Thursday, August 8, 2013

The History of the Bra - Going From Corsets to Comforts

For thousands of years, women were enhancing their breasts by using various tools. Different cultures employed different tools for this. The very first bras ever found appear to be from the 14th or 15th century. However, these quickly disappeared due to the invention of the corset, a contraption that was uncomfortable and restrictive, but which women had to wear.

The Corsets

Corsets were fully body shaping garments and the first of their kind. They were usually made of leather or fabric and had a boned structure. This allowed the desired shaped to be achieved. Interestingly, both men and women would wear corsets. They would lace them up extremely tightly at the back, meaning there was always a need for a second person to actually do the corsets up. It wasnâEUR(TM)t until the 1920s and the First World War that corsets were starting to get dismissed. However, to this day, women wear them as a lifestyle choice, or to create a beautiful costume.

The First Bras

In the late 1900s, the first bras started to be developed. They were initially attached to corsets, ending underneath the bust line. Because of this, the bra itself had all the room it needed. Because of World War I, there was a need for metal in the military industry, which meant women were no longer able to purchase corsets. Furthermore, because womenâEUR(TM)s rights started to be developed, they were beginning to refuse to wear the uncomfortable torture contraptions (men had long since ceased wearing them). This saw the development of the bra, made from various materials such as cotton, linen and silk. Some boning options were still available too.

The Wonderbra

In 1960, the Wonderbra was released. It had actually already existed since 1935, but it was their latest and most innovative model (one we still know today) that really made the difference. Since, all bra manufacturers have started to follow the Wonderbra design, which quickly became the biggest bestseller on the market.

Breast enhancing bras grew from there on with some being able to boost the breasts by up to four cups. There are push up bras with air pockets that can be pumped up, gel bras with removable inserts and more. Bras are no longer the torture devices they once were and are now as much a fashion statement as an item of clothing that is convenient. They come in a huge range of styles, sizes, materials and colours, meaning every woman should be able to find the right one for her.

by Celina Kash

Women's Bra Buying Guide

Any woman will tell you that when it comes to bra buying, most of the time they just want to buy one as swiftly as possible and then get on with their day. Usually this means buying one they like the look of and sticking with their existing size or making a good guess at their size.

Unfortunately women donâ€™t really talk about bra sizes, but studies have shown that around three quarters of women in the UK actually wear the wrong sized bra. In actual fact, getting a correct fitting bra can help with many problems such as back and neck pain, so itâ€™s important to get the right type of support with the right sized bra. The most important thing is measurement and shape.

Find the Right Band Measurement

You can either do this yourself or by visiting a department or lingerie store and getting a professional to measure you. Either way you need to run a measuring tape around your body just underneath your breasts. Make sure that you keep your arms down when you take the reading. You should also look to repeat this another two times to make sure itâ€™s accurate. If your band measurement is an odd number then you should round this up to the nearest even number. For example if you measure 31 inches, then your ban measurement should be 32 inches.

Find the Right Cup Measurement

This takes a little time as you want to make sure you get the exact cup size which gives you the right support, so it may be a case of trial and error. For example you may think that you are a C cup, because you have been for a few years. However there are certain things that cause the size of your breasts to change. When trying different cup sizes, make sure that your breasts fit perfectly within the cup without falling out of the bottom, the side or even over the top. The last thing to remember is comfort; if itâ€™s too tight or too loose then simply change the size accordingly.

In the UK, the following cup sizes to choose from include: AA, A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J, JJ, K, KK. A good way to measure your cup size is to take your band measurement. Then measure your breast again, this time with a bra on and measure around your back and across the fullest part of your bust. Simply subtract your band measurement from this one to give you a difference in inches. Each inch relates to a cup size, so if the difference is 1 inch then your cup size would be an A cup, 2 inches is a B cup, 3 inches a C cup, 4 inches a D cup, 5 inches DD and so and so forth.

Think about Shape

Shape is important for women, as you want a bra that gives your breasts a lift. In this sense, you need to consider the seam on the bra. The seam will determine the shape of the bra, as your breasts actually rest on the seam. For example, if the seam runs across the bra this will make your breasts look fuller, whilst a seam that runs down the bra will make your breasts look more centralised. Seamless bras are available if you donâ€™t want your bra visible through your shirt; however itâ€™s better to go for a bra with a seam as this will provide more support. You can always wear darker coloured clothing which prevents the seam from being visible.

Style and Colour

After youâ€™ve established the right size and shape of bra, the next thing is to consider the colour and style. For normal everyday bras you may not be too bothered, but for when you want to get something a little sexier and glamorous, make sure you check lingerie shops or online stores. This is entirely up to you and your tastes, and depends on what the occasion is, but if you choose somewhere with a good selection of quality lingerie youâ€™ll have a good deal of choice and will have quality lingerie thatâ€™ll last a good deal longer, especially if you get the measurement and fitting right.

by Vincent Rogers

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Big Bra Buying Tips and Guide

The fact that more than 80 percent of all big busted women are probably wearing the wrong big bra size and cup size is not surprising. Meanwhile, there are women, who may initially choose the right big bra size, without care about the changing in their body.

There are 5 things you can look for in big bras to avoid from choosing the wrong bra and making the adventure fun.
1. Get maximum benefit from the big bra design.
It's great if you are wearing your bra correctly, but if not, you have better adjust your bra, before buying it. Soon as you know where to place your bra, you can go shopping to get maximum benefit from the big bra design.

2. Ensure that the big bra sits flat on your chest.
You should to pay your attention in between the breasts at the bottom of the cleavage. To ensure that the idea of the big bra working from bottom up, the band that joins the two cups together needs to be sitting flat on the sternum. Your bra size is too small and you need to go bigger, if the band is off the sternum.

3. Is the bra too big or too small?
I should to suggest you that no matter how sexy and comfortable, if your breasts are spilling out of the cup, its time to buy a bigger one. If it's happened it means that the big bra is too big.

4. Finger test
The bra is designed to work from the bottom up not from the top down like most women assume. Instead you should be able to easily run your finger under the bottom band of the bra and still have some slight resistance to movement of the finger.

Most women assume that the bra is designed to work from the top down. As a matter a fact the bra is designed to work from the bottom up. You should test your bra with this way: you should be able to easily run your finger under the bottom band of the bra and still have some slight resistance to movement of the finger.

5. The strapless test
Let your self to try the straps on about 10-20 minutes. Is there any red mark in a place, where the straps is? If the answer is yes, it means the straps need to be loosened. Just loosen the straps and see if the bra still feels the same.
So, there you go, all you need to do now is to stand up, and buy a comfortable big bra.


Copyright © 2009 by Bra Sizes

Template by Blogger Templates | Powered by Blogger