A Proper Home for the Ladies

Remember a few years ago, that thing going around Facebook was telling us that bras are bad for you?  Well, it may be true that bras weaken those support muscles, but I have to say that I've never flipped through an old National Geographic and seen photos of bra-less native women in some far away land and thought--Dang those are perky!  No, without a bra those support muscles may be stronger, but breasts droop.  I mean reeeeeallly droop.  So, as someone whose body has gone through a lot of major changes in the last 15 years or so and come out of it all with gravity still on her side, I'd like to pause from outward fashion and slightly look inward to what is arguably the most important undergarment a woman can own---the brassier.  

For this post, I'll be reviewing three websites that claim to specialize in ladies undies and give you the low down on all three plus an unboxing video at the end.

Victoria's Secret:

Perhaps the most well known of all bra shops, VS has touted itself as a carrier of top of line bras and a creator of erotic moments.  My rating?  3 out of 5.  Why?

Pros:  

• VS carries some quality goods and I know that anything I buy from them will last for a long time.
• They have staff on site to assist in helping you find the right size bra.
• Their Online Site allows you to narrow your search by size, color, lining and push-up.
• The selection available as far as styles and fabrics is wonderful.

Cons: 

• The hefty price tag on nearly everything---$5 per pair of underwear?  You know it's just cotton, right?!
• The limited sizing options.  After I had my second child and my baby days were a thing of the past, I went from a 34DD to....?  significantly smaller.  I went to good old VS and used their sizing method which put me in a 32C.  I trusted them and ordered several pricey bras according to their recommendation.  The trouble was, nothing fit, and the reason it didn't fit is because I didn't actually wear a 32C, that was just the closest size VS carried.  And then....
• You have to pay for returns.  It was their fault that I was sized incorrectly, but they expected me to pay for the return.  That was the end of our relationship.

Linda The Bra Lady:

After the VS kerfuffel, I went to Lindathebralady.com to correctly find my size and how did I fare? 4.5 out of 5

Pros: 

• This site offers precise and accurate ways of determining your measurements.
• They carry pretty much any size or style (maternity, sports, special occasion) you could ever need.
• Because they specialize in bra fittings, most things are returnable or exchangeable for free within 30 days.
• They have Bra School in which you learn to correctly size yourself.
• Any questions about sizing can be answered by their knowledgeable staff.

Cons:

• The prices can run pretty high.  If you thought VS got spendy, they got nothing on these bras.  The average cost of many is $70-$90.  
• The search fields don't include push-up or padding level, so it can take some digging to find the style you need.

Adoreme.com:

I admit to seeing this site on a commercial and at the time I really needed a new bra, so I gave it a try.  I'll give this site 3.5 out of 5.

Pros:

• They offer a huge variety of sizes
• This site probably has the most specific search fields and includes push-up and padding level to narrow the search.
• Your initial offer if you join their club is about $25 per bra with free shipping.  After 5 bras, your 6th is free.
• Matching undies come with each bra and there's an option to buy additional undies.

Cons:

• You have to join their club to get those initial savings and then continue to go back to the site each month to "skip" or you'll be billed $39.95 to be used as a store credit each time you don't skip.
• You'll never really get prices as low as you did that first time.  After that, everything went up to $40 and stayed there.
• Who needs to buy bras more than once a year?  Not many people and definitely not me.
• The bras didn't fit.  I ordered my size established size, 30D, Linda said so and Wacoal confirmed it, but they were all a cup size too big and the straps were too long.  I ended up having to take the straps up by an inch on all of them. 
• The quality is hit or miss.  Two of my bras, apart from the size and strap issues lasted very well, while one of them began to pill almost immediately.

Finding your bra size:

You know what, I had a whole explanation typed out on how to calcuate this, but it's way easier to just let Linda Calculate it for you.