7 Lingerie FAQs Answered by BRA

Photo from www.bustygirlcomics.com

Often times, during a fitting our customers give us a sheepish look and ask us one (or several) of the following 7 questions.  Don't be embarrassed about not knowing the answer to these frequently asked questions.  As we enter womanhood, there is no crash course on bra fittings & lingerie care...although there should be!

Q: How long should a bra last?
A: Manufacturers estimate that you can get about 6-9 months of wear out of a single bra.  Keep in mind that this window of wear includes many factors such as how many bras you have, if you care for your bras in the proper manner, etc.  If you have at least 4-5 good bras, you aren't wearing the same bra multiple days in a row, & you are washing the bras in the most gentle manner possible with the right fabric care, the 6-9 months is a pretty good estimate.  However, if you notice that your bras are riding up in the back even after moving to the tighter hook & eye settings, that is a good indicator that the elasticity in the band of the bra has worn out and is no longer supporting the weight of your breast tissue.

Q: How many times should I wear a bra before I wash it?
A: One to three wears, depending on the "climate" of wear.  If the weather is particularly warm and/or humid where you live causing you to perspire, you may wash your bras after every wear or two, while if the weather is drier & cooler you may tend not to perspire as much, you might be able to squeeze 3 wears in before washing.  There is a fine line when it comes to how often to launder your bras, as the more you wash them, the faster the elastics in the fabric wear out.

Q: How should I wash my bras?
A: Of course, hand-washing your bras is best. Fill a sink or tub with cold water & a mild, residue free detergent formulated for lingerie & fine fabrics.  If hand washing just doesn't fit into your lifestyle, you can launder your bras on gentle cycle in a mesh lingerie bag on the most gentle setting of your washing machine.  Never put your bras in the dryer- the heat destroys lycra and other fabrics & fibers that your bra needs to stay strong & provide you with the proper support.

Q: How do I know if my shoulder straps are tight enough?
A: Shoulder straps should be doing very little of the work when it comes to providing support.  Your shoulder straps should be snug enough to stay on your shoulder, but not doing any of the heavy lifting.

Q: When do I need to be fitted again after my initial fitting?
A: We recommend that you be fitted every 6 months if possible.  Our bodies change without our permission, often in subtle ways.  Bodies may loose inches, but not pounds from starting a new exercise routine.  Starting a new medication can cause changes. Hormone level changes are also known to contribute to changes in our body shape.  If you start to think about buying bras in the same way you might think of going in for a check up with your doctor, you'll stay on track and avoid any common discomforts from improper fit.

Q: How many bras should I have?
A: That depends! How much do you love lingerie?  Just kidding- we'll actually answer your question.  This ties into our first FAQ- how long should a bra last?  We suggest having enough bras to rotate washing and wearing- so at a minimum, 3.  You may also need to take into consideration the types of bras you need- sports bras, strapless bras, leisure or sleep bras, and of course, the right bras to wear with your daily wardrobe for work or school.  Most women end up with about 4-8 bras.  

Q: Why do the underwires sometimes come out of my bras?
A: Improper fit is the main culprit of this painful experience.  If your bras are not fitted properly, you are not wearing a garment designed to support the weight of your breast tissue, causing unintended strain on certain parts of the bra, mainly the underwire (& sometimes the straps).  The excess pressure the weight of the breast tissue puts on the underside of the bra often causes the wire to pop out.  There are other reasons this happens too, such as hooking your bra in front & twisting it around which can cause seams in the underwire channel to pop and the underwire eventually working its way out.  Additionaly, friction on either of the outer edges of the underwire (the point at which the underwire meets your underarm or the point at which the underwire meets your sternum) can cause excess wear at the tips of the underwire channel.  If your bra band is too loose or your cups are too small, your bra will not sit snugly- nor stationary on your body.  The bra is more likely to move about during the day causing the friction that leads to the underwire popping out.  

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras and forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!

Bras Raise Awareness Art Show & Auction for a Cause

Join Us on Saturday, November 7th at River Creek Club!

We had a blast last year at our first Bras Raise Awareness fundraising event!  This year, we'll be at the River Creek Club showcasing all of the beautifully decorated bras by the artists who make this fun night possible.  Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a glass of vino, & read the touching stories behind each of the inspirational bras before the winner of the decoration competition is revealed! 

Don't Miss Out, Get Your Tickets!

Purchase tickets here.

All Proceeds Benefit the Loudoun Breast Health Network (LBHN)

LBHN offers invaluable financial assistance and support to women in Loudoun County undergoing breast cancer treatments.  Visit their site to read about all of the wonderful things they do to support women during difficult times at www.lbhn.org.

Details

A fun evening including live entertainment, local vendors, a silent auction, and an awards show to announce this year's winners of the bra decoration competition.  Attendees will have the opportunity to view all of the bra entries, celebrate the stories, the survivors, and the spirit of those working to promote breast health. 

Thank You for Your Support!

As a woman owned small business in Loudoun County, we love nothing more than to be able to work with our neighbors, business partners, and friends to give back and raise awareness about the impact breast cancer has on individuals, families, and the community.  It is our hope that the spirit of this event will carry over and inspire year-round involvement with Loudoun Breast Health Network & their partners. 

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras and forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!

The Language of Lingerie Series: Bra Cup Materials

Alright, ladies! Let's wrap up our talk on bra cups. This week, we'll explore the types of fabrics bra cups are made of and how they play a role in the support & shape that your bra gives you. There are a multitude of fabrics used to make bra cups.  We'll focus on the ones that are most common to give you a good vocabulary base to use when communicating with your professional bra fitter.    

Contour
Contour cups are made of a thin, foam-like fabric and designed to shape the breast tissue & keep you modest by hiding the nipple. Bras with cups made of this fabric are often referred to as "T-shirt" bras.

Bijou by Elomi

Spacer Contour
Spacer fabric is a knitted fabric made up of a top and bottom layer of fabric with a honeycomb-like layer in between.  Spacer contour cups easily form to the shape of your breast tissue and give a smooth, rounded shape under clothing.

Spacer Fabric

Memory Foam Contour
Sensitive to pressure & temperature, memory foam was originally developed for NASA to improve seat cushioning for astronauts.  Like the spacer contour, this material  easily forms to the shape of your breast tissue.

Provence by Conturelle

Smooth Cups
A very broad term for the thinner fabric, non-contour cups that are seamless. Smooth cups are often produced through the process of molding.   The fabrics of a smooth cup can be opaque or sheer, rigid or contain lycra for a bit of stretch.  Popular fabric types include mesh, microfiber, & satin.

Josephine by Anita

Lace
A woven fabric, made from cotton, silk, or synthetic threads. Lace can be used to make molded cups, cut-and-sewn cups, and even as an overlay for contour cups.  Like smooth cups, lace can be rigid or contain lycra for a bit of stretch.

Aurelia by Ania

A Note on Rigid Fabrics vs. Stretch Fabrics
While one fabric choice isn't necessarily better over the other, you might have a preference based on the shape or fit you get with either type of fabric.  Fabrics that contain some amount of stretch may work better for some, as it has the ability to conform to the shape of the breast.  With bras cups made of rigid fabrics, you will need to find the bra that best matches the shape of your breast for a smooth, wrinkle-free fit.  It's common for designers use rigid and stretch fabrics together to engineer the cups of their cut-and-sewn bras to get an amazing, glove-like fit.

To find out which types of cup fabrics work best for you, schedule a fitting with one of B.R.A.'s certified professional fitters!

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras & forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!

The Language of Lingerie Series: The Process of Cup Construction

The Language of Lingerie Series: The Process of Cup Construction

For the second week (and one more to follow), we'll be giving you another cup full of info on how your bra cups do the really important job of shaping and supporting your breast tissue.  This is some pretty technical information, but it will give you a great understanding of the bras you try on when you come to visit us!

There are two main processes to constructing bra cups:

1. Cut & Sew: the process of cutting multiple panels (usually 2, 3, or 4) to be sewn together to form a bra cup, resulting in a seamed cup which is sewn to the frame of the bra. There are 4 main types of seams, each which produces its own unique shape, and often used in conjunction with one another to create a more rounded shape.
2. Molding: the process of cutting one piece of fabric per cup, heating it, and stretching it over a form. This method results in a seamless, molded cup.  Molded cups can be lace, satin, or contour (a foam-like material). 

You'll recognize molded cups pretty easily, but with so many types of seams that can be used to construct a cup, let's get into the nitty-gritty of those:

Horizontal: mostly seen in full coverage cups, often used in conjunction with a vertical seam to produce a 3-part cup.

Transversal: A curved or arched seam that's almost always horizontal, unless its used as a side seam for the purpose of projecting the breast tissue forward. For the horizontal transversal seam, typically, the curve starts lower at the gore of the bra and arches with the ending point higher at the outer edge of the underwire than it is at the gore.  Typically, the transversal seam is often used in conjunction with a vertical or diagonal seam to create a specific cup shape.

Diagonal: mostly used to construct plunge cups, the diagonal seam helps to shape the cup in a way that brings the lowest (and usually fullest) part of the breast forward. Typically, the diagonal seam is paired with a vertical seam to create a sculpted shape.

Vertical: usually used in conjunction with another seam to further shape the cup.  The vertical seam is also used on its own to create lift and support in demi cups.

For many women, the process by which a cup is made not only has to do with the way a bra shapes & lifts the breast tissue, but it also dictates what types of outfits the bras are worn under.  Keep in mind, there are no rules about what type of bra to wear under what type of clothing.  That's a matter of personal (and often cultural) preference. For a very long time, the American lingerie market was saturated with mostly molded cup bras made from a foam material- the ever marketed "t-shirt bra". With the relatively recent awareness about proper bra fittings also came an awareness about all of the different kinds of bras available to, and appreciated by, women around the world. You've just got to choose the right bras for the right outfits!  Cut and sewn cups often have a great high & sculpted shape that looks fabulous under more tailored clothing while molded cups tend to have a more rounded, natural shape that lends well to thinner knitted fabrics.

Next week, we'll delve into one final,but very important, segment of important information on the cups- the materials they are made from!

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras & forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!