Who knew shopping for a bra was like shopping for women's motorcycle gear?
Last night I went to the mall to return something. Somehow I ended up in Victorias Secret.
Having lost weight recently, I was a little excited to see if my sizing had changed since I noticed a significant difference in fit with my current bra stash. As soon as I walked in I was approached by happy, friendly girls dying to measure my bust.
They told me that I was a size larger than I had expected, due to the fact that VS' sizing runs smaller than its competitors. For some reason, I didn't believe them at first, but I figured what does it hurt to try stuff on and see how they fit? I kicked my ego to the curb and hit the dressing room with an array of lace, silk and satin.
Sadly, I don't have photographic evidence of my fitting session (well I do, but those pictures are the property of Mr Donn). But it went really well. I didn't expect any of their fancy bras or outfits to fit me.
I was pleasantly surprised and realized that seeing how things Fit for myself was the only way to be fully convinced that they were indeed the right size. Numbers often lie, as least when it comes to clothes. Unfortunately, you have to know that one size with one company might mean something completely different with another. In the case of VS, they run one full size larger than anyone else. Go up one full size from another brand and you'll notice the difference. (just remember to squash your ego back into its box, otherwise it'll make you miss out on some really sexy lingerie).
The last time I was fitted for a brassiere was over 5 years ago. And I've never had that done at VS. I have been to a few different department stores, but everyone carries something different and every (company) seems to have a different way of sizing you up. They were pretty knowledgable and I walked away with a couple of comfy, cute pairs in my hand.
If you walk into a motorcycle dealership and walk out without having been properly fitted or sized for your gear, there's a really good chance you're wearing the wrong size, or the wrong fit/shape.
Whether it's gloves, helmets, boots, jackets or pants. If you're not sure, take a picture and text (415-857-GEAR) or email me and I can help. Or download a copy of my shopping tips and take them with you the next time you go shopping for gear.
Wouldn't it be awesome if there was an online resource to help identify the right bra shape for your body type? A la GearChic for boobs? :D
UPDATE 9/22/12
I had to go back to the mall to exchange the sizes for my fancy new bras. Turns out they were too BIG. Yep. too big. The way I figured that out is after 1 day of wearing one, it started to give a little so I had to put the strap on the tightest one. Bad sign. If they stretched out more, (which they always do) I knew they'd be too big.
After losing almost 20lbs, I knew that I should've gone down at least a bust size but thought maybe I was just not good at this whole bra shopping thing. They were semi helpful in helping me get the right size in explaining that when you go down in the bust, you have to go up a cup. Who knew? Now, the last person who helped me (at a different VS location) was really nice. But she told me something that simply isn't true. That VS bras run a full size smaller than other brands. She was wrong. I tried on the same size at VS as at Macy's and they both fit the same. I ended up exchanging the two that I bought at VS.
I also ended up going to our huge (7 story) Macy's in downtown SF since they have a bit more to choose from. Of course, I fell in love with the higher end, designer ones because they fit so much better.
I was a little afraid that my new bras would be to tight, but I knew they would break in a little bit. It took about a half day of wearing one to feel it really give.
Now my girls are super happy, comfortable and look better than ever. :)
