I'm 36E and wear their largest size (XL). doubt they'll fit much larger tbh
Sali Hughes #13 The best new products I’ve been using for years
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I read this on twitter about someone accused of bullying behaviour and it felt fitting to post here for some reason
I rate Bravissimo, they take a look at you in the bra you walk in wearing (and they are really good at spotting brands and styles as well, fair play to them!) and might ask some questions about how long you’ve owned the bra so they know how much it will have stretched out and lost shape (but always without judgement) then will bring in others for you to try and will come back when you’ve put them on to give you some help with the fit, it’s still not something I’ve ever managed to figure out for myself, I’m too beef-faced. I realised 2 days before going wedding dress shopping that I didn’t own a single white bra and they fitted me in on a Friday after work to sort me out. Always found it to be a body positive experience as well, I have many hang ups about my body but felt comfortable there. The bras are expensive, I usually take a note of the brands and sizes that fitted me best, buy one or two there then wait for sales to stock up further.
I'm a 32B, pretty small so I normally just buy from Primark.
I know I'm lucky to just be able to go in and buy off the shelf. Can usually get a bra and knicker set for around a fiver.
My friend though is a 44F and has terrible trouble buying bras. She finally went to Bravissimo last year and turned out she wasn't a 44F, but a 40G.
The difference was astounding (I was with her on the day) and she said she'll never go anywhere else now.
Like @ThisIsMyDragName, she also stocks up in the sales.
I know I'm lucky to just be able to go in and buy off the shelf. Can usually get a bra and knicker set for around a fiver.
My friend though is a 44F and has terrible trouble buying bras. She finally went to Bravissimo last year and turned out she wasn't a 44F, but a 40G.
The difference was astounding (I was with her on the day) and she said she'll never go anywhere else now.
Like @ThisIsMyDragName, she also stocks up in the sales.
Bras are the bane of my life. Independent lingerie boutiques tend to be the best fitters, I usually buy one (black) bra from them, then I put the serial number into eBay and amazon and buy BNWT in discontinued colours - can usually bag a matching set for the same price or less as just the bra.
Black is rarely discounted anywhere!
just be slightly wary of Bravissimo, the one here is dire. Very aggressive sales technique and poor fitting, I shopped there several times and never actually was sold anything comfortable or flattering.
bras are tricky because “size” only tells part of the story. Two people can measure the same, but the shape, projection, placement and weight of the breasts vary so much that there are no guarantees a bra will actually fit.
as an example, I love Fantasie bras but that style Sali likes just doesn’t work on me. I’m a smallish band size/big cup, I think I theoretically measure 32FF but sometimes wear a 30 and cup sizes vary too.
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Yep! The old fashioned way of fitting bras was a really tight fit round the ribcage, but more most of us are chubbier, it's not flattering. Better to have it slightly looser.
What to look out for:
1.Fit the band first. Take a mirror so you can see your back view. The band should be snug (but to personal preference - some prefer it tighter than others), and should go straight across your back. We were taught that new bras should do up via the furthest hooks, with the intention that after you've washed them in the bath and your pee has worn the elastic away a bit, you can then tighten them, but nowadays we often don't keep bras that long. Aim to use the middle hooks when purchasing - if you're always using the furthest hooks, try the next band size up and see if it's more comfortable.
2. If the band is riding up at the back - could be too big, but also could mean cups/straps not supportive enough, partic for bigger boobs or those which sit lower. The straps might also need adjustment if your boobs start lower down your chest than the factory standard.
3. Once you're happy with the band and the straps, lean forwards and jiggle everything into the cup as someone else said, that gives a truer indication of what is going on.
4. Baggy around the nipple - cup is too small.
5. Cup baggy along top edge - cup is too big.
6. Cup cutting in along top of breast - could be too small, but also could just be the style of bra - try a balconette style (this will often be the case of you are young with super perky boobs or implants).
6. Look at the sides standing straight on - have you got boob tissue being squashed under a wire or side seam? Try the next cup up to see if it might fit better.
7. If it's wired, the wire should sit flat against the space between your boobs - if it doesnt, the cup is too small.
A lot can be solved by trying different styles of cup, as not all suit all boobs. Saggier (or as we were taught to say, softer!) boobs can sometimes be 'moulded' in a full cup style bra that is a cup size smaller (as the excess boob fills out the top of the cup) - in a balconette or a push up, such boobs can look like jelly as they will wobble a lot. But really it's personal preference as to how you like your boobs to look, but a bra should always be comfortable.
Hope that is useful!
I am officially dead
In case it helps anyone I was chatting with a mate about bras last night and she raved about the ones from M&S which somehow smooth out or disguise back and side bulges. Sounds like witchcraft but I just googled and the reviews are broadly good.
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She's being disingenuous here, isn't she?
"I have never in my life failed to declare a commercial project or sponsored post".
Well, yeah. No one is disputing that if a brand said 'here's some cash to pretend you are a bra fitter, can you make three posts for us disempowering women from their own knowledge of their own bodies by pretending you are an expert because you are soooo good at matching skin toned foundation to, er, skin tones", SH wouldn't duly make those three posts, flagging them all in flashing letters as #ads.
Our objection is that she will 'randomly' mention the brand as something she's worn since your granny was in crinolines, or post how much she loves it now, or will post a 'random' picture of it, mention a brand in a tweet etc etc. In all THOSE cases, despite her having a pre-existing or anticipated relationship with the brand, she doesn't declare them as ads. Which they are, because in all cases, it turns out eventually that there is paid content behind her 'sudden' declaration she's used X for years...
It's this 'grey' area which is where she misrepresents herself as #brand 'Honest'. Which is bullshit.
As for 'press samples'... It used to be that a press sample was either borrowed temporarily (like designer clothes, borrowed for a fashion shoot), or was like a tester bottle in a shop. There might have been a lunch to accompany your opportunity to pat on a bit of the product, but nothing like what happens now with holidays and entire ranges sent to gurus. These are not samples, these are bribes. Seriously, they actually fit the legal definition of a bribe. I think there is a convincing argument that '#press sample' should be outlawed entirely and replaced with #ad, ie I got sent this free.
"I have never in my life failed to declare a commercial project or sponsored post".
Well, yeah. No one is disputing that if a brand said 'here's some cash to pretend you are a bra fitter, can you make three posts for us disempowering women from their own knowledge of their own bodies by pretending you are an expert because you are soooo good at matching skin toned foundation to, er, skin tones", SH wouldn't duly make those three posts, flagging them all in flashing letters as #ads.
Our objection is that she will 'randomly' mention the brand as something she's worn since your granny was in crinolines, or post how much she loves it now, or will post a 'random' picture of it, mention a brand in a tweet etc etc. In all THOSE cases, despite her having a pre-existing or anticipated relationship with the brand, she doesn't declare them as ads. Which they are, because in all cases, it turns out eventually that there is paid content behind her 'sudden' declaration she's used X for years...
It's this 'grey' area which is where she misrepresents herself as #brand 'Honest'. Which is bullshit.
As for 'press samples'... It used to be that a press sample was either borrowed temporarily (like designer clothes, borrowed for a fashion shoot), or was like a tester bottle in a shop. There might have been a lunch to accompany your opportunity to pat on a bit of the product, but nothing like what happens now with holidays and entire ranges sent to gurus. These are not samples, these are bribes. Seriously, they actually fit the legal definition of a bribe. I think there is a convincing argument that '#press sample' should be outlawed entirely and replaced with #ad, ie I got sent this free.
Definitely, also kickbacks- we'll give you free stuff if you mention them. Why is it most industries have strict codes on kick backs and bribes but not influencers?
They're all subject to the same laws. I posted before about how hospitality and influencer benefits apparently ignore tax law. HMRC should investigate them, but it's probably the case that they are too small to be worth devoting investigative resource at.
And that is where tattle comes in...
Clinging on to a technicality is now all she has.
It is the direct equivalent of Lance Armstrong saying he never failed a drugs test. Doesn’t not make you a liar and a cheat.
I cannot imagine anything less relaxing than lying back in a bath full of soggy bras. Personally, I stick mine in a laundry bag for delicates (loads available for not much in the usual places - amazon, ebay etc) and then put them on a wool wash.
I know you are supposed to do them by hand (and people do) but I simply cannot be arsed.
Re the bra fitting stuff - I have big boobs on a relatively small frame (32J) and Bravissimo have never done me wrong but they are expensive. Like others I get one or two then pick up stuff in sales later.
I have noticed that style and shape make a big difference though and can differ from brand to brand. Fantasie and Freya (for example) tend to be a larger the back. So you might be size X in one brand and size Y in another.
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That is exactly it. If you are sent free stuff and go on to mention it favourably then it is an #AD.
SH sticks to the argument that money has to change hands but the ASA rules explicitly say this is not the case.
I think especially in her case as she has always declared she won't write a negative review and simply won't mention a product so companies know they are on completely safe ground with her.
And my understanding from the ASA rules is that as she is in ongoing paid campaigns with both Bobbi Brown and now Estee Lauder, every time she mentions their products, however casually, that is an #AD. Which she doesn't do - for eg in the concealer IGTV she mentions in passing the foundation she is wearing is the latest Estee Lauder foundation not declaring in the blurb it is an #AD, even though in the previous post she explicitly states she is part of an ongoing campaign FOR THAT SPECIFIC PRODUCT. So surely to goodness constant drip drip mentions are part of that campaign therefore an #AD? Especially (imo) the whole concealers vid was a showcase for glowy skin ie the foundation.
So hyaluronic acid may not be everything we’ve been told. Thank goodness for actual beauty writers
How interesting. As both SH and Caroline Hirons report they are seeing more and more women with congested inflamed skin, you wonder if Hyraluronic acid which they both keep recommending (along with other people obv) is partly to blame?
This is the problem when people set themselves up as experts with no real scientific clout behind those claims.
@J4n0Z I wash my bras and blouses by hand and what would supposed to be a relaxing bath would turn into drowning under a pool tarp. And don't you need something harsher than a body wash? The whole thing is ridiculous from a luxurious relaxing bath perspective. Another chore to do while taking a bath? First shave your legs, then file down your feet with a pumice stone, exfoliate, wash your bra, blouse, sweater... Then take a shower to wash all of that off, meanwhile you've used up all the hot water, you're exhausted, cold and need another bath? (I've exaggerated so much, I'll get my own column)
Great read, thanks for posting it!
And can you just imagine what your lovely expensive, delicate bras are going to look like after being swirled around in hair and dead skin?
Not YOUR bras personally I hasten to add @Tesla's Ghost !
Actual beauty journalism vs endless opinion. I'm shocked
Omg. An actual informative, in depth piece. Not a polarising- I love this (have for decades, especially since I’ve started being paid to mention it every two seconds) and hate that. By an actual beauty writer. Hallelujah! More of this, please.
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