Maybe “clothes make the man” but I firmly (excuse the pun) believe that under-clothes make the woman. The right undergarments can do more for your body than a month at the gym
So I talked with my local foundations expert Betty Will Bower of Body Graphics (www.bodygraphicbras.com) for some insider advice about choosing a bra that makes the most (or maybe makes the least) of what Mother Nature gave you.
Mistake # 1 – thinking a great bra just isn’t important. Supporting “the girls” properly trims away visual years and pounds, improves posture and takes strain off your neck and spine. It makes your clothes fit better and look more expensive. Who knew?
Mistake #2 – assuming you always wear the same size. Because bra fit is more exacting than garment fit, even a slight weight gain, loss or shift can make a big impact. Experts say that 8 out of 10 women wearing the wrong bra size. The most common mistake: a too-large band (the number) and a too-small cup (the letter).
“When the band is too large it creeps up in back and droops down in front, so it provides almost no support,” Betty explained. “When the cup is too small, you get the pillow effect – one shape within the bra and a second little pillow of flesh above the cup.”
Measurements can help define your correct size. Start with a snug measurement of your rib cage, below the bust. Add 5, then round down to the nearest even number to determine your most likely band size.
Next measure your full bust and subtract the band size. Each inch of difference equals a cup size (1” difference = A cup, etc). But measurements don’t tell the whole story. Like shoes, each bra fits differently, so trying on is a must.
Look for styles with the cup design you need.
* For firmer (read: younger) tissue a demi-cup can work just fine.
* For softer breast tissue (from maturity, weight loss, recent pregnancy) a full-coverage cup provides more flattering shape.
* For maximum support, choose underwired styles. In the correct size, you won’t even feel the wire. But you'll see the results.
* To appear smaller-busted, choose a minimizer style with a seamless, rounded cup designed to redistribute breast tissue slightly side-to-side and minimize forward projection.
* To look fuller, choose a maximizer style with a seamed cup and good side coverage to push tissue toward the center and increase projection.
* To ramp up cleavage, find a push-up style with padding in the lower half of the cup. (Or you can add removable booster pads to the good bras you already own.)
* For heavier breasts, choose wovem straps rather than stretchy ones. A wider starp is likely to be more comfortable too.
* For softer back tissue, a style with a wider 3-hook closure will deliver a smoother fit.
With an assortment of possibilities in the dressing room, try on each one and evaluate for comfort and lift. A properly-fitted bra should feel so natural you can forget you have it on. It should close comfortably on the second hook, and it should lift your bust so the fullest point hits halfway between your belly button and that little hollow at the base of your neck. The higher your bust, the longer your torso appears and the slimmer you look.
For the final test, slip on a body-skimming lightweight T-shirt over the bra. It will immediately outline fit problems you might miss focusing on the bra alone. You can see an example of revealed problems and the ultimate solution in the photos below:
If you live far from St. Louis and can't work with Betty, you can find professional guidance when the Wacoal company's fitting specialists visit a store in your area. Visit www.wacoal-america.com for dates of free fit clinics near you. During special “Fit for the Cure” events the company donates $2 to the Susan G Komen Foundation for each fitting and $2 for each bra purchased . That means you can “support the girls” in more ways than one.
Next week we’ll check out ways to make the other parts of our bodies equally perky.
