Secrets of sconce-fitting: How to choose the right bra
bra set it is both expensive and requires considerable investments - not only financial, but also physical and moral. How not to go broke and not to go crazy when choosing the right pieces of linen, sex blogger Tatyana Nikonova found out. For a start, she incognito visited a specialist in the selection of bras Alina Gizatullina, and then turned for comment to the oncologist-mammologist at the Endocrinological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Elena Abdullayeva and engineer Denis Krivtsov.
Understand why you need a bra
A properly selected bra keeps the chest in place, not allowing it to be unpleasant, and for some it is painful to dangle with active movements, helps to maintain posture and visually slims. Thanks to him, the presence of a waist is also indicated, it changes the shape of the breast to the desired one, draws up the upper part of the torso under the chosen clothes and pleases those whom it pleases. The bra has no other functions, and it is worth wearing if any of them is important for you. At the same time, the bra will not help a young girl to look more mature (especially if she does not have money for something expensive and luxurious), does not create a more respectable image for the bearer (they will find something to blame for the absence of bras) clothing and, moreover, does not affect health in a positive way.
Do not wear it if you do not need
Poorly picked bra hurts and discomfort. Pressing underwear violates the outflow of lymph and blood, the breasts swell, and if a woman has cyclic pains and engorgement of the breast before menstruation, the sensations become even worse. Some women find it unpleasant to wear any “armature”, even chosen by all the rules, the arguments “but it’s so beautiful and decent” justly do not work for them.
Sexologists, assuring that sexy lingerie - "packaging for the goods," I want to get to wear a push-up for the scrotum. Demanding to wear sconces from others, because nipples are otherwise noticeable, clearly not aware that fashionable fabric bralettes in one layer also do not hide anything, and you can always ignore the outlines of nipples from under clothes. In the end, now sold overlays on the nipples, the bra is certainly not required.
Reconsider materials
Requirements for materials for bras include hygroscopicity, breathability, ability to keep shape, elasticity, but not stretchability, as well as endurance under load. So basically 100% cotton or cashmere make symbolic "triangles" for a small chest, everything else requires at least the inclusion of synthetic fibers in the right places. Modern synthetics sometimes cope with all requirements better than any natural product, but, unfortunately, during fitting, it is impossible to determine whether everything will start to sweat and get annoyed after a couple of hours of wear, you have to google reviews for each specific brand of linen.
For example, silk is a wonderful material, it perfectly removes moisture, it is neither hot nor cold in it, but silk charmez is often used only for the facade, and inside the cup are duplicated by inexpensive synthetics, and such models are not suitable for everyday wear. On the other hand, from just the word "polyester" everything starts to scratch, but in fact it is the name of a whole group of fibers from which materials with very different qualities are made. So the indication of the composition on the label is uninformative.
Find your form
Frequent complaint of customers, generously gifted between the neck and the navel, who can not find something elegant: "In stores full of foam rubber!" Laundry shops do buy a lot of models that visually enlarge breasts, but often a thick thick cup is needed not to turn into a sex diva, but to support a big breast. Let me remind you: in order not to press on the shoulders, the bra must hold the chest in place even with the straps deflated. Without a tight shaped cup with good support from below this is impossible; there are two options.
Thin cups from a variety of parts hold the design by dense stitching at the joints. They are labor-intensive in production, they create a rigidly defined breast shape, they are often found near expensive brands and are richly decorated - anyway, the seams under the T-shirt are noticeable, no one wears them under T-shirts, and you can sew more lace. The second option - the so-called molded: soft seamless cup with a thick wall (the same "terrible foam rubber"). It supports the chest and creates a fairly natural shape. In the West, it is such preferred for daily wear. In Russia, women often buy heavily decorated lingerie with a hard form.
Focus on the belt
The belt (lower horizontal bar) of the bra should sit exactly horizontal and so tight that only two fingers are placed between it and the body. Then the belt assumes the main load, and the straps only fix the cups in place and do not put pressure on the shoulders. Otherwise, you are waiting for a feeling of tightness in the neck and shoulders, rubbed and even headaches. Another method of checking the correct fit: lower or unfasten the straps and jump. With a properly selected bra, the cups will remain in place and will continue to hold their breasts.
Buy a bra with several rows of clasps, and during fitting in the store, fasten the belt to the maximum length. In the process of wearing the belt will stretch a little, so you will begin to use hooks and loops, giving a more tight girth, and thus keep a tight fit. At the same time, when fitting, even the freest version should sit as tight as possible: horizontally horizontally, allowing two fingers to be inserted under it at most. And the more your or your breast weight, the wider choose a belt for a bra - it less crashes into the body.
Calculate your volume
Women often try to squeeze into a smaller than the necessary size of panties or bra cups, but the length of the belt bra take more than they should. This happens both because of ignorance of the principles of selection, and because of the opaque dimensional grid of manufacturers. Why does 70 C of one manufacturer correspond to the size of 32 C for another and 85 C for the third and what does this mean for a particular woman? Intuitively, it seems that 70 is the chest girth in centimeters (aka the length of the belt).
In fact, measure correctly: take a centimeter tape, stand up straight, measure the chest girth so that the tape is located right under your chest, tightly, but not tight, and strictly horizontal. Round the determined figures to half a dozen - and then subtract 15 cm from the measurement result, if rounded up, and 10, if rounded down. The resulting number will be the size: that is, the European size 70 C is the size of a woman with a cup C and a girth under her breast 85 cm. At the same time, the same size on the French scale will be 85 C, as indicated by the actual chest girth in centimeters. 32 C is the size on its own scale of the USA and the UK.
Thus, you will determine your basic bra belt size, and you will find the exact size by measuring several adjacent sizes. Bring several sconces to the fitting room at once, since such complex three-dimensional objects as a person fit into simple measurements with difficulty, and each brand has its own minor differences in the patterns. Unfortunately, even large retailers have small discrepancies - for example, ASOS suggests that the European 70 B equals the British 32 A, and the Marlies Dekkers that 32 B. Therefore, everything is difficult without fitting.
Stop shy
From the stylists, you can sometimes hear "choose a bra in size so that it does not stick into the body, and the rollers of fat do not protrude from below." This is not very professional advice. The soft tissues of the body are not clamped by the bra belt only if these tissues are small - that is, if you are extremely slim. Owners of any other body size also have the right to a comfortable bra, but because of such advice, there are crowds of women on the street in the summer, who can see through the clothes as the bra belt on the back pulls up.
Check: if you feel the constant pressure of the strapless on the shoulders, and you want to adjust the belt on your back and pull it down under the shoulder blades, it's time to change the bra. If the protruding rollers under the bra still confuse you, buy the so-called longline bra - with a very wide belt that can end at the lower ribs, they smooth the picture.
Remember how cups should sit
The selection of the bra cups is complicated by the idea of the existence of the first, second, and so on breast sizes that are actually invented by men and estimated by eye - there is even a version that the numbered dimensions are explained by the degree of fullness of the male palm in the female breast. Meanwhile, the female breast can have a different shape, height, fullness from the bottom and top, the width of the base and other indicators, and men's palms are also all of different sizes.
A properly chosen calyx (i.e., comfortably seated, allowing you to breathe freely and performing its supporting and aesthetic functions) fits snugly enough, raises the chest higher to move the center of gravity, is in the same plane as the upper gland with the mammary gland (it does not sink inside and does not stick) at the top with a roller), and the bottom edge of the cup (where a bone is inserted or dense stitching is made with a filler to keep the shape) fits precisely along the submammary crease. The submammary fold is the line on the bottom of the chest, clearly separating the torso and the mammary gland. Slide your finger under your breasts (you can wear it, but without a bra), and the connection line can be easily determined.
One of the signs that the size of the cup is too small is the side of the chest sticking out on the sides. A woman may think that her mammary glands are wide apart, but in fact it is often enough to take a larger cup. Another sign of an incorrectly chosen bra is that the breast hangs over the submammary fold. Such a bra center of gravity does not shift and the chest does not hold, so there’s no point in wearing it.
These are the most essential criteria for planting cups. Therefore, even if the label indicates some inappropriate, as it seems to you, dimensions, and sits at the same time as infused - take it. The main principle of planting a bra: the belt should be on the torso strictly horizontally, the cup should fully support the mammary gland, and the suture or bone connecting them should pass through the submammary fold that does not hide under the mammary gland when wearing the bra.
Find your cup size
The basic size of the bra cup (that is, the one with which you can go to the fitting room and determine with it, you need something more or less) is also determined by the whole system of measurements. Stand up straight and measure the circumference of the chest at the most protruding point, without tightening the centimeter tape and holding it on the back strictly horizontally. Then bend in the belt at a right angle and measure again - only now the measuring tape is strictly vertical. Add up the resulting measurements and divide by two - this will be the average, which we use in the calculations. The size of the cup is determined by the difference in centimeters between the girth under the breast and the average index of the chest girth.
If you are looking for a model whose dimensions are indicated in the American-British grid, it is harder and harder - you will have to adjust the girth under the breast. Take a separate inch measuring tape or turn it centimeter on the other side if there is a marking on the other side in inches. Measure the girth under the breast - tight, not tight, horizontally. If the resulting number of inches is even, add 4. If odd, add 5. If the measurement is 33 inches or more, add only 3. Subtract the resulting number from the average chest girth in inches, the difference in each additional inch gives +1 to the size of the cup .
Note that after the size D in different systems, the marking of the sizes of the cups is different, and the step size may differ between sizes. Therefore, if, when fitting in exactly the calculated size, it is uncomfortable, feel free to take another one, with less familiar indicators, but a more successful fit.
Get familiar with the straps
With large breasts, look for straps wider - they better fix the chest in place. Tighten the straps as much as possible so that they do not move out, but not painfully. By the way, the common problem of falling strapless - due to the fact that they have too much load. If the main load falls on the belt, the straps stop slipping from the shoulders. Another way to check whether the bra is correctly seated: stand up straight, lower your shoulders, flatten your shoulder blades a little, take a couple of slow, deep breaths and exhalations. If you feel more comfortable that way than a little stooping or leaning forward, breathing free and straps do not try to crawl - all is well.
Look at yourself
Not everyone notices this, but in many women the mammary glands are of different sizes. The difference can be strongly expressed, sometimes hardly noticeable, and opinions, which breast is more likely to come across more - left or right, - differ. Asymmetry is found congenital or acquired - for example, after pregnancy or injury. In any case, this is a variant of the norm, which is widespread, and if it does not cause you inconvenience, it does not need to be corrected. But the bra cup is always the same size.
When fitting, be guided by the size of the larger breast, and compensate the smaller one with a special tab in the cup. Tabs are sold in stores with goods for sewing and needlework, in some models of bras for them there are even special pockets inside the cups.
This works if the difference in size is serious, but if it is small, just pull the strap along its side a little. Full body symmetry is rarely found, so straps of different lengths are not a problem, as long as you feel comfortable. But if you have severe scoliosis, which is observed by a doctor, consult a doctor if the situation is not getting worse. You may be advised to wear a strapless bra.
Do not wear one bra forever
The belt of a bra with more or less regular wearing stretches and stops coping with its functions for about a year. Experienced bras-fitters recommend at the end of this period to send a retirement bra. By the way, immediately there is an uncomplicated way to determine how much you can spend on linen - and we know what the prices for the top are. Just define your annual budget for yourself and divide by the amount of sconces you need: this will give you an average cost per item and be able to plan your expenses more carefully. If you gain or lose weight, the check (and, most likely, the change) of the bra should be done every 3-5 kg.
Pick up a sports bra as carefully
For sports and other activities requires particularly high-quality support. With a large chest, sports shops of popular brands are practically useless - in sizes L and more, the belt is too loose for a sports stamp, and the chest is flattened so that it is impossible to breathe in it. I personally went around the sports shops in a large shopping center in Moscow and re-measured a dozen sports bras of various models - for a size of 75 F there was not a single one at all suitable.
In this case, the need to spend time and money on finding a suitable model in the rulers of brands that know big breasts (for example, Freya, Panache, Shock Absorber, Marks & Spenser is less likely) is a tax on life for a woman. An effective sports bra is called encapsulated and looks like a top from the outside, and inside is like a regular bra. That is, inside it has shaped cups, and outside they are pressed sports top. Pick cups by size, and the degree of retention by top - depending on the proposed activity, the information is indicated on the label.
Photo: PRAE, Pansy, Undone, Lonely
