Now, you may not have all the cash in the world, or you may not have any space in your life for more pretty smalls, in which case it's time to cull the shopping bag.
In the event that there's nothing in your faves that even vaguely fits your budget, your job is to find something that approximates your desired object. If you want this Agent Provocateur, maybe this Passionata will fill the same niche. There's not a massive difference in price between these bras. I mean, neither is cheap, but you might find the Passionata on sale for a very good price. Regularly well-priced online brands include Cleo, Curvy Kate, Gossard, Midnight Grace, Lepel, Figleaves brand and, by degrees, just about anything on sale.
Before closing the deal, I urge you to check out reader reviews associated with the online item. Or to search out additional reviews on lingerie blogs. These reviews may show you real people wearing the bras (those whose shapes you can relate to) who speak insightfully and honestly about the fit and quality of the bra in question. Bratabase might also be of interest to you. I can't really get into the site (it's a database in the midst of being populated) but some people swear by it.
Hopefully, your needs will align with your budget for this exercise, at which point you might want to see if you can save a little extra, just cuz.
And to assist you with this, I'm thrilled to say that the good peeps at LCL (Large Cup Lingerie) have offered to provide my fabulous readers with an additional 20% off all merchandise between now and Oct. 31! Just type KLINE into the discount code field. This is super useful because - between the free shipping you always receive from LCL, and this extra 20% discount - you're going to be able to save some serious cash! (FYI, LCL sells bras starting at a 28D and going up to 38HH / 40G. That's a pretty sizable span.)
For example:
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| Freya Lacey |
Or how about this awesome, sassy (but also daily wearable) bra:
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| Miss Mandalay Paris Moulin |
This brings me to my next point: I never buy online without seeking out a promo code, just like the one above. I use a variety of search terms i.e. promo code (insert name of shop), and I am frequently enough rewarded by an exciting discount.
Since I don't need to buy at any given moment, I can afford to wait for a good deal to come my way. And when it does, I POUNCE. Which is just what I did a few days ago. Wish I'd waited for this sale, in truth :-)
In closing, I speak to so many women who tell me how they'd be buying fabulous, perfectly-fitted bras like hot cakes, if only they weren't so pricey. I truly hope these women will avail themselves of this opportunity. And then comment or write about it!!
Next up: The gory details of my own online shopping trip.
How's the online shopping experience working out for you so far? Will you or have you availed yourself of the LCL discount? Let's talk!
Posts
Okay, I don't feel so bad for missing the code. I liked a lot of LCL bras (which btw, amuses me because LCL means Loblaw Company Ltd in my work) but the assortment in my particular size was not as good as BraStop. It is very cool of them to give you your own promo code.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea of how cool I find it that I've got my own promo code. Seriously, I may have to buy tons of stuff just to have fun punching in that code. If only I had ANY need of more new undies :-)
DeleteI should also say that the new season stuff is coming out shortly and the code lasts till month end. So you may want to go back and look in a couple of weeks. They'll have lots of sizes of the new loot. Not that I'm enabling...
DeleteProbably a good thing we're not going to Vegas this weekend, I'm going to be spending enough in bras.
DeleteI had a moment of panic this afternoon. I got sucked into reading the Butterfly Collection bra and there was one ranting about the overuse of D/DD/DDD/DDDD etc in North American rather than just continuing up the alphabet. It had me worried for a minute that when I orded a DD I was really getting a D which I know would have spillage having gone down a band size (I liked the tighter band on the one I made). But all seems well. I mean, I'm open to exchange/return as I bought from 4 different makers in 3 sizes, they won't all be perfect, but I'd like to think I ordered what I had in mind.
And Samantha is very pretty, I did have a look.
Seriously, you can pretend you're in Vegas with all the new bras :-) I'm the first one to admit that a) I really do need a new strapless - one that actually works and b) I'm somehow resisting because it's not everyday wear. But I'm going to need that bra sooner or later. So I should jump while the sizes are still available.
Deleteyou are sooooo enabling. I love it. Thanks for the great series of posts the last couple of days.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn: I'd say sorry for enabling (but I wouldn't mean it) :-) So glad you're enjoying the series. It's a topic close to my heart!
DeleteMy daughter is a 32D, good to know aobut LCL thank you!
ReplyDeleteHappy to help! I bet she can find a couple of really nice options to suit her shape - and save money in the process. 32D seems to be a really hard size to find anywhere.
Deleteoh gosh. all this info is worth gold (and that discount is not too bad either). bras and bra sizes have become a bit of an obsession since i discovered (thanks to reading your blog, i've been a stalker for a while) that i have been wearing the wrong size for a very long time. so now that i've bought a bra that fits me, well, i have only one bra that fits me. so i am sooo thankfull for you shop-along! i'm sorry i havent have the time to play along, but i've been reading everything with interest! i'm a bit confused with sizes though. the "bra that fits me" is a 70D european size, and i'm clueless about what that translates into UK sizing (i'm dying of envy for a Freya)!? from what i gather from a google search, it would be something like a 32D. the calculator you pointed to makes me a 30F, wich is totally not the same thing! is my "bra that fits me" the wrong size? hmmm can youoffer any help?
ReplyDeleteI believe that 70D is 32D but I have to say that I haven't had much personal experience with Euro bras. Why don't you email me with your measurements and I'll see if I can use that info, along with what you're telling me here, to give you some additional perspective. Note: Obvs, without seeing you, I'll have to work from info to provide an educated estimation.
DeleteWhen you email, let me know if you find the 70 to be very snug and whether the centre gore of that bra fits right against your breastbone.
Here's something I've learned from trying 70s and 75s, as I wear a 32" band. A 70 is usually about half an inch smaller than a 32 band, just because of the differences in metric grading. Likewise, the underwire in a 70D is sometimes narrower than a 32D. If the band doesn't fit her/feels too tight, you may want to also try a 75D or if the underwire too narrow a 70E/DD.
DeleteI agree about the 70 band - which is the size I've made when constructing my own bras. I actually ended up modifying the size to 73cm. Interesting.
DeleteOMG THANK YOU!!! I just bought the red Miss Mandalay bra you featured. I'm having trouble finding my size in this brand, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you for all your lingerie enabling posts and this fabulous discount code! I'll check LCL frequently for the rest of the month, hoping to use your awesome 20% off code again. Unfortunately a huge chunk of their inventory is Freya, whose wires are too narrow for me. But I have hope I'll find another bra I can try out. Since I discovered I was wearing the wrong size this past spring, I've found only three bras that really work for me. And yes, I'm one of those hard to find sizes--28F. In Miss Mandalay, I believe 30F. We'll see! Well, thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI meant I hope in Miss Mandalay I'm a 30E, not 30F. I actually tried the 28F (kept, worn, now discarded), 28FF (returned), and 28G (returned) in the Miss Mandalay Paris bra, all bought on LCL. None worked. I only recently realized the 28F band is unnecessarily painful and the wires too narrow. I came to this realization after seeing almost no underarm bulging in Bravissimo's 28F unpadded half cups and the Freya Active unpadded underwired sports bra in 28F. (My sweeping generalization, in my comment above, about Freya's wires being too narrow for me, neglected this one well-fitting Freya bra.) So I'm especially grateful to have had your code to try the Miss Mandalay Paris one more time. Return shipping to the U.K. is not cheap, no matter how you send it. I'll be passing along your code to my friends!
ReplyDeleteThrilled you can give this one another go. BTW, not all Freyas fit the same (as you can see with the sports bra) so if you feel inclined, maybe give it another go with that brand. You know Freya bands used to fit looser than some others (though they've started to tighten them up based on customer feedback) so maybe you could fool around with sizing till you find something that works. Or not. It's not your job to love every brand. :-) I'm just so partial to the beautiful patterns and colours available...
DeleteOkay, you and your promo code + free shipping just convinced me to give online shopping another go. Only because I feel I owe it to myself to try out Freya.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how to pick my size so I went with the Butterfly Collection calculator's suggestion - 32FF (because it said that was my best fit for a comfy band, and that it was the equivalent of a North American 32G.) But in truth I'm so picky that I'm mentally preparing for a return. Here's hoping I'll be pleasantly surprised!
Question: I think in an earlier post you mentioned being able to return-ship for something like $8. Can I ask what shipping method you use and how you package your returns? The biggest turn-off for me with my recent online bra shopping was the returns... I couldn't do it for less than $20-$30 either to the UK or the states. (I was returning in the box that was shipped to me. Do you downgrade to a bubble envelope?)
Katy: The pressure's on! :-) Seriously, I SO hope you enjoy this experience and that you have better luck than last time. That Butterfly calculator is eerily accurate. Never seen that in an online calculator before.
DeleteWhat I do is go to the post office, get one of those bubble envelopes for 1.75(ish) and delicately put the set in the envelope (inside a ziploc bag or the bag the item originally came in, if it's in good shape). Admittedly, I don't generally return more than a couple of bras or sets in one go. If you have to return a large volume, it is going to raise the price. Because LCL ships for free, you can always buy less in one go so that you have fewer items for potential return. That would def save money in that regard. DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN BOXES. That will cost a fortune.
Also: I decided to try the half-cup styles, as the one I could find on a real large-busted person on bratabase looked great. So here's hoping that means I won't feel my usual annoyance at being "sized-up." Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo. Gotta love the modern world. Who could have imagined this 20 years ago.
DeleteBecause of your posts I have gone to a size 38FF. That's a double F. Oh. Em. Gee.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that zillions of people out there should be wearing that same size but because the letters are so freaky (based on how we've been inculturated by media and manufacturers), they force themselves into 38DDs and feel horrible.
DeleteYour breasts are no larger for wearing the right size - any more than they get smaller for wearing the wrong one! :-)
I just can't wait to find out whether the new things fit well and how you love them. Keep us posted PLEASE!
I was wearing a 38F and thought it was big enough. It is, depending on brand. In what I like to wear, I need to go with UK FF sizing.
DeleteMy mind still boggles at this. In any case, thank you and i certainly will!