Ladies - Bra Shopping

[Distshore]

Macy's - but luckily for me Warner's and Maidenform fit quite well (though admittedly at the moment I'm on H&M cotton nursing bras; $12.45 ea).  If you wait til they have a sale, get a coupon and pay on Macy's card you can get them for $12-14 ea from the MSRP of ~$30; in my hands they last 2-3 years, but I will re-wear them a handful of times before washing, as I usually only sweat into my sports bras.  I am a pretty standard size though; somewhere between 32B and 34C depending on how much chocolate I'm eating....

Thanks for the tips on sports bras everyone, I definitely will need to get some stronger ones now after the "growth" brought on by the little one to come!

[CatchingFire]

I sew my own now and really it's the only way for me to get a good fit and support.  Before, I'd always hit Kohls when they had a sale and a 30% off coupon.  Bali, Warners, and some of the other brands have really stepped up their game in the last couple of years.  I am larger in the chest, but was still able to find many soft-style bras that were decent fit and support for less than $30 each.  It definitely takes trying on 300 before finding the right one though.  My size varies considerably from brand to brand.

[MWM1220]

Another vote for Nordstrom Rack - the downside being that there isn't consistency of product availability so you really should try on every time. Also The Gap. hands down my favorite bras, but still around $40/piece. (but cheaper than vS and WAY better quality IMO)

[CommonCents]

Sadly they now require a purchase to get the free panties.
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Really? I was just there yesterday and got free panties. 5 minutes in and out and didn't spend a dime.
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Yep.  Of the last four cards I've gotten in the mail, 1, 2 and 4 required a purchase, #3 did not.  I read on these forums they start changing that way if you haven't bought from them in a while.  Not sure if that's true or not.

I'm surprised for a bunch of Mustachians to hear Nordstroms, Victoria Secret, etc come up! Even semi-annual sale is pricier and less comfortable than the cheaper brands I've found. I'm with Sylly - Ross and Marshalls always has a wide variety (with multiple wire-free options) for under $15/each. I like Warner's wire-free, which I've seen the same ones at Macys for triple the cost. I'm also a big fan of K-mart- the Joe Boxer line has a lot of wireless options (and great for sports bras for small figures - they don't make you look flat)

How long do you wear your bras?  I just threw out some that are 15 years old.  I can get cheaper sure but if I'm going to wear something that long (alright, I really ought to have thrown them out way sooner), I want to really like it, it to be comfortable/fit well and be really good quality to last for a while.  I've found that with VS, although obviously, YMMV. 

[MandalayVA]

I get my bras at Target.  There's one style Playtex makes that fits me perfectly (38D) so when I see one I pick it up.  I pay about $15 on average. 

[LadyMuMu]

For ladies who need something outside the 34-36 A-B-C-D range, I can't recommend Breakoutbras.com enough. You may spend a few buck returning bras when you begin, but that's nothing compared to the time and gas you used up trying to find well-fitting bras in regular stores. Once you find a maker/style you like, it's easy to wait for sales.

[needmyfi]

and only wash them when they can stand up on their own.

I wash mine before they sprout legs and try to escape from the gym bag.  Thanks for the laugh

[N]

Im currently trying to find some sports bras.
In the past I wore Enells, which are super supportive for larger cup sizes. But they cost 60-80$.

For my everday bras, I wear Decent Exposures, which are custom made in seattle. They are mail order, and Ive been wearing them for the past 9 years or so. They dont have underwire. My cup size is G or H, and with the shape of my body, its extraordinarily difficult to buy bras-almost never ever in person. No store stocks them. In my experience, even reputable fitters take your measurements and then try to jam you into something in the store.

Ive recently ordered some from amazon that qualify for free returns and the returns were no problem.

[Anatidae V]

"This may seem like an odd suggestion, but since this is the mustachian forums I have to throw it out there: could you just go bra-less?"

This is a matter of personal comfort. When I had smaller breasts, and was younger and not in a professional setting, I would frequently go braless. But I was certainly much more attention seeking at 21 than at 31. Now that I am older, have larger breasts, and work full time in a professional setting, I would not go braless in most public settings. At work, I don't want people in my office distracted by my boobs, and they move independently, and when they are larger, there is a lot of noticeable movement. So in that setting it is a question of people taking you seriously and not being the one at the office with visible nips or getting a rep as the free-boobing lady. Out and about in everyday life, it's not really fun being stared at by strangers. Straight men tend to stare without noticing it, and some don't care if they are noticed and are practically predatory, and some are actually predatory. I'm not saying that this behavior from some men is ok, and it would be great if we lived in a different world, but the fact is it is uncomfortable and at times downright creepy to be stared at. These are only the social/emotional comfort issues. Frankly, now and again I say f-it and put on a sweater or something heavy/baggy and go out to whereever without a bra. For active movement, it is actually physically painful to run/jump without a bra.
I have two nude (the color i find the most widely adaptive to all colors of shirts) bras that I like, I care for, and I wear them until they are dead. From a mustachian perspective, I think you can minimize the bras that you need, but for many of us they can't be eliminated without various, real discomforts.

I take my bra off as soon as I get home from work on most days! I also leave the house without a bra on, but only really to the shops/ for a walk, and I normally am not wearing a top in which it's immediately noticeable (my aus-to-us converter tells me I'm a 32D). I don't think I'd skip wearing a bra to work, because it doesn't feel professional for me. People stare because it's unusual, like if you breastfeed without a cover or ride a unicycle!

I will definitely have a look at http://www.breakoutbras.com. I buy mine from brasnthings, who have a style that has underwire but the wire can be removed.

[Setters-r-Better]

Victorias Secret. Unfortunately haven't been able to find anything cheaper that fits comfortably. I find they hold up really well,  I machine wash and lay flat to dry.

[ch12]

Victorias Secret. Unfortunately haven't been able to find anything cheaper that fits comfortably. I find they hold up really well,  I machine wash and lay flat to dry.

Yeah. I'm very busty - 36E - and I haven't found other bras that I like. Their sports bras are so much better than what you find in an average sporting goods store. I tried switching to Maidenform for 2 years in high school. When my older sister came back from Singapore my senior year, she was horrified by the state of my closet. She refused to drive me to school if I was wearing jeans (she's really persnickety), and we (thankfully) went on a shopping trip for better bras. I've bought lingerie from a variety of places, and VS has held up the best, for me at least.

[MKinVA]

I am now wearing SPANX bras. Bought a couple ($40ish) a few weeks ago. They are so comfortable. I think I have found my new bra. I too had a difficult time wearing the wrong cup size, wrong back size, etc. I'm a 37C and wearing a 38. Because they are so soft, I think the next ones I get I'll go down to 36 instead of up to the 38.

[zinnie]

Kohl's or Target. Kohl's has Maidenforms that are nice, and Target has a very similar variety. I don't find that expensive bras last any longer than cheap ones, generally. The Kohl's/Target ones last 5-10 years and that is enough for me!

Anything with elastic is going to wear out eventually, and when I've been resourceful I have taken in the sides when they stretch out.