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Table of Contents

1 - Introduction
2 - Table of Contents
3 - Facts About Underwear and Sagging!
4 - All About Chino
5 - Bra Info
6 - Underwear/Panties Info
7 - THE DREADED GIRGLE OF DOOM (read: Why you should wear a girdle even if you aren't a grandma)
8 - Q&A

All About Chino:


Figure I should add in some info about me and my quest for awesome underwear. (tl;dr for most of you I bet)


I didn't start wearing a bra until 8th or 9th grade, when my father refused to let me out of the house in a white shirt without a bra one underneath. My first fitting was HORRIBLE. We went to a Sears department store and asked the little old lady in the underwear department to measure me and find my size. She had no clue, struggled with math for a good 15 minutes, and proudly announced me a small in the girls training bra sizes.. Bought a bunch of bras and took them home without trying them on. Ended up not a single one fit. The bands were so tight I couldn't breathe, and the cups didn't fit at all. After that, I knew I had to try them on but still wasn't sure what I was looking for.

Spent all of high school and most of college in 34Bs from department stores or Victoria's Secret. VS was way too expensive so I hardly had anything from there, and mainly went browsing for cute bras with a friend. Never bothered to get refitted very often unless a fitter offered. Every single time, without fail, 5 inches was added to my underbust measurement to put me at a 34 or 36.

Eventually my left breast grew so it was at least a cup size, if not more, bigger than my left. This made it almost impossible to find bras that fit. It skewed measurements, so VS fitters would tell me I was a 34B and then would be confused as to why my left breast was spilling out of the cup.

I found out through reading the webcomic Wapsi Square that there was an LJ community dedicated to helping women find bras, specifically for those with small bands and large cups. I started searching through their resources, found a few new ways to measure and ended up following a suggestion to go to Nordstrom's to get fitted. Got measured as a 32DD and had the nicest fitter EVER scourge the sales floor for every single bra available in that size. We ended with just one that fit my larger breast and didn't wrinkle up around my smaller one. It was a $120 bra, but so worth it. Six months later I went back, got refitted by the same fitter, and ended up with two $120 bras that were on sale for buy one get one free. Mother bought them as a graduation present.

Fast forward a few months to when I'm in Japan. Struggling to find bras to replace my quickly stretching out expensive bras, a girl on the LJ community who had lived in Japan suggested some stores called Amo's Style and Peach John. Found branches of both nearby and gladly bought some bras that I thought fit my left breast, but ended up growing out of quickly. Luckily, bras in Japan were cheaper so I could routinely buy new ones. Ended up keeping the included pads for ones that I grew out of to shove into the right cup of my new bras. I also tried other stores, such as Fran and aimerStyle.

July 2009 a student/friend told me about the bra store she goes to and offered to take me in for a fitting. The day I went I was wearing a 65I (30G in US sizes) from Fran. It fit my left breast perfectly, but I needed 5 pads in the right cup to compensate for my right. The fitters at Maruko were shocked, to say the least. However, for the first time ever I was fitted into underwear that didn't stress my shoulders or back, and actually made my 1+cup-size-different breasts look even without the use of pads. I also learned that my stuffing 5 pads into my right cup was actually causing me to make my right breast smaller rather than compensating for the size difference. The pads were gradually pushing the breast tissue out onto my back, which is why I'd occasionally find myself having to increase the number of pads I needed.

7 months after purchasing my first underwear from Maruko, my bust has evened itself out a bit. When I wear that 65I now, I no longer need to pad the right cup. I no longer get any back pain or hunch over due to my breasts. They even look smaller and more in proportion to my body now that they are in the correct size, and in a bra that helps shape them to decrease sag.

I'll never go back to Victoria's Secret again.

Underwear/Panties Info


Stuff about underwear and panties you should know

Q&A
Where I answer your questions to the best of my abilities.


How small-chested are we talking about? While small-chested women do have less to worry about when it comes to sagging and all, you still have to worry about the possibilities of the tendons and muscle keeping your breasts taut getting stretched out if you do any strenuous activity without a bra on. If you don't plan on jogging, running track, doing sports in general, taking stairs two at a time, etc., you shouldn't show that much sag, though you will still sag over time. It just won't be as obvious as someone with larger breasts. Also, keep in mind that you may have run-away boob fat/muscle hiding on your back/upper arms/ribcage from wearing the wrong size/style of bra, so you may potentially have larger breasts than you realize.



Unless they aren't low-ride boy shorts and actually cover the WHOLE a**, they will be trouble of a woman's body. The elastic in the waist will cut into the lower abdomen, causing the fat/muscle/internal organs (baby makers!) to slowly get pushed out of the way of the elastic, creating the stereotypical bulge older ladies have. You know how your grandmother's waistband looks really tight but her stomach below and above the waistband kinda sticks out? That's caused by the elastic waistband on underwear. The lack of length on the legs (i.e. shows the buttcheek a bit) will let butt-flab slowly sag down the leg, creating thunder-thighs.



Most bras are handwash-only. This is to keep the fabric from being worn out from the spin cycle of a washing machine, and to keep the underwires from getting bent as well. Usually what I do is fill the sink with warm water (never hot) and a handwash detergent, swish them around in there for a few minutes, then let them soak for 15-20 minutes. Once they've soaked, I rinse them up and hang dry. If you can, when you buy bras get the store to give you the hangers they're on. The hangers will not only give you a way to hang dry them if you don't have a drying rack, but will also give you a way to store them. The best way to dry them is to dry flat on a drying rack. If you do not have one, a towel will do, but if you have pets or smaller siblings who will disturb your bras, you're kinda forced to hang them dry. Best way to hang-dry is to drape them over the crossbar so the straps and band hang down. If you have a skirt hanger, you can clip the underband in. But yes, hanging them by the straps will stretch out the straps, but if you are wearing a properly sized bra, a bit of stretch in the bands shouldn't be too much of a problem since all the support should come from the underband and not the straps. (added text is bold)
Many people do fold their bras one-cup-into-cup and stick them in a drawer, but this isn't really the best thing to do. Depends really on the type of bra. No-wire, non-molded cups: Fold away. Not gonna hurt more than making the band stretch out slightly faster. Underwire, molded cup: Best not to fold so you don't risk the underwire popping out of the fabric. If you can, like I said, get the hangers they put them on at the store. If you can't get them, hang your bras over the crossbar on a regular wire hanger, or put them on hangers that have little indentations so straps don't fall off the hanger.



You're gonna hate me for saying this but, stop wearing low-riding underwear and underwear that has elastic waistbands. The indentation in your abdomen is caused by the elastic pushing in and spreading your tissue around, and low-riding underwear doesn't give it any support. I'll get into more detail about how most "sexy" underwear treats our bodies like a 2-dimensional object later in the underwear section, but long story short: most underwear is designed just to cover and doesn't concern itself with forming to your body, which ends up pushing fat up onto your stomach from the waist and letting but fat fall to your legs.
Basically, best underwear to help shape that lump of granny fat is to wear form-fitting "granny panties". I'll get into basic body massages that'll help you put the flab back where it should be in your a** and boobs later. biggrin



It's pretty much personal preference, but I'd say at least when you are out in public or doing any sort of strenuous activity around the house (running around, playing with a dog, cleaning, exercising, etc). Most of the fitters at the bra store I go to here have told me they prefer to sit around with no bras on their days off. Hell, I've spent whole weekends with no bra on. There are actually some people who swear up and down that no bra is actually better than wearing one.
I don't recommend sleeping in a bra because it's just uncomfortable to me. Unless you sleep standing up, gravity won't be pulling your boobs down any, so you really have no need to support them.


Hmm. That may be something you want to discuss with your doctor. I have heard of people wearing a slightly loose no-wire bra or sports bra to bed to help with it. I've also heard that reducing how much caffeine you drink helps. But like I said, I'd talk to a doctor about it.


There are various different methods on the internets, but most of them tell you to add 4-5 inches to your underbust measurement. NEVER EVER DO THAT. Best way is to have someone help you so you can make sure the tape measure is the same level all the way around.
Never measure over a bra you're wearing (Victoria's Secret and more places are notorious for this). It just adds needless inches to your underbust and puts you into a less supportive bra.
Measuring in the nude is the best way to get accurate underbust measurements. Top bust is a bit of give and take, especially if you have any sag or a size difference between breasts.
My tips are:

• Measure in the nude
  
• Don't add any inches to your underbust other than rounding up to the nearest even number (31 -> 32)
  
• If you measure at a 34B, grab not only a 34B, but also a 34C, 32C and a 32D. At least. If you have sag or a size difference, it will skew your measurements and you might actually need a bigger cupsize, and you might find that a tighter band is more comfortable and supportive than what you measure at.
  
• If you have a size difference, always shop for the larger breast. Never good to squish a larger breast into a smaller cup because that causes your breasts to migrate under your arms and onto your back.

If they're loose and the underwear band doesn't leave marks on your own, you should be fine. Just make sure you buy new ones if the band starts getting tight and leaving marks.

If you get correctly fitting bras, it will help prevent more boob fat from escaping to where it shouldn't be. To completely fix it, you'll have to massage the boob fat back into your boobs every time you put on a bra. I should hold a special Skype or Stickam video lesson for you guys on how to do this. Passworded so no guys can come in. ninja


No need to wear a bra all the time. What you need is a well-fitting full-cup bra, and a well-made 3/4-cup or demi bra. Properly made full-cup bras are designed to shape your breasts to make them rounder and fuller, as well as keep them from going under your arms. Well-made 3/4-cup or demi bras are designed to give you lift and cleavage from lifting from the bottom and sides to center them.

Points for picking out good full-cup:
- Make sure that the fabric at where the cup and band meet on the sides cups your underarm so boob fat doesn't escape, but isn't so tight that it pushes fat out of the way
- When you choose a bra, hook the hooks, then hold it out straight in front of you so the band go straight across the back. If the bra is designed with the back of the band curved higher than the bottom of the cups in front, this will not give you the support needed and will cause your breasts to fall forward and migrate more.
- Have at least 3 hooks if you can find them. You can settle for 2, but NEVER settle for 1.

Points for picking out a good 3/4-cup or demi:
- Unhook the bra and lay it flat with the cups up. If the band naturally lays like an upside-down V, that means the cups will squeeze together from the bottom and sides to create cleavage without needing padding. If it doesn't, keep looking. However, these bras seem to be hard to find as most push-up bras do the pushing up via pads which are more harm than help.
- When you choose a bra, hook the hooks, then hold it out straight in front of you so the band go straight across the back. If the bra is designed with the back of the band curved higher than the bottom of the cups in front, this will not give you the support needed and will cause your breasts to fall forward and migrate more.
- Have at least 3 hooks if you can find them. You can settle for 2, but NEVER settle for 1.

When you put on a bra, settle your breasts in the cups, then reach around under your bra strap and massage any flab that has escaped back into each breast, shaping as you situate the escaped flab back into each breast. Hell, do this every time you go to the bathroom. The more often you do this, the quicker you'll get your breasts shaped.

You might not see results right away, but keep it up and you'll slowly see an increase in roundness and shape.

Okay, after a bunch of asking around at Maruko, the answer I've gotten is either the bras you're wearing aren't designed to keep that skin/flab in, which is why it's probably popping out, or the cups are too small and are pushing the boob up and out. The side of the bra should sit directly under your armpit, and the top corner of the cup where it meets the strap should gently curve around your armpit in over your arm so there is no gap for boob to escape (I'll post pictures of what I'm talking about later). However, that might be hard to find without resorting to "grandma bras". I'd try moving up to a 30DD if you can find it. If the band on your current bra is comfortable, just try raising the cup size without lowering the band size. Moving to a 28DD isn't going to help as the cups on a 28DD are the same as a 30D's cups. You could try a 28DDD if you want to go down a band size, too.

It could either several things:
1) Band size is too big, so wearing it on the tightest band is actually squeezing you more than a proper band would, causing the flab/muscle around your boobs to be pushed up and out.
2) Cups are too small and are pushing your boobs up and out of the tops of the cups, and out underneath your arms.
3) The cut of the bra. Depending on the current shape of your boobs, it just might be that while the style "fits" numerically, it doesn't fit your boobs' natural shape.
I'd request pictures for a better understanding of what the problem actually is, but I'm afraid that would be creepy. :/


I haven't added a link or anything, but my own hints back on page one. Basically, I have yet to find a site with good instructions on how to measure since 98% of all sites tell you to add 4-5 inches to your underbust measurement and THAT'S JUST POINTLESS AND WRONG AND MAKES YOU WEAR THE WRONG SIZE.


Basically, a good way to measure is to:
1) measure under your boobs while naked since measuring over a bra adds to your total underbust measurement and you don't want that. This is your band size.
2) measure around the fullest part of your boobs. If you have sag or unevenness, put on a bra for this step to help get a more accurate measurement. Subtract the band size from step 1 from this measurement. The result is how many inches of boob you have, and each inch is a cup size. So if you have 1in of difference, you're an A for that band size. If you have 5 inches of difference you're an DD/E (depending on maker) for that band size.
3) When you go to try on bras, pick out not only the size you measured, but a cup size smaller and bigger on that band size, then sister sizes for a size smaller band and a size larger band.
i.e. If you measure at a 36D what you should bring in the changing room with you is: a 36D, a 36C, a 36DD, a 34DD/E, a 34D, a 34DDD/F, a 38C, a 38B and a 38D.


Welcome to one of the worst things about pregnancy before the pain of pushing the thing out: What to do about bras.
On the LJ community I'm in about bras, this is one of the most posted subjects. Your boobs could grow up to 2-3 sizes bigger than they were before you got pregnant, and it's hard to tell how big and when your boobs will grow.
Since I have no personal experience, I would suggest taking your own advice and getting fitted at a maternity store. I'd also suggest asking them for advice on what to do about the constant growing since you don't want to buy a whole bunch of bras now, only to find you've outgrown them by the end of next week. They'd be able to help you with that more than I can, but tell me what they said so I can pass it on. biggrin

How dangerous is it for a small-chested woman to not wear a bra? I injured my sternum almost two weeks ago and I still cannot wear a bra. But I've decided not to go back to wearing them when my injury heals. Is that a bad idea?

You should throw some Japan and cats into two of the emptier posts.

I immediately got up to check my a** in the mirror.