BRAS BRAS BRAS

Plumeria

I finally got measured at Nordstrom’s and found out I’m wearing the wrong size?! Now, I feel well supported (DD) and look better in my clothes! So…I bought four new Wacoal Bras in the correct size and will get rid of my old VS ones! (Chantelle didn’t fit me, right)

So, this is what you all have been talking about! All this excitement got me thinking….. How many pairs of bra does the average woman have in rotation? How often do you wear your bra before washing it? I usually wear a bra 2 or 3 times before washing…

17 years ago

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from medusa

Nicole

Veteran

I have a total of 5 daily wear bras (this does not include my excercise bras--of which I own 3). Actually, I now have four because I lost a bra. (how embarrassing!) I think I left it at the Cape Cod house we rented over the summer. I can only imagine what the person who found it must ahve thought...something like "OMG WTH is this MONSTROSITY???"

anyway, I wear my bras 2 times between washings, but I do not wear them 2 days in a row. I wash them by hand in my bathroom sink with hand soap and let them drip dry in my shower.

I'm still struggling with storing my Chantell molded cup bra. It will not fit in a drawer, and it takes up too much room hanging in my closet (I know I sound like a crazy person, but this bra is really really big, even for me). Right now, I hang it by it's strap on a shelf in my closet. But I'd like to find something a more careful of the bras construction.

17 years ago

Ellen

Active Member

I have about 4 main bras in rotation and if it isn't a day I really sweat or anything, I will often re-wear bras four times. I know this can break them down faster, but so can washing and drying. I tend to do smell tests and go by that!

17 years ago

susan

Active Member

I wear my bras 2 times before laundering but not 2 days in a row. I wash mine in laundry bags with cold water and hang to dry. I have 4 in my rotation right now. How long do you wear yours before you pitch them?

17 years ago

Taffy

Active Member

I had to laugh at Nicole's storage solution...mine hang on the door knob of the back side of my closet door!

17 years ago

shiny

Veteran

In my lingerie drawer, I have a zillion bras - mostly VS - and have it on my burgeoning personal to-do list to cull them all out when I do my fall clothing rotation. I will then have just 6 - 5 Chantelle's (3 beige and 2 black) and a 6 one.

I don't remember the name of the 6 one: it fits well but I don't think it's going to hold up as well as the Chantelles... after only a few hand washings, it's starting to look funny...

I re-wear bras many times between washes (probably too much!!!), but always air them out between wears and rotate. I wash when they need it (which isn't really all that often - armpits are well away from the bra). Summer they do get more washing because it's hotter.

Chantelles are expensive but I just can't get away with cheaper brands anymore; my "girls" need more support and structure. So I am hand-washing only. Not even going to attempt to put them in the delicate wash!!!

Nicole: try folding in half, tucking one cup into the other. One cup will be reversed to tuck into the other. But this takes up less space and makes your bras fit nice and neatly into the drawer!

(Unless you have too many... which is why I'm planning a major cull...)

17 years ago

Nicole

Veteran

Shiny, I was afraid that folding one cup inside out would somehow ruin the form the cup that is being folded inside out??

I actually find this bra teh least comfortable, so I wear it the least. I do like that it is so thick, it has great no show coverage. My other bras are all Fantasie of England (same style), and I love them, but the material is VERY thin and it does not take much for a little bit of embarrassing show thru.

17 years ago

Tanya

Veteran

I have 6 bras in the daily rotation ( 4 beige, 2 black) since getting fitted three months ago. I also do similar as mentioned: I wear each twice ( but with at least two days of rest in between) before hand washing them in Woolite and hanging to dry in the shower tub. I still have few VS old ones ( strapless, racerback) that I have not replaced with proper size yet, but those get worn pretty rarely, only when a garment demands them.

I have been folding some of my bras like Shiny suggests and haven't found any problems with that. The one bra that I find annoying to store is a Wacoal Ibra made out of one piece of seamless material ( link below). It has to be stored flat.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....6&P=1

17 years ago

Becky

Veteran

Tanya, I used to wash my bras in Woolite, but when I got fitted at Nordstrom, the woman who fitted me told me not to use Woolite because it breaks down the elastic in the bras. Nordstrom sells a special lingerie wash that is supposed to be gentle on the elastic. I have been using that and it seems to work just as well.

17 years ago

Tanya

Veteran

Thanks for the info Becky! I did not know that. No more Woolite for my bras anymore. I'll use it on my wool stuff only from now on

17 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Hmm... Becky, I must admit I'm skeptical: maybe Nordstrom was trying to sell something extra?

Woolite should be fine, I think. I have never had any issues with it. I use sparingly though, and I would definetly NOT use regular detergent because it can be harsh.

Ultimately, however, even if you never ever wash your bras... or even wear them! .... the elastic eventually breaks down. That's just how elastic is.

Have you ever noticed you can put a pair of elasticized exercise shorts away in storage - not wear it all fall, winter, spring - and when you bring it back out, the elastic is all broken down?

(This happens with running shoes too, incidentally: I learned that the hard way. My favorite make and model was being discont'd so I stocked up .... with enough to last me for years... unfortunately the materials in some of them broke down in them before I ever got to wear them!)

17 years ago

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I only have three daily bras right now. I wash them in the sink with regular laundry soap (enviro friendly, so it's gentle) and store them hanging from a hanger in the closet so they don't get squished.

17 years ago

Lucy10

(website)

Member

I was mine every 2-3 days. And I have around 7.

Am I the only one who likes a bit of color?
All of mine are colorful or patterned or have a bit of lace.
I seem to be the only one.

Am I normal?

16 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Wow, you guys are much nicer to your bras than I am! Right now, I only have 2 1/2 that really fit right, and only one that fits GREAT. So it's in heaviest rotation, most days of the week. I've already gone down 3 sizes in bras, so my collection is very spare. Once I finish losing weight, I'll start investing again in more bras, but I'll probably have no more than 5-6.

i'm also very bad in that I throw mine in the washer with my other delicates, and then I air-dry them hanging evenly from the shoulder straps. For storage, I fold them in half so the molded cups are tucked into each other in the drawer.

16 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I have 4 right now. I can't go more than a day in the same bra, so I do laundry frequently. I wash mine on the gentle cycle and air dry. Woolite is very harsh- feel it in your hand sometime. When I took a fabrics class in college, the teacher recommended using baby shampoo instead of Woolite on natural fibers (silk and wool, etc- which are very close to hair). I just use regular detergent on mine, though. I fold them in a drawer. I've gone down two band sizes and a cup size, and like Kristen I will start investing in better bras again when I reach my weight loss goal.

16 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I must be the only person to lose over 20lbs and go up a cup size (same band size). I was in such disbelief that I went to a different Nordstrom to get resized. I think I need to get refitted because some of bras fit (the Chantelle's) but I have another French brand that doesn't fit as well (the cups pucker).
Can you be different sizes in different brands?

16 years ago

susand

Active Member

OK...what am I missing? Is there a reason to not wash your bras very often? I launder mine after each wearing. I don't have any that are expensive, most are from Target or Walmart, I wear a 34C.

Susan D

16 years ago

medusa

Veteran

susand - I don't think you're missing anything if you have enough bras. I just got fitted and now have 3 that fit properly. I wear them twice or three times before washing (if they're not too smelly) because I'm lazy and don't want to do laundry that often.

I wash them with regular detergent on the gentle cycle and air dry. I hope this won't destroy them....I'm impressed that so many of you hand wash!

16 years ago

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