No, I won't subject you to photos of my latest purchases!

But I hope you will indulge me in a grumble.

I have been having a lot of trouble finding bras that fit. And since Angie posted this week about breast size and our perceptions of it, it seems like the right time to get this off my (little) chest.

I HATE BRA SHOPPING!!!

Although I have always been on the smaller side of the spectrum, I've never minded my breast size or shape. Until recently, that is. Since my weight loss I have entered the hard-to-fit category, and bra shopping has become like jeans shopping used to be for me when I was a teen. I end up feeling downright weird about my body.

My best fitting bras are Chantelle, Lejaby, and Princess Tam Tam. I was fitted for these in a local boutique. They aren't perfect; I really need a smaller band size and correspondingly larger cup size. But that was not available, and of the options I could find, these were definitely the best. And they are nice looking, too.

However, they are almost two years old and have been worn constantly so they need to be replaced. This bra boutique, however, no longer carries these brands in smaller sizes. In fact, they no longer carry ANY smaller sizes. They did say they had a Belgian line of bras that they liked. They told me they had ordered some in and would call me when these arrived, but they never did. When I went to inquire they said they'd had so many problems with the shipping that unless I could commit in advance to buying, they would not order them in. But how can I commit to buying if I have never tried on this brand and have no idea about the fit?

Next I went to the competing store where the SA assured me she had tons of bras in my size range. I got undressed and stood shivering in the change room while she rummaged in drawers and in the back room. Over the course of 40 wasted (and freezing) minutes, she brought me only 3 bras, two of them not even remotely in my size!!

I went to the Bay to see what was there. Nada. Well...if I want a stretchy non-bra bra, I can get one of those. And I suppose at my size I can "get away" with that. But it's not ideal.

So I ordered some bras online. I thought I was safe in ordering the same make and model and size of one of my Chantelle bras. At least it should fit as well as the one I have. And I took a risk on another bra that was advertised as being fabulous for breasts shaped like mine and that had great reviews on Nordstrom's site.

Well...first of all, the bras never arrived where they were supposed to have been delivered (in the U.S. when my husband was down there.) Then there was a long drawn out business with customer service; finally they agreed to ship the bras to Canada. I was upset about that because I would incur duty costs, but at that point I wanted my bras so badly I was willing to pay the extra. But they didn't arrive and didn't arrive and finally I went away for the better part of the month, wearing my old frayed and worn out bras. (Cue the violins, please!)

The good news: I came home to my little package. And wonder of wonders, there were no duty fees. (It is impossible to understand the machinations of Canada Customs. I cannot even begin to figure those people out.)

The bad news: Without informing me in advance, the online store sent a substitute bra for the Chantelle bra I had ordered. It is a Wacoal for petites bra...and it doesn't fit me properly. The cups are not large enough so the band doesn't sit flush and I have cup spillage. It's not obscene; they almost work. In a way, this is worse, because it suggests to me that a cup size up would be erring in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the Natori bra is similar. It does at least sit flush at the chest bone but the cups are not really adequate and there is a hint of the dread "double boob" which on somebody as tiny as I am is kind of funny!

I know I could send these back, but quite honestly at this point I am so frustrated and so in need of bras that I am more or less willing to wear the darn things. Imperfect they may be, but they will do for a few months. I won't be wearing any T shirts with them.

My ribcage measures 28 or 29. I end up in 32 band size bras. I would love to find a 30. But my combination of cup and band size is virtually impossible to locate. I think I need a 30 B, although if these current bras are any indication, perhaps in some brands I would be a C (which could be easier to locate.)

Do you know of any online retailers with a good selection of small (but not petite) sizes? My other option is calling a boutique in Toronto or Ottawa in advance and seeing what they have for stock and booking an appointment, something I would be willing to do but need advance planning to make a reality.