Freya Taylor and Bra Alterations

A bra I have had for quite a while is the Freya Taylor. Now, the smallest size the boutique had was a 30 band, so, being a little less savvy, I bought the bra in a 30DD (I was a cup size or two smaller then anyway). Anyway, as Freya bands are wont to do, the band stretched. So the Taylor went from being a size too big, on the stretchier side of a 30 band, to stretching to the large size of 33 inches, or a large 32 band. Despite the cleavage which Deco bras, and Deco variations (like the Taylor) are known for, the band made the whole thing too uncomfortable to wear, ie; I had to tighten the straps until they were painful to get proper 'butt-crack' cleavage, and the band was in my armpits.

Nevertheless, the bra is gorgeous! the colour is unlikely, black, caramel and brown, but surprisingly looks lovely together, expensive, luxurious and harmonious. The subtle stripes, and sheer fabric overlay on the cups, the velvet trim on the top of the cups and the adorable little mesh bows all contribute to making it look so pretty, expensive and retro. On the note of expensive, that bra cost me $90. Bra shopping locally, I guess.

I decided to salvage my poor, abandoned Taylor from the fate of my bottom drawer of uncomfortable lingerie, and took it to my Grandmas to use her sewing machine. It WOULD have taken 5 minutes, only the machine caught some cotton, and my grandmother and I spent half an hour fixing it, whereupon, as is her want, she just did the alteration for me. Basically, she took in two centimeters off each side of the bra, and then sewed the surplus fabric down. SO now the band measures only 29" stretched.

I cannot emphasize how comfortable it is now. I can hardly feel the bra on me all day, and my my tits looks smashing (did I just say that?). However, the bottom of the left seam sometimes digs into my bony rib cage. But whatever, now that the bra is wearable again, I can focus on the fit of the cups and straps. Predictably, by narrowing the band, the straps are a little too wide, and sometimes fall off my left shoulder, which, to be fair, happens with every bra on me. The wires are quite narrow, and I do have some side-boob, but I am still adequately fitting the sister size of a 28E. So saying, I might, in an alternate universe where I have enough money to buy more bras, try a 28F, or 26FF if it existed. Also, the cups come nowhere near my armpits, which is a blessing for my high-set breasts.

Here is the Taylor on me

In summary, I LOVE this bra, and highly recommend it, though maybe (if you are planning on wearing it for ages, and thus stretch the band) size down in the band and cup. You can buy it here: http://www.figleaves.com/uk/product/fra-aa4971/taylor-underwired-moulded-plunge-bra/

Xoxoxoxo,

Princess

Freya Just Flew In Longline and changing sizes

Note: Blogger is messing up, and not letting me upload photos from my computer. When this fixes I will add my own photos. Until then things are going to be pretty text heavy.

Oh My God. Midyears have finished, the semester is over, mid year sales are on! I have bought SO MUCH STUFF! I have shopped so much that it makes me ashamed to admit how much. I am consequently poorer than ever, but ho hum. This post has been opened as such, because it is about my new Freya Longline, and my expanding boobs, my worst fears confirmed at Myer CBD, a main department store in the city, where I have spent too much time.

Caitlin Moran, British Feminist, says that boobs are a horribly inadequate word. Its true. Boobs, it sounds all comic and stupid, like they need a saxophone accompaniment, or to be attached to a comic, bouncing blond cartoon character. The imagery in Caitlin's own-I take no credit-from her book, How To Be a Woman. Breasts are too clinical, maybe for a staid politician, somewhere where cancer is found. Bust is euphemistic, and also sounds like 'break'. I just busted your stereo! Caitlin prefers tits, but I feel uncouth saying that. We shall see. Maybe I will just write 'mammary appendages', but I think that that would confuse even me. Tits/boobs/breasts/rack/whatever the subject of my writings shall be called aside, I digress.

Right, the Longline. There are a million reviews out there on the net of this bra, given that it was Freya's first 28 back longline bra, and longlines are hard to find a the best of times, especially for a D+ market. Longlines seem more supportive, firm and stable, given that wide band, and shake up ones bra-wardrobe. I would have loved the Just Flew In. There were SO many things right with it:

First, the colour is nice. I am obsessed with purple. It looks great on my skintone, and is FINALLY age appropriate for me among Freya bras, which I can find a little too serious and, well, old. Not too old, just sort of wise, and a little toned down. I also like the lace on the top of the cups. It isn't tight, and doesn't make the cup dig more than it already does on me, which is a sizing fault, not the bra's fault.
The band stretches to 28.5", which is very reasonable for it's size, but like some other Freya bras, it may stretch out more in time.
The band was really supportive, not too tight, maybe like a pair of jeans, and I could not feel the bra at all the whole day, except maybe I was aware of the gore sometimes.

And now for the bad. Obviously only having two rows of hooks, meaning it will become too big and thus obsolete too quickly. Also, the band at the front crinkled up, and probably needs some boning.
The cups also seemed very low, and like thew projected outward to the apext of my bust, but didnt then curve upward a little to contain it. See here the comparison of the Just Flew In's cups with the cups of the Freya Taylor, in 30DD, which have the same size.

The rest of the bad is my fault. Most of my bras are 30DD/Es, and the two bras I have previously ordered in a 28 both didn't fit, each for their own reasons. I had tried on the longline in person a few months ago in 30E, which was too big in the cup and the band, and so ordered 28E.

Either I grew a whole cup size since then, or a tighter band simply pulls the cup closer to my body. Whatever it is, the cup was waaaaay too small. Before swooping and scooping, my nipples are covered, and I have a fairly normal shape, with semi-subtle cleavage.

 However, I have side boob, and the wire is on my breast tissue. After swooping and scooping I had quadraboobing. My nipple was barely covered. I had cleavage that made me gasp. I'm a sucker, and its for the cleavage, beauty of the the design, and hope that my bra size will go down that I am keeping the bra.

Note also the quadraboobing and flattened shape under a t-shirt:

My bra size going down doesn't seem too happening, and this next part will be TMI, so stop reading if you wish. Firstly, I'm quite skinny, and my breasts are very firm, mostly tissue and not fat, so losing weight isn't going to make a difference. Also, that was how the bra fit between periods, when I am at my smallest. At that time, I was filling out my 30Es better that usual, and my 30DDs where looking strained, though of course, because the bands are not tight enough, I didn't get overflowing quadraboob. Now, a little before my period, I am overflowing from the longline like nobodies business, and the thing sometimes doesn't cover my nipples.

I went to Myer in the city, which only carries down to a 30 back, just to try a couple more 30Es and maybe 30Fs to see where my bra size actually is. Surprisingly, the fitter was very competent. Moulded plunge Pleasure state bras in 30E where nixed. They contained all my tissue, and the wires where fine, but gave me a flattened effect because they where being pulled around my narrow rib-cage and distorted. The Babes in the Wood balcony bra, by Freya, in 30F was a little generous, but not big in, the wires. I filled out the bottom of it, but not the top lace, and certainly didn't get cleavage like the model. It was obviously too big, but I wonder if trying a 28FF would pull the cup closer towards me, and would be a better size than a 28F at some times during the month, given just how small the Freya Just Flew In longline is in 28E. I am tring to decide what bras to order online in a 28F, given my expanding tits, but perhaps I will continue to grow further, rendering any new bras in a 28F obsolete. After all, breast growth doesn't cease till your early 20s.

So saying, here are some bras I would love to get:
The Cleo Juna in nude.

Tempt Me by Curvy Kate.

Princess by Curvy Kate, I mean, it is practically named for me!

Zia Spot bra by Cleo.


Xoxoxoxo, Princess