Let's talk about lingerie.

JoanE2012

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

Never heard of bandalettes before.....googled it, wow!  Wish I'd known about it.  I rubbed deodorant on my legs.  Did the job, but still.  I think I'm going to get a pair for when I wear dresses or skirts.

ashley8918

JoanE2012 said:

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

Never heard of bandalettes before.....googled it, wow!  Wish I'd known about it.  I rubbed deodorant on my legs.  Did the job, but still.  I think I'm going to get a pair for when I wear dresses or skirts.

They are seriously THE BEST. You will not regret it.

lurkergirl

JoanE2012 said:

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

Never heard of bandalettes before.....googled it, wow!  Wish I'd known about it.  I rubbed deodorant on my legs.  Did the job, but still.  I think I'm going to get a pair for when I wear dresses or skirts.

Body Glide: http://www.rei.com/product/745879/bodyglide-anti-chafe-formula-skin-protectant-15-oz

dolewhipper

I have a VS Outlet by me, so I tend to get everything from there. I'm an inbetween size, so their 34B with push up tends to work ok. They're not the best at holding up,but I just bought special bra bags from BBB so the straps/middle part doesn't get all twisted and messed up. I also get all my nighties/corsets from them, but I would never pay full retail price. They're usually $10-$15 at the outlet, with bras $10-$12. 

huskypuppy14

beethery said:

I heard some really bad shit about Adore Me. Like they sign you up for some weird membership thats $50/month and their customer service to get out of it is awful, so be careful there.

Great, I just bought some things from there. I didn't check any terms and conditions, so we'll see.

MizLiz3

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

OMG I cannot wait to get some of those bandelettes!  I'd never heard of them and had to check them out and they are the answer to all my chafing issues.  I may just live in them!

littlepep

buttercup1958 said:

I'm no help either. I've never actually been sized. I guess I'm a 34B and they seem to fit ok, I'm still learning to be an adult ha.

HA me too. I'm pretty sure I need to be fitted, but I haven't done it. FI actually got me a VS gift card for Christmas and I kind of looked at him like is this a gift for me or you? But he said he just overheard me talking to my girlfriends about bras and thought I would like to get fitted because they all had. It was cute that he put that much thought into it. 

littlepep

MagicInk said:

Most of my bras (of which there are few) come from like....target. Ross. I think I have maybe one or 2 from VS but it just seems pointless for me. I gots itty bitty titties. I go bra less a lot.

And um for sexy not gonna wear long stuff....is it weird that I go to hottopic? And like sex shops. Usually I just rock and undershirt and some little boy short style undies. Or ya know the naked looked. Naked (wo)man. It works yo.

Yeah I never wear lingerie because FI has no problem getting turned on even if I'm just in a tshirt and undies. 

And TBH, I feel sexier that way anyway. Something about lingerie makes me feel awkward. No offense to people who like it; I wish it made me feel sexier but I just feel like an awkward turtle. 

amelisha

littlepep said:

buttercup1958 said:

I'm no help either. I've never actually been sized. I guess I'm a 34B and they seem to fit ok, I'm still learning to be an adult ha.

HA me too. I'm pretty sure I need to be fitted, but I haven't done it. FI actually got me a VS gift card for Christmas and I kind of looked at him like is this a gift for me or you? But he said he just overheard me talking to my girlfriends about bras and thought I would like to get fitted because they all had. It was cute that he put that much thought into it. 

No real point at getting fitted at VS, though. They don't provide much in the way of actual training and they also are supposed to lie to you if you fall outside the size range they carry so that you'll still buy bras there. If you want a bra fitting, better to go to a specialty place staffed by a couple Eastern European grandmothers that'll manhandle you expertly into something that fits properly. The college girl at VS is pretty much just given a measuring tape and told "Measure here, then add five. Then measure here. Subtract the first number from the second measurement and the number of inches of difference equals the cup size. Okay?" Not exactly highly skilled.

emmaaa

I wore ugly Spanx under my dress and had cups sewn in. I meant to change into some pretty white lingerie from Dillards or something but, well, we didn't take the time to. 

Most of my bras are VS and I don't like them. I found a specialty bra store near me that I need to go to.

littlepep

amelisha said:

buttercup1958 said:

I'm no help either. I've never actually been sized. I guess I'm a 34B and they seem to fit ok, I'm still learning to be an adult ha.

HA me too. I'm pretty sure I need to be fitted, but I haven't done it. FI actually got me a VS gift card for Christmas and I kind of looked at him like is this a gift for me or you? But he said he just overheard me talking to my girlfriends about bras and thought I would like to get fitted because they all had. It was cute that he put that much thought into it. 

No real point at getting fitted at VS, though. They don't provide much in the way of actual training and they also are supposed to lie to you if you fall outside the size range they carry so that you'll still buy bras there. If you want a bra fitting, better to go to a specialty place staffed by a couple Eastern European grandmothers that'll manhandle you expertly into something that fits properly. The college girl at VS is pretty much just given a measuring tape and told "Measure here, then add five. Then measure here. Subtract the first number from the second measurement and the number of inches of difference equals the cup size. Okay?" Not exactly highly skilled.

This make me think of my dress fitting. The lady who does all the alterations is Eastern European and she totally manhandle my boobs into the cups. 

And yeah I assume VS employees aren't really experts. It's just the only place I really know of. 

buttercup1958

Thank you guys for telling me about bandalettes! My legs always chaff when I walk and it sucks.

littlepep said:

buttercup1958 said:

I'm no help either. I've never actually been sized. I guess I'm a 34B and they seem to fit ok, I'm still learning to be an adult ha.

HA me too. I'm pretty sure I need to be fitted, but I haven't done it. FI actually got me a VS gift card for Christmas and I kind of looked at him like is this a gift for me or you? But he said he just overheard me talking to my girlfriends about bras and thought I would like to get fitted because they all had. It was cute that he put that much thought into it. 

Sounds like something V would have done too! He always picks up on random stuff like that. I've just been to lazy to actually find time. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

littlepep

ashley8918 said:

JoanE2012 said:

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

Never heard of bandalettes before.....googled it, wow!  Wish I'd known about it.  I rubbed deodorant on my legs.  Did the job, but still.  I think I'm going to get a pair for when I wear dresses or skirts.

They are seriously THE BEST. You will not regret it.

These look amazing! I NEED THEM. I'm going to go order them right now. 

Bubblegum5586

I wore the sticky boobs and regular panties for the wedding day and for the night we had a quickie while I was still in my dress and then went to the after party... it was 4am when we got done with that and had to catch a bus at 8am for the honeymoon so we slept then.

My family threw me a lingerie party the night before the wedding (basically because my relatives all live far away and couldn't attend my shower so we do this for all the girl cousins). I had purchased a few new pieces at VS on clearance and then with the new stuff I had 8 new pieces... perfect for our 8 night honeymoon. My girls named each piece and bagged it then typed it up and created a "menu" so H would take the menu each night pick what he wanted based on the name and I could go into my suitcase and find the bag with that name on it. It was very fun!

[Deleted User]

So I'm going to sound like I am tooting Nordstrom's horn, but I used to work in their lingerie department, and I probably won't buy anything from VS ever again. 

Basically, anyone buying a bra should be professionally fitted every few years. Yes, you can have a fitting at VS, but they will fit you for their brand of bra, which is not applicable to the rest of the bra world. 

You can kinda fit yourself if you are uncomfortable having someone else do it for you, but it might be a bit wonky.

-Below is some general fitting info-

The MOST important part of your bra is the band. The band is the part of the bra that actually holds your boobs up. This shocked me when I learned it, because it always seemed like the straps, but if you've ever had a bra creep up your back, you know it is no longer supporting the ta-tas.  

You can get band size using measuring tape. Wrap the tape around your body, right under your boob area to get the most accurate fit. This part is a PITA when you do it yourself, but like I said, it's possible. When you are trying on bras, the band should be fairly tight--remember it is doing MOST of the work. General rule of thumb is that you should be able to get two fingers beneath the band. If you can pull it away from your body easily, it it waaaaaaaaaaay to loose and therefore isn't working. When I did this as a job, people hated trying tighter bands and I GET IT. We always recommended they give it 1 week, and if it did not start to be comfortable we told them to return and try another size. Usually, they didn't return it.

Cup size is a bit hard to do on your own. When I was training I was just kind of told to eyeball it. Importantly, cup size is relative to band size. For example, if you are a 32DD, you are a 34D. As you go up in band, you go down in cup size. Your boobs should completely fill the cup of the bra in order for it to fit properly. There should not be any "gaping." Also, the center of the bra (usually where the underwire meets) should sit against your sternum. That part is sometimes tricky for full-busted peeps, but it IS possible, and it will make you feel a lot more comfortable.

*Notes for people who have trouble finding sizes they need* Reputable lingerie stores should carry sizes that run the gamut. I can only speak for Nordstrom in particular, because I know it's true, but I've heard from co-workers that other lingerie-only stores do as well. There ARE cute, pretty bras for people who do not fit the cookie-cutter sizes. That includes women who are petite, petite with fuller boobage AND curvy, and curvier with fuller boobage. For example, I learned all about sizes E-M. And they DO EXIST and they are more common than some people may lead you to believe. Do not try to make bras that aren't right for you work. 

TL;DR : I'm sorry for this lengthly post. I never thought I would feel so strong about boobs, but after seeing how proper-fitting bras improved people's overall demeanor (NOT just appearance), I am a huge advocate for good lingerie. Nordstrom and other lingerie stores are more expensive than VS, but for a good reason. You're getting quality that lasts and does the job RIGHT. However, you can also have a professional fitting and not buy anything from expensive stores--you can go forward informed and look for better fitting bras at other stores. 

ETA: After doing this, I have become one of those boob-manhandlers @littlepep mentioned. TRUST ME, IT'S WORTH THE HANDLING! Get that shit done right!

theartistformerlyknownas

Lol at the eastern European manhandling. The lady who I got my prom/homecoming dresses from used to tell me to "eat more pizza so the titties fill the dress up." Oh, if only it were that easy.

badbnagdway

ashley8918 said:

JoanE2012 said:

ashley8918 said:

Well, I am going to be no help. I went commando in my dress and had cups sewn in hahaha. Literally the only thing I wore under my dress was a pair of bandalettes (best suggestion ever, @beethery)

I had planned on changing into some nice lingere, but it never happened.

As far as regular bras go, I just grab whatever from target. I have heard good things about Soma, but I reeeeallllyyy can't see spending that much money on a bra.

Never heard of bandalettes before.....googled it, wow!  Wish I'd known about it.  I rubbed deodorant on my legs.  Did the job, but still.  I think I'm going to get a pair for when I wear dresses or skirts.

They are seriously THE BEST. You will not regret it.

So, I need some now. And the lace ones are cute. But I also saw a review on Amazon that said the lace itself is rough and causes chafing on bare skin. Thoughts? True? 

VulgarGirl

lolo883 said:

Lol at the eastern European manhandling. The lady who I got my prom/homecoming dresses from used to tell me to "eat more pizza so the titties fill the dress up." Oh, if only it were that easy.

If that worked I'd have terrifyingly huge boobs. But I'm willing to keep trying.

[Deleted User]

Linda the Bra Lady (online) was my store until I found Intimacy. They are ineed only a few major cities but have two in my area. Only place I shop for bras now and I'm never disappointed.

lovesclimbing

For lingerie as in the sexy stuff, I shop from Fredericks. I'd really like to get some Victoria's Secret because some of it is super cute and Frederick's stuff is so unbelievably cheap.

For underwear, I have generally bought bras at wherever. Mostly Sears. I used to buy VS bras until the cheap 2-pack I bought didn't support me anymore and I wasn't willing to spend a lot on their other stuff.
Panties, I buy whatever's cheap at Walmart or Fred Meyer or wherever I happen to be.

Under my dress, I wore a pair of regular underwear and a sticky cup bra. We had rented a hotel room with a large jetted tub, so I changed out of my clothes (I changed out of my dress right before our "escape") in the bathroom and put on just a pair of cute, lacy, white, cheeky underwear and a bathrobe.

TrixieJess

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

hellosweetie1015

 

TrixieJess said:

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

doeydo

hellosweetie1015 said:

 

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

Or if you are smaller in the band then VS bras won't work, either.  Their smallest band is 32, I believe.
ETA also, people who are larger in the cup than DD or DDD do not necessarily have giant looking boobs.  I know you didn't mean anything by it, but it seems to be  a big misconception that all people who wear larger cups look like Tits McGee. 

hellosweetie1015

doeydo said:

hellosweetie1015 said:

 

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

Or if you are smaller in the band then VS bras won't work, either.  Their smallest band is 32, I believe.
ETA also, people who are larger in the cup than DD or DDD do not necessarily have giant looking boobs.  I know you didn't mean anything by it, but it seems to be  a big misconception that all people who wear larger cups look like Tits McGee. 

Oh, absolutely. Mine are ginormous because they're mostly proportional to the rest of me, and the rest of me is fairly ginormous, haha. Taken on their own, they're huge, but with the rest of me they really aren't that big. But when I could wear VS bras back before I put on the weight, every one I wore made me look like Tits McGee when really my boobs were not that big on my frame. It was cool for a night out, but day to day it wasn't appropriate, and I was 21. 

I do think VS makes their money by trying to make women think their wonderful beautiful perfect boobies are less than wonderful and beautiful and perfect. So. There's that. 

vikinganna87

I love the Chantelle bra I got a few months ago. A bit pricey but great fit and beautiful details. Much better quality than VS.

JCbride2015

So since this thread was resurrected anyway-- I went shopping today and bought this!  I went to Journelle near Union Square in NYC.  Their website is a rabbit hole of gorgeous stuff but I'm glad I went in person to really try on and ensure the fit.

JCbride2015

vikinganna87 said:

I love the Chantelle bra I got a few months ago. A bit pricey but great fit and beautiful details. Much better quality than VS.

Too funny-- we posted simultaneously and that pink bra I posted up there is Chantelle.  I had never heard of the brand before but I love it!  Sexy without being cheesy and very supportive.

TrixieJess

hellosweetie1015 said:

 

TrixieJess said:

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

They don't carry my size, at least not in the Canadian stores. I'm a 34E.

JCbride2015

TrixieJess said:

hellosweetie1015 said:

 

TrixieJess said:

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

They don't carry my size, at least not in the Canadian stores. I'm a 34E.

@TrixieJess Amazon does!  For example:   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y9YUDI/ref=s9_hps_bw_g193_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-9&pf_rd_r=0R7QNYQP87HRNRANK54P&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1865627042&pf_rd_i=5370968011

TrixieJess

JCbride2015 said:

TrixieJess said:

hellosweetie1015 said:

 

TrixieJess said:

I go to specialty stores because VS doesn't carry my size. Also, they don't really have any lingerie that is for anyone over 30.

...My 57-year-old mom wears VS. She wears a 32A (and I suspect it's actually a bit large) but if you don't have ginormelons on your chest (which... my 38Es didn't come from her...) they actually can be very age appropriate.

They don't carry my size, at least not in the Canadian stores. I'm a 34E.

@TrixieJess Amazon does!  For example:   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y9YUDI/ref=s9_hps_bw_g193_ir04?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-9&pf_rd_r=0R7QNYQP87HRNRANK54P&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1865627042&pf_rd_i=5370968011

We have some awesome lingerie stores where I live that have great price points. The women who work there are super knowledgeable and nice.