I went to get measured recently and found tha I was one of the squillions of women out there not wearing the right bra size... I went in wearing a 38D and came out shocked to find that I should be looking for a 36F o_O
My first stop was my favourite clothes store.. Matalan.. But I found that their DD+ range only had bras that were not preformed (just fabric for the cup, rather than that nice solid shaped cup material.. Not PADDED, just material that keeps it's shape... You know??) I went to M&S.. But found only frumpy ugly bras, or boring plain ones (nifty likes her wardrobe lookin nifty too!)
I finally found preformed bras in my size in la senza... Bought a couple of nice coloured, but fairly plain ones...
So my question is, OA... Where can I find PRETTY preformed DD+ bras that won't make my wallet grow legs and run away...? Bavissimo is an obvious first choice, but there isn't one In my town (boooo!) and they're a little out of my price range...
I actually swear by Ann Summers. 2 bras for £25 offer, great choice, really really comfy stuff and they last for YEARS.
Matalan bras... Ugh. Don't even bother. I'm an E-cup, and none of the bras I'e bought from Matalan have fit properly, and the underwiring's been a nightmare.
Primark do have a small DD+ section and they're very reasonably priced, although if you're like me and don't like thongs, you might never have matching underwear again if Primark prices are all you can justify!
I know this sounds strange and I'm just a clueless male but it's worth giving Asda a try my OH quite oftern gets large bras from there (shes a J cup) and at very good prices.
Awesome girls!! Keep em coming :) I can see myself now, upon receipt of my first paycheque, heading on a shopping MISSION! :D
A tip for any bigger girls who're getting into exercising too, like me.. EBAY!! I picked up a shock absorber sports bra, usually £30 in the shops/online shops.. For £5 because it was "sun damaged" ...couldn't see anything wrong with it when it arrived. It's brilliant, if anyone's interested in the seller my email is in my profile for details :) I also just bought a shock absorber swimsuit from them for half the RRP :D god I love a bargain!
Oooh yes Bulldog I forgot Asda.... I too am a J and you can get a bra there for £6 :-) Not the best fitting in the world but can certainly try them and go up or down a back/cup size as necessary
I tend to go to evans. not the cheapest in the world but they fit me really well and last around 18 months to two years based on a weekley rotation of 4 or so bras
I came upon the same problem not too long ago myself, I've tried cheap and expensive bras alike, I'm really picky on my bras, Primark do some nice ones but they don't have a good size range plus being cheap they dont last too long. Only last week I bought two bras for £25 from ann summers and I swear to god they are the best bras I've ever bought, soooooo comfy AND look really sexy its worth spending the extra cash on some awesome long lasting bras than some alright ones that may only last months. I stand by that even tho im a uni student with little cash most of the time lol because nothing beats a comfy good looking bra.
I may have a look in asda tho seeing as some of you say its good, as i live like mere yards from one
Another thing, Brastop is supposed to be very good but I personally prefer not to buy from the internet as you can't try them on before hand, I recently bought some from there, had to send them all back tho as they didnt fit properly and just didnt look as nice as they did on the screen as in person, but again im picky lol
I tend to by a lot from Ultimo, it's worth it when they have something you like in their sale, and there's almost always things in the sale. you can also search the site according to your bra size. Another thing with them is that they have started to use real life people as some of their models. http://www.ultimo.co.uk
After Eden bras are really comfy as well, though a little boring compared to some.
Debenhams have a nice stock of bras from time to time, a lot better than m&s, but again I tend to shop there during the sales.
I've tried a few from asda, they are ok on fit and style though somethings I find the fabrics rub.
I used to work at Bravissimo and I'm well aware that without staff discount it can be reeaallly expensive. Firstly the preformed bras are mostly refered to as 'moulded cups', you might have more success searching with that phrase. As for where brastop.com is great, as listed above. There's also simplyyours.co.uk, brasandhoney.com, and figleaves.com all have some great sales. Plus if you have a brand and size in mind ebay can be brilliant. Search freya 36F and you might get some good stuff but you may have to be persistent. On the highstreet house of fraser, john lewis and debenhams all sell a good range of dd+ and can have great sale bargains. In general I'd recommend Masquerade (a sister company of panache) and freya for pretty moulded bras. I often found ultimo to be an odd shape that fitted a small number of women perfectly but looked dreadful on many. The best thing to do if you have the cash is order a large selection from one of these sites and then send 90% of it back, as different brands fit very differently. For example panache is wider in the cups than freya so if you have a broad base to the breast (i.e. your breast tissue ends quite far under your armpit) they're more comfortable. That way you can know what to look out for in the future.
Also one of the best money saving tips for underwear is ALWAYS hand wash it. Always. And not the handwash cycle either, a sink of soapy water, gentle wash and then drip dry is the way to keep your bras looking as-new for years. It's easy to see if someone's put a bra in a washing machine, the colours fade, wires wear through the fabric and it seriously shortens the life of the bra.
As for Bravissimo, they sell Freya bras which you can get in most dept stores. I swear by Cleo bras, fit me best. (you can get them from figleaves.com)
Ive seen nice ones in Primark too.
I live in a black moulded cup marks and spencers one... http://www.marksandspencer.com/Limited-Collection-Floral-Push-Up-Plunge/dp/B0047JJD1W?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_4&nodeId=65974031&sr=1-4&qid=1305546208&pf_rd_r=19A4VA84HXES9K744KEF&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=65974031&pf_rd_p=215570647&pf_rd_s=related-items-3
Personally, I find the supermarket ones dont fit my back properly and dig right in.
I can't get on with La Senza or Ann Summers at all., I can't get a small enough back with a big enough cup. Same issue with primark. In fact, my boobs are such a problem size that I bit the bullet and went to Rigby and Peller. Not cheap, BUT, for about £15 they alter the bra to fit you specifically so it effectively ends up made to measure. The bras themselves are about £60, so for one that is altered for you, you're investing £75 ish. I know that's not cheap, but I use the word investing deliberately - I looked about two dress sizes slimmer, they last brilliantly, and I'm saving a fortune on all the physio I used to need for my aching neck and shoulders. I haven't tried ASDA - I'll bear that in mind, thanks!
I went to get measured recently and found tha I was one of the squillions of women out there not wearing the right bra size... I went in wearing a 38D and came out shocked to find that I should be looking for a 36F o_O
Just on this, one tip I've been given while being measured by proper folk was that, once you get into the heavier-breast sizes, most women should go a back-size smaller (and thus a cup size larger) than they measure, because that's how you get better support. For instance, going by the individual measurements, I'm a 38DD-E, but that gives me no support, and has the bit in between the breasts hanging away from my chest and the back riding up: I need a 36EE/F. It's a little nutty and counter-intuitive, but you do feel the difference. Obviously a D to an F means there was some mis-measurement before anyway, but most of the mistakes come from measuring as standard and not compensating for the added weight like that.
I can second (or third) the Asda idea. I'm an H cup, sometimes HH, and have never found it easy to get hold of anything either very comfortable or flattering. Then a similarly-built friend told me Asda are rather good in this respect - and it's true! They have a very good range for larger sizes. I didn't really believe it at first myself - tend to associate Asda with cheap beans or loo roll, not bras.
Bravissimo have taken a few knocks here - I think their stuff is actually very nice, but not the cheapest.