Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Plain, Beige Bra Chronicles: Weird Denouement

OK, just to prolong the (uncalled for) mystery, I'm going to start this post with a sub-story and a proviso.

The proviso is that this tale ends with a Poe-worthy twist (though one that may disappoint you).

The sub-story is that I bought 3 bras on Figleaves, one of which being the Plain, Beige bra that works. Once again I was charged 60 dollars by customs - because Figleaves feels compelled to ship in boxes that catch the eye. I did not receive any meaningful discount on any of these three bras - which cost me, to begin with, $150 CDN. That's on the high-end for online lingerie, that isn't high-end lingerie. By the time all was said and done, I'd paid $210 CDN for 3 bras, 2 of which were horrible (more to come on this) and have since been returned (at the cost of an additional 12 bucks). While I will get $100 refunded for the returned bras, I've basically spent $120 bucks on the world's most basic, beige bra. And, as you'll read momentarily, one which is readily found for 50 bucks online.

The upshot, my friends, is that I am done with Figleaves.

Please do not misunderstand, the company is entirely professional and correct. The client service is excellent. The stock is huge. If I lived in the UK, I'm sure my love would continue. But there is no benefit to me, with my considerable knowledge of online bra-sourcing, to pay top-dollar, shipping and then ridiculous customs. Yeah, I know that Customs finds you on occasion. But my odds with Figleaves (either because they have a lot of profile, or because of the boxes they use to ship) puts me - and I'd hazard to suggest the average Canadian purchaser - at a real disadvantage.

But moving on...

Here's what happened. I looked online and determined that the Fantasie Elodie and Vivienne might be solid options. (In the end, I don't know which of these was less suited to me. Both had textured fabric the likes of which you'd find on a sofa. The seams were outrageous by any standards. The colours were meh. The fit was fine except one of them (can't remember but I think it was the Vivienne) was only nominally supportive. They were both ugly. Interestingly, neither was basic enough that you could pair it with non-matched undies, without it seeming totally unmatched. In no universe would I wear either.)

Anyway, at the same time - for some bizarre reason I cannot explain - I felt compelled to reorder (for the 8000th time since it stopped fitting me) the original perfect plain, beige bra:

Fantasie Smoothing Balconette (Style 4520)
Don't ask me why, you know, during the great, Online Shop Along I ordered it in 4 sizes (none of which fit as I seemed to be distinctly between cup and back sizes at that point). I also felt they'd changed the fabric slightly since the good-old-days, and it wasn't as supportive or slippery. You may recall, at this time, I found that my quite full-on-top boobs had become vaguely less so.

This bra is a challenge for many women because it requires a very specific sort of upper cup fullness (there being no seams though note that the fabric is not self-structured, it is floppy when unworn, like an unlined, seamed bra). Some women also feel that it doesn't provide enough side support.

Mind you, if it fits, it can be perfect because it really does disappear under all clothing and - despite the fact that I am totally unimpressed by the melon-round shape - it gives an awesome spherical look - and superior lift with support.

Well, I went back into my archives and realized that there was one potential size in which I hadn't yet ordered it - increased back size, increased cup size. (Note: While in the fall I was very much between cup sizes, at the moment I'm firmly into the larger of those two. And vis a vis band: While my back size seems to have gone down in many brands and styles, Fantasie definitely being one of them, this bra seems to fit quite firmly in the 32 band.)

People, this new size fit just about perfectly. Admittedly, when one has breasts of slightly different sizes, as most women do, this sort of bra is almost impossible. At least lined, molded bras (which I loathe and wouldn't wear for any reason) provide structure against the smaller breast (so you can't see wrinkling or shrinkage quite as readily under clothing). But it was back to the glory days for me!

If only it hadn't cost me $120 bucks (given that I've usually got it for under $50), it would have been perfect.

Of course, it is particularly anticlimactic to have spent hundreds of dollars sourcing a new, reliable standard only to return to the original but I am EXCEEDINGLY grateful that the original seems back to fitting me. I will admit that, on some level, this disturbs me no end, since I've seen this bra fit and then not fit, and there doesn't appear to be an alternative for me anywhere!?

So there you go. Thoughts or feelings??

20 comments:

  1. YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY! Your long nightmare search is over!!!!! Yes, it's totally absurd that the original bra is the one that fits ,but f*ck it, you've got a beige bra that fits now! Are you ordering more right away?
    Just think of all the mental energy and $$ that you'll have to put towards some other goal now! Hmmm, what will that next elusive goal be... ??? The perfect tshirt knit?

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    1. It is absurd, Gillian. But I'm accepting it. And the perfect T shirt knit is always a worthy goal :-)

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  2. Oh that's so weird. Although, I guess I shouldn't be surprized since I just ordered some of my favorite sports bra in the size I'm still wearing and when they arrived I decided that they didn't fit. BUT at the end of the day, you have a basic beige bra that fits. So, YAY!

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    1. I know. I guess more shocking things have happened. Boobs do change as often as the material they use to construct bras. Still...

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  3. I love love Beige bras! Boring, but so practical. That is my go-to bra. There is a bra making class in San Diego I am thinking of taking, but I'm not quite sure, it's a three hour drive.

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    1. That's a long trip! But it may well be worth it. Keep us posted.

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  4. YAY for fitting bras---however they are achieved. I suppose there is even the possibility of small manufacturing differences that can affect the fit even of different bras the same size, though I would hope at these kind of costs the differences would be minute.

    I need to suck it up and get a beige bra... /sigh.

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    1. It really is tough to get up the interest, I agree. But it's a worthy goal!

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  5. Happiness! It seems like a good idea to buy several of them now if you can't rely on the fit being stable over time.

    What was the Poe-worthy twist?

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    1. It was the crazy fit/no fit thing! (I guess I found it more creepy and bizarre than others :-)) And I def should buy a few.

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  6. Oh, wow... not what I would have expected. Glad you got things solved.

    What are your go-to sources for how specific bras fit? I am about to start the ordering/returning process myself.

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    1. Butterfly Collection blog has some awesome posts on fit (and they do Skype fittings). Bratabase and Reddit's A Bra That Fits sub-reditt can also be very useful.

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  7. OMG what a saga. I still don't understand why it'w working for you now. Has your body completely recovered from the months of illness? Would this current, fitting size have worked before pertussis and other assorted ailments? WHAT IS GOING ON?

    I actually have this bra. Inspired to try it by your original glowing praise of it, I decided to try it in a 30F. Like so many Fantasie full cups, it seems a bit too tall for my petite frame. It fits well enough, though, especially with a Braologie Mini Vest, to fulfill a specific function. I'm considering ordering a nude-for-me Fantasie Rebecca Spacer Foam Bra, for the same seamless reasons I bought the 4520. The spacer foam is a little more forgiving than the 4520's thin, floppy fabric. But the cups--half my torso is bra when I wear Fantasie.

    I think additional analysis is called for. Would you consider comparing a Fantasie Rebecca with the 4520? I know you hate molding or padding, but--for science? :)

    Anyway, I live in the U.S. As an avid reader, I would be happy to act as receiver for your figleaves orders and send them on to you, as payment for your excellent, prolific blogging. Let me know, and I can email you directly to set it up. My only request is you review what you receive.

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    1. I don't know what's going on but it's making me insane! :-) Those Braologie vests are so intriguing. I take it you enjoy the smoothing element? I don't know if the Rebecca will work given that all the Fantasies seem to run tall in the wires. Butterfly Collection just wrote a terrific blog post on wire length. Check it out for info that might help you.

      I would consider trying the Rebecca - for science as you suggest :-) Let me see if I can find it in a store in town, just to try.

      You are so sweet to offer to send me the Figleaves orders - so tremendously thoughtful! I am fortunate to have family in the US so sometimes I call on them to assist in this fashion. Of course, I will keep reviewing!

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  8. Well, shit. I'm glad you've got what you needed, despite the epic saga!

    And you've now made me think I should try that bra too. I loooove my Gossard Glossies (quite a similar style), but Fantasie bras often fit me well too. The basic boring beige is perfect for workwear.

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    1. I still want to try that bra but I've heard it runs shallow (though I know you have had a different experience of it). I keep putting it in the cart and then removing it. I should bite the bullet and get it on eBay!

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  9. I was having a conversation with a friend at the weekend about the charges levied when you ship stuff into the country (in this case yarn). The good old British postal service levies a charge on top of the import taxes. So your tax might be £1 but regardless you'll also be hit with a "handling charge" of at least £8. It does impact on global shopping because when you include the shipping charges you often end up doubling or trebling the cost of the original item. Crazy making!
    Now, I'll get off my soap box and do a happy dance that finally, if in the most annoying way possible, the beige bra saga has been resolved. Hurrah!

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    1. Oh, handling charges! I hate them!! And yet, I can understand that, in certain instances, a small handling subcharge is warranted. Like when you order fabric or bra supplies and there's lots of bits to cut and package separately.

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  10. Good for you! I've been trying to solve my "beige bra" needs with pale peachy lace bras, because nearly all the beige bras in my size are push-ups. I'm curious how your particular bra works... is the fabric molded to shape or is there a bit of stretch?

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    1. I love peachy beige! There's really no stretch to the molded fabric. It flops though. I've never actually seen another bra that fits the description. It's like a seamed bra in most every way, except there are no seams.

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