Ask Aly: Are You a “Lumpy Bumpy?”
Dear Aly,
This is an embarrassing issue, but I have lots of problems finding the correct bra for my shape. What should I do?
Signed,
Lumpy bumpy
Dear Lumpy,
Aren’t you lucky. Lingerie is my obsession!
For many years, I myself was wearing the wrong bra – until I was fitted and realized, not only did it make my breasts look bigger (a fabulous thing when you are an A cup), but it also made my posture improve, and me appear slimmer!
As luck would have it, my BFF is currently an associate at Victoria’s Secret in NYC, and she has learned tons from her time on the floor! Allison says finding the bra that fits is one of the most important things you can do to improve the way you look in your clothes. “The bra shouldn’t gap at the sides, and the cups shouldn’t create a dent in your breast tissue. If you’re having any of these issues, you should reevaluate your size or be measured. A bra that fits well can make you look slimmer and can improve your posture.”
She goes on to say that if your current bra is gapping, you might want to go down a cup size. If it is creating a dent or a lumpy appearance under your clothes, try going up a cup size, and the band should fit comfortably around your body and should not dig in to your skin.
Here’s some more tips to go by:
1 – If your cups are baggy, that’s a sign you are wearing the wrong size. Try going down one cup size. Also, if your cups are creasing around the nipple, try to decrease your band size so that the fabric becomes taut.
2. That said, the opposite problem is just as bad. If your cleavage is spilling out over the tops, your breasts do not look bigger, you just look lumpy. You are probably wearing too small of a cup size, so try going one size up.
3. Your support comes not only from the cups and straps, it comes from the band size. If you are wearing the wrong size, your bra will dig into your flesh and you’ll have those tell-tale marks when you take it off.
4. A great way to test your fit is to stand sideways and look at your profile in the mirror. If your bra band is at the same level all the way around, you are wearing the right size. If it’s riding up, you are wearing the wrong size AND creating the illusion of back fat!
5. Here’s a tip that I love: A great way to see if your bra band is the right fit is if you have just enough space to insert two fingers under the back band, and one under the center front. No more, no less!
6. When you get a new bra, don’t get one that JUST fits, get one that DOES fit. That means being able to close it on the last hook. You may not know this, but a bra band can grow as much as four inches after a series of wash and wear. That means with wear, you will ultimately need to tighten it, so you want one that starts out fitting snug (but comfortably). .
7. Is your underwire flat at the front? The center of the front of the bra should be flat against the breastbone. Otherwise, you may need to try on the next cup size.
8. In a related note, the wire at the side of the bra should also sit firm on the ribcage, but not dig in. (Again, those telltale marks!)
9. Do a test drive – put on a fitted t-shirt. Then, look at yourself from all angles. The idea is to have an uplifted look, but no sagging or bulges.
10. Once you have done your test drive, and walked around in your bra, seeing how it feels and looks, you are ready to go forth and enjoy!
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