into London specifically to visit Rigby and Peller to spend £100 on just one.
You can imagine how angry I get when four weeks after buying said cheaper bra, this happens:
Just two hooks doing all the work of keeping my bra doing what it needs to do and it breaks. And is, therefore, useless.
The straps are thin and dig in and fold in half so hurt, and then the whole thing ends up in the bin within the month.
Since when have bras had to be a monthly purchase? Are they meant to be disposable?
What is the point of making something that doesn’t work? Doesnt do what it says on the tin? What use is there for a bra that doesn’t hold the boobs it is designed to hold?
Other than a hat, of course.
I am still a big girl, 44DD, used to be a 48K,
I find Triumphbras fit well, lived in the Doreen model for years, and ha e now moved on to the lacy Amourette.
Bras are a very personal thing, and it can take ages to find on that fits properly, suits you and more importantly that you feel happy wearing.
Good Luck with your hunt.
Well said that woman! I have returned countless items like this and demanded a refund as they were not fit for purpose!
We should start a campaign! (or maybe a support group – full support of course maybe with under wiring and padded straps!)
A “support the support” group?
I like it…
I hate buying bras. I went from a 32AA before my kids to a 38DD and I hate that we either have to buy stuff that my Gran wouldn’t even wear, or spend £60+ just to get one decent bra! I also went to R&P and got fitted and bought two lovely bras which are so comfortable and look nice, but then bought some cheaper ones from M&S and whilst they are ok, they arent the same quality as the R&P ones. Also, R&P measured me as a 38DD and M&S as a 36D which is a big difference!
The joys of being female and having boobs!!
I am a 36H and although M&S do that size, I can’t face buying from there again – my boobs do not fit their bras. I ended up falling into Bravissimo after a hospital appointment and saying “help me”. Lots of money later I now have bras that fit my shape and pj tops that mean neither my boobs or back hurt at night. They were also fab as all the mirrors meant I could see my new scar properly for the first time and that was a pretty grim experience. I came home in a new bra and feel so much better for it x
Oh – and I like the idea of a ‘support’ group – or maybe we should just be called the scaffolding girls…
My boobs are about average and have the same effect on bras. I, too, was thinking only recently about how often they need replacing. Some blogger blagging at Bravissimo might not go amiss.
Am linking up an old post. Best of British with your Boobs. They’re almost as famous as you are! 🙂
I can never find bras to fit. NEVER. I have a rant about bras for saggy boobs. There is not freaking point having a plunge bra for someone who is a 32 G – it has to be balcony. But only for saggy boobs… We need to set up in the bra business!
There is a great shop in Salisbury that do good solid bras for a reasonable price though 😀
A 38E here….When mine end up like that I take them back…Asda have their 100 day guarantee….I’ve not found bra to last longer so I take full advantage of their guarantee…..heheheh
Bras need to be cheaper full stop. It would be good for the economy if the nation’s women start to look neat and perky (entirely possible with a good bra) instead of like they’re hauling a potato farm around under their tops (which is how I look in a cheap bra)
And not forgetting that the material to support round your back stretches and goes mis shapen with in weeks also, I bought a fabulous bra for my wedding and paid a huge amount for it, loved and it lasted me….I went to a high street shop looking for another similar, nope nothing close but bought 2 the same size, similar design one fits ok and the other well, it cut me in half and stopped me breathing x
I find it so hard to find a good bra – then I find one good one and only ever shop there in the end….then they shop the bloomin shop down!! Maybe mine are weird? Yours look very huggable! (As in full hug, not creepy hug…err…hope that doesn’t sound weird!)
I hear you my big bosomed sister! I am a 38 E, and bras are expensive, uncomfortable and generally ugly. Blah. I would like something pretty, functional and with a reasonable life span for £30 or under please. I know. I ask too much from life.
Snigger (well someone had to).
I mean, boobs.
Snigger
Thank you.
Your work here is done 🙂
oooh a bra hat…good idea! 🙂
Don’t even get me started! I have several ranty bra posts.
I’m at 36H, well I was before baby girl was born 3 weeks ago.
Not only are bras for big boobies expensive and difficult to find one that fits perfectly, but also you can buy a bra in one size and another brand bra in the same size and both are actually different sizes!
Don’t even get me started on nursing bras!! Grrrrrrrr. Soft cup nursing bras for big boobs?! If I wanted to look like a droopy 80 year old madonna with cone tits, I’d pay a surgeon to put my boobs that way!!!
Frustrating to no end!
As well as a hat you could use a broken bra when shopping for potatoes at Waitrose.
Have you thought of making a group request to Cammel-Laird or Taylor Woodrow? They both have good records of tackling big engineering jobs.
Yup. That’s all I have to say about it.
Amen, my bosom buddy. A decent bra is like gold dust and costs as much.
As a woman who barely fits in a double AA I have never had this problem, however I can sympathise with badly manufactured clothing. I recently wore a Phase 8 dress for a day and discovered the zip folded in such a way whilst I was sitting that it slowly rubbed away the skin on my backbone for 7 hours. I took it back and got a refund no problem at all. I really hope you took your bra back.
I have boobs too ! Bra shopping has always been a nightmare for me. The bras I should be wearing cost £100 up and I can’t justify them, although I know they will last and give me the comfort and shape required. I stick to M&S now although their sizing is different so I am not sure even what size I am anymore.
I cannot get a bra my size where I live for love nor money and I hate buying online as like to try first!
I don’t have that problem because I’m a 36D and well rounded, but I used to be a 34A before I stopped eating chocolate and it was just as difficult to find comfortable bras then! That said when I was pregnant and I grew bigger obviously, I found that the maternity bras fit really well and were designed to be comfortable and supportive. You can get them without the little clips that allow breastfeeding.
I am only a 36D (apparently) but I have a lot of problems getting bras. I want sexy but comfortable and affordable. I had a few bras from M&S that lasted me years and years, but my boobs changed after I had my son so now I only have one bra that fits me decently and that cost me £40 from Beaux Avenue. The rest are my old ones that have to do whilst the perfect one is in the wash!
Aww I completely sympathise! However there ARE bras out there that will work for you. AND are comfortable. AND look gorgeous. Try Ewa Michalak http://www.ewa-michalak.pl. She does amazing things for boobs of all shapes and sizes. I currently wear 30L in EM and I feel sexy, supported and happy. There’s heaps of reviews on my blog, too. Also try Bravissimo for a proper fitting – places like M&S ‘measure’ rather than ‘fit’, and there’s a big difference between the two.
I am only 11 and I wear bras, some people argue that bras are no good for kids,but I really need them I feel so embarrassed because everyone laughs at me when I am getting changed in school. Really it is not my fault!