The Bra Sale: Final Batch and Progress Report

Oh Ehm Gee, people. I suspected that many of you are confirmed bra nuts (crazy for a good deal), but man - you exceeded my suspicions :-) I must say, to all of you who have emailed to inquire about the bra sale (and there are MANY of you), I am so thrilled to have had a chance to chat with you and, in some cases, to match you with your newest bra(s). It's times like these that I'm reminded that community is all about communication - about shared interests and connecting. You are such a delightful group of people and I'm grateful for your readership.

But on to the update portion of the post. Here's what remains to be matched with new homes:

• Cleo Neve - photographed here (15.00, new with tags)

• Freya - Rio (5.00)

• Wacoal - Retro Chic (5.00)

• Empreinte - Lily Rose (Taken)

• Fantasie Bella (Taken)

• Freya Millie (Taken)

• Panache Tango

Most of the bras, shown above, are in different sizes - and many of them were originally listed as free - to be given away with purchase. Alas, a freebie can no longer be parceled with a purchase, cuz the sizes are all over the map. Moreover, every freebie would need to be mailed to a different new owner, what with this utter variety of sizes.

Here's the thing, it appears that - while I'm altruistic enough to give away bras for free - I'm not quite altruistic enough to give away bras for free and go to the post office. What can I say? We all have our limits. Truth is, it takes a lot of time and energy - two things about which I should be discretionary.

So, what I propose to do with the sale, going forward is this:

• The items that are for sale (not free) will continue to be listed, as is. No changes.

• The items originally listed for free (the ones above with no prices) will now be 5 dollars, each, not because I've rescinded my original intent (which was always to parcel with purchase) but because I just cannot get inspired to go to the post office, potentially numerous times, without the motivation of a token payment.

One other thing - the sale will run till this Friday, at which point, anything that hasn't been sold will go in the special bra drawer to resurface during the next sale event. Why not keep it short an sweet, I say!

Till then, if any of the bras above appeal, do drop me a line and we can discuss sizing.

The Bra Sale: Batch 2

Oh, peeps. Where to begin? I have so much to tell you: For starters, I got a new Empreinte today (What, 28 out, one a few in - it works!) Gonna do a post on it asap, but it may take a few days cuz I also want to tell you about muslin 3 of McCall's 6844 and how I'm going to make still more changes (but trust me, it's all good - most fun I've had sewing in ages!) Did I tell you about my idea to post all about the bras I'm keeping - the ones in my current rotation? Turns out everyone wants to hear about that! Then there's uploading all the photos for the Bra Sale. Wow - y'all are a bra-loving bunch. Thanks so much for your excellent questions and emails. I so enjoy "meeting" you.

I know a number of peeps are waiting on pics so here goes (I'm going to be light on text, for like, the first time in my life, or I'm never going to get through all the things!).  Please see this post for the way the sale works, and this post for list of inventory and pricing.

In no particular order...

Fantasie Helena

Man, I just can't stop myself with the words! This is in brand new condition and it's LUXE seeming. Does fit breasts that are wider set than mine. Quite supportive and I'm sure it has a lot of life in it.

Cleo Bella

OK, this one has a very firm band. It fits upper cup fullness excellently and it's very deep. Beautiful colour scheme. Just to snug in the back for my liking given my current pain issues. Undies readily available online (eBay, for example), in case you want a set.

Freya Arabella

By contrast, this one has a rather stretchy band for size. This is a gorgeous, sexy plunge and a serious bargain, if I do say so myself. They recently discontinued the style, but undies are still available on eBay and at stores, in volume.

Freya Tamsin

I don't know how many ways to express my love for this bra. It's just become a bit to snug in the cups, for my liking. People, it's got embroidered cherries and zebra print. That is all.

Fantasie Smoothing Balconette - 4520

So this is the molded, soft cup version of the Smoothing Balconette - not the spacer fabric version. See how the cups don't hold themselves in shape? This is a bra about which I've written so many times - and purchase in so many sizes. It's my staple T shirt bra, lo this last decade. It is a bit of a tricky fit for some - though it's very deep for a seamless bra and very supportive - and comfortable! If you have no upper cup fullness or your breasts are of 2 notably different sizes, it's probably not the one for you. On the plus side - I have 3 of these, in different sizes (all like new). So ask away!

Freya Tabitha

I bought this bra cuz everyone else liked it. I know. Crazy. It's a nice Freya and it's in very good shape. It also gives a very good (and not-noticeable) shape under t shirts.

Fantasie Samantha

This has never been worn because I never wear strapless bras (or things that require them). I'd keep it (never know when you're going to need this kind of wardrobe basic) but the cups are a bit to small for me these days. It's beautifully constructed, DEEP, non-molded and luxe. I'd definitely buy it one size up to have when needed.

Panache Jasmine

This bra is the Holy Grail for a lot of women. It's deep, the cups aren't too wide (or too narrow), it's firm, it gives gorgeous decollete. I like it, but I don't love it. And as such, I don't wear it. But if it works for you (or if you want to give it a try), this is a steal. Undies readily available online - so if you want a set, you'll have that option.

Freya Nina

Do look this one up in my archives. I went to GREAT lengths to procure this one in the right size. It's just stunning. Alas, it never really fit me the way I wanted it too - just a smidge of shape mismatch. But it really is a looker of a bra.

Email with any questions. K

The Bra Sale: Full Inventory and Specifics on Batch 1 (NWT and Empreinte)

As promised, here's a list of the loot that's available (listing free stuff first, followed by brands in alpha order). Photos and additional info will follow in other posts:

Empreinte	Lily Rose	Free	(Yeah, you did read that right)
Fantasie	Bella	Free
Freya	Pheobe	Free
Freya	Unknown (Blue and pink with animal print), totally awesome	Free
Freya	Eleanor	Free
Freya	Millie (Black)	Free
Freya	Millie  (Pink)	Free
Panache	Tango Plunge	Free
Panache	Tango Plunge	Free
Charnos	Cherub Full Cup (Black)	Free
Cleo	Meg	$15.00
Cleo	Neve	$15.00
Cleo	Bella	$10.00
Empreinte	Kaela	$45.00
Empreinte	Lola	$45.00
Fantasie	Helena	$10.00
Fantasie	Smoothing Balconette	$5.00
Fantasie	Smoothing Balconette	$5.00
Fantasie	Samantha Strapless	$10.00
Freya	Nina	$5.00
Freya	Arabella	$10.00
Freya	Tabitha	$5.00
Freya	Rio	$5.00
Freya	Tamsin	$5.00
Miss Mandalay	Paris	$5.00
Panache	Envy	$10.00
Panache	Strapless 5210 (padded)	$5.00
Panache	Jasmine	$10.00
Wacoal	Retro Chic	$5.00

Let's get the photos rolling with (my precious) Empreinte and a couple of NWT items:

Empreinte Lola (in Blush):

See post here for a review. Although this was purchased in the same size as my black version (which I also posted about), it was always smaller in the back than the black. That's the sad potentiality of different dye lots. Alas, since I bought it via the UK, there was no option to try it on first...

I'm just gonna say, it's so beautiful I can scarcely believe I'm selling it, even if I am never going to wear it again... Worn twice with an extender, before accepting it was a no-go.

Who's this for? Someone who's always wanted to try Empreinte but can't find it locally or can't afford to spend the bucks. It's effectively a wardrobe neutral. Doesn't show under top unless it's very thin and very tight.

Empreinte Kaela

Posted about this one here (includes more pics)... This is a soft-cup molded bra that provides a very rounded shape. It's beautiful but, alas, too shallow for me. Don't get me wrong, it's not a shallow bra in the scheme of things, it's just shallow by Empreinte standards - and by the standards of my very projected needs. The pattern reminds me of a breeze on a lake. Also counts towards wardrobe neutral.

Cleo by Panache - Meg

What can I say about this one? It's a gorgeous bra - totally boobs on a plate and extremely supportive. But it's very strangely sized. This fits one size larger than you'd imagine, in the cup, and one size smaller in the band. Good for very full on top breasts. See these posts on the bra and fit...

Cleo Neve

This was purchased for my daughter but it just didn't work on her. It's quite shallow and wide in the wires. It's a true plunge and would work well for someone with tall roots or upper cup fullness, IMO. Good for young breasts. Very pretty shade of coral, lightly padded.

So there you go, Batch 1. Next up, we'll talk about some Freyas...

The Bra Sale / Give-Away: How it Works

The next time I get even the slightest bit snitty about people and their out-of-control collections, remind me that I spent an entire day yesterday coming to terms with the fact that I have 29 bras to redeploy. Yeah, you read that right. My little bra sale is basically a store's-worth of merchandise - fucking awesome merchandise - albeit in a fairly narrow size range.

This post is to give you a sense of my proposed process. Next post will provide details on the brands and styles on offer, including "pricing". My goal is to show photos and to link you to any posts I've written on the bras in question.

Note that I am happy to simply give away 10 of the 28 bras - not because they aren't in good shape (I wouldn't ship anything in less than good shape) but because it's fun to get free stuff, don't you agree? My preference is to provide the freebies to people who are already purchasing at least one other bra but, if your boobs are in need and you don't have disposable income, get in touch. This is about bras finding great homes...

FYI, in some instances the bras retain their style/laundry labels (on bra band) but, because I hate the feel of tags, in some instances, the label has been removed. Needless to say, I can vouch for the pedigree and size of all bras, but if style labels are important to you, let me know.

As I've mentioned on a few occasions, I'm not prepared to offer up my bra size for the pleasure of the interwebs - I have workmates who read my blog (not to mention that I'm old-school). What I will say is that the bras on offer span 28 - 32 band size and the majority are 30s or 32s. I'll also say that these bras, in general, suit a full bust measurement that is 37 - 39". If you think we're in the same size range, and you're interested, email me and I'll give you all the deets.

The Process:

• I'll post info about the bras available, including pricing. In general these will be free, 5 bucks or 10 bucks. There will be 2 exceptions: I've got 2, frankly spectacular, Empreinte bras - each worn twice - to sell at a price that will be significantly higher, tbd. I've also got 2 bras that are new, with factory tags (aka never worn) and those will be listed at 15 bucks each. For what it's worth, my pricing system is 10 bucks for bras in new condition (worn fewer than 5 times and often not more than twice, simply to verify that they weren't for me), 5 bucks for those with slightly more wear and free for those that are discontinued / from many seasons ago (note that these are some of the cutest). It goes without saying that none of these show signs of wear. When you have as many bras as I do, it's tricky to wear anything more than 5-10 times, unless it goes into regular rotation (and those I wouldn't re-sell).

• If you like anything, please email me at kristinm100 at yahoo dot ca. This is when we can chat at length about any bra that appeals. Y'all know that's my fave thing to do. So, if you want to know specific size, how it fits, wire-width, what root it would best suit, how the band stretches in comparison with other brands or anything else, get in touch! I'm here to help you find the right bra.

• If you'd like to buy, I'll calculate the shipping and let you know how much extra that will be. Note: If you live in a large city in US or UK, it'll be around 8-10 bucks (NO tracking, cheapest method). If you're on another continent, in Canada (absurdly) or in the middle of nowhere, the price is likely to go up to around 15 bucks. If you want tracking, that's cool, but it will cost extra. If you purchase and the parcel goes missing, alas, I cannot bear responsibility. It generally takes 2 weeks for things to get from here to there. No returns, thanks.

• I'll email you the total fee and request payment by PayPal. Once I receive the payment (all in CDN funds, btw), I'll mail your fab little parcel.

So that's that. Please stay tuned for more on this and, of course, if you have any questions - comment (or email) away!