Why a Sports Bra is a Critical Part of Your Wardrobe

It wasn't all that long ago that a woman could get by on a few bras.. That is no longer the case. As we learn more about how wear and tear impacts breasts, new specialty bras have been developed. The sports bra has been around for some time and is a vital part to your wardrobe.

The first thing to understand about the sports bra is you don't have to be running a marathon to need one. Any type of up and down motion where the breasts are going to be moving a lot will do the trick. When your breasts move repeatedly, they tend to stretch out which is a bad thing in the opinion of nearly every woman!

To understand the issue, we have to do a quick anatomy lesson. The breasts are primarily comprised of fat. This essentially creates two weighted masses on your chest. When you move up and down or side to side quickly, these weights move in a delayed manner that causes a lot of stress for the anchor mechanisms.

The anchor mechanisms are were we find the root of the problem. Your breasts are anchored to the core of the body by "Cooper's ligaments". Ligaments have a bad habit of stretching over time if put under stress via weight or weighted movement. In practical terms, this means that as your breasts move about, the ligaments are being put under stress and slowly stretching.

A sports bra works by minimizing the movement of the breast when you are in motion. If you think of a woman jogging in place without a bra, her breasts are going to be bouncing up and down, putting massive stress on the anchor of the breasts. A sports bra works by firmly holding the breast to the chest wall. Each breast is full encapsulated, so there is no room for spillage. The girls are also held up against the chest so that no forward and backwards movement is excessive.

As you might imagine, the average sports bra is not exactly the sexiest of undergarments. That's okay because the purpose is to protect the breasts, not enhance an outfit. All and all, a sports bra can be a real savior for most women. Long term, the bra will keep you from suffering the excessive effects of gravity. Short term, it should eliminate any discomfort you might feel when building up a sweat. This alone makes it a critical part of your wardrobe.

Soft Cup Bras - The Ultimate in Comfort

Soft cup bras are called "soft cup" for good reason. They are comfy. Good fitting soft cup bras will match the shape, support, and comfort of an underwire bra. Furthermore, they do not poke, cinch, pinch, or irritate your breast like an underwire can. Soft cup bras contain no wires at all and come in a variety of colors, textures, materials, and designs.

Most bras, like the soft cup, are made to support, uplift, and enhance the breasts. I am surprised by the public perception that soft cup bras do not support the breasts. Most sports bras are soft cup. If many styles are made for sports, then they obviously can support your breasts.

Soft cup bras come in a variety of support systems. The compression soft cup bra flattens your breasts against your chest. They will not jiggle much; however, you may look like a uniboob. Many smaller chested women like this style. The encapsulation soft cup bra style has separate cups for each breast and provides the best shaping. Many of these have side support, bottom support, or both. They come with or without padding and are best for full figure women. Finally, there is a combination of encapsulated and compression bras. These are great for the average cup size woman.

A good fitting soft cup bra will uplift your breasts. They should be designed to lift them off the abdomen to allow for cooling and support. The girls should be perky. The main support should come from the band, not the straps. The band should be firm, thick, strong, and not overstretched. The cups should be able to contain the breasts without spillage.

To ensure a perfect fit, get the help of a qualified fitter or at least measure yourself through various online fitting tips. Remember to redo your measurements every six months. Bra sizes do change. Plus, most women are wearing the wrong size bra. When you try on a bra, bend forward, lower your cups, and let the breast naturally fall into the cups. Make sure that the center gore lays flat, without breast tissue spillage, and that the cups completely encase the breasts. Next, move around to make sure that you are not jiggling too much. Check to see that the upper portion of the cup is not hitting against your armpit.

With proper support and comfort, you should have a bra that is more than comparable with an underwire bra. You may also have some extra bonus health reasons for wearing a soft cup bra rather than one with wires. Some doctors feel that wired bras are bad for your health. They say that the underwires can cut off circulation to your lymph glands. The lymph glands are responsible for draining toxins. Others say that the wires fall directly over the Neuro Lymphatic Reflexes which go to the liver/gall bladder/stomach area. It may slowly decrease functioning in those organs. There is not enough evidence to support either of these theories; however, they are out there and more research is needed.

Lingerie Review - Spoylt Passion Bra

Who is Spoylt? SPOYLT, is a line by Barbara Brudenell-Bruce and it is located in London, UK & New York USA.

Brudenell-Bruce studied as a make up artist and worked for Shiseido Cosmetics in the era of the famed Creative Director Serge Lutens. Later studying interior design at the London School of Design before creating Spoylt

Her style is aimed at confident aspirational women who once introduced to Spoylt will consider the lingerie as an essential investment for every aspect of their wardrobe and lives. Each piece of Spoylt lingerie is both covetable and collectible, and is made from the most luxurious of fabrics to ensure they fit perfectly to make you look and feel truly special.

Barbara Brudenell-Bruce is originally from New Zealand, she relocated to London in 1991 and following a successful career in business returned to her greatest love, fashion, creating the Anglo-American Spoylt in 2003 making a dramatic mark on the luxury lingerie market.

Spoylt is a favourite of some of the hottest favourites including Madonna, Courtney Cox Arquette, Charlize Theron, Deborah Messing and the cast of Desperate Housewives.

Passion Balconnette Bra

Unique detailing:

This Spoylt bra feels like pure silk and despite being a bold vibrant red, the carefully considered cup detailing and attention to straps creates a bra that is both elegant and striking. The bow on the centre front draws attention to the cleavage without being too overpowering. It is an under-wired bra in crimson satin with ruffles and centre bow. Fabric is 92% polyester, 8% elastane, by Boselli, Italy.

Review:

I think this Spoylt bra is beautiful! I'm not usually a fan of red bras but this is definitely one of my favourites! Great attention to detail makes this bra look chic and stylish despite being a bold colour. I love the gathered detailing on the cups and teamed with the choice of fabric makes it a definite must have! This bra is simple but sexy and the ruched straps add interest to the back. The padded cups create a lovely natural shape and the general fit of this bra is super, it will definitely suit most woman! The underwiring adds very good support and it is sexy and sensous but simple, I love it! To match the Spoylt Passion Bra there is the Hipster Briefs.

Comfort: 5/5


Fit: 5/5

Style: 5/5

Overall grade: 5/5

Bras - Making Them Last

The free wheeling spending days have come to a grinding halt for most of. These days, the goal is to be frugal and cut costs everywhere possible in the face of an economy that is downright scary. Many of the frugal steps you can take focus on making things last longer. Bras should be included in this effort.

You buy bras. I buy bras. Every woman buys bras. What do we all know? Bras are not cheap! You can get into one of lesser quality at a bargain basement figure of $25 to $30, but the quality increases substantially every $10 you increase in price. Then, of course, there are the bras that sell for hundreds of dollars, which is a serious luxury that most of us can't afford these days if ever.

Given the money you spend on bras, doesn't it make sense to try to make them last as long as possible? Sure it does, but most of us either innocently or lazily don't take the basic steps required. Does this sound familiar? At the end of the day, you put your bra in the dirty clothes hamper. On the weekend, you wash the bra with the rest of your clothes and then pop it in the dryer. Each of these steps is going to shorten the life of your bra!

Washing Bras

A bra should is a delicate foundation piece. A washer works by vigorously spinning clothes. This is not good for your bra. You need to hand wash them. Fill the sink with some cool water and use a non-abrasive detergent. This will keep the band and cups from becoming deformed.

Drying Bras

When you are one washing your bras, you need to let them air dry. This means hanging them on a line, not putting them in the dryer. The dryer approach has two problems. First, the heat is excessive for a bra and will decay the cups and plastic pieces. Second, the spinning motion can damage the bra by stretching it out, particularly when the bra gets wrapped around other clothes in the dryer.

How long will the average bra last? Well, it is not an easy question to answer because it depends on how often you wear it and so on. 6 months is a number that is thrown around a lot with average use. If you follow these care tips, you should get at least twice the life out of your bra.

The Perfect Bra

The perfect bra doesn't cost $75 dollars a pop nor is it made with velvet and fine French lace. But the perfect bra supports and holds your girls up. Trust me I've coveted those perfect $100 bras for years and settled for the first bra that I could find at Target before my daughter could start whining. But now after 2 kids and 13 months of nursing for each child, my girls are not so "perky" any more,. They are exhausted and need a little lift!  So I can't afford to settle anymore, my 26 year-old girls look a little older.

That's why I started doing a little research on finding the right Bra Size.

While it would be best to  have a professional measure you, it's easily done at home as well.

First measure around your ribcage with a seamstress' measuring tape, just below your girls.

Add 5 to this number to get your bra size.

Now measure around the fullest part of your bosom for the measurement of the cup size.

To calculate subtract your band size from your cup size and refer to the size chart below

Second measurement is

1" larger than measurement 1--------------------A


2" larger than measurement 1--------------------B

3" larger than measurement 1--------------------C

4" larger than measurement 1--------------------D

5" larger than measurement 1--------------------E

6" larger than measurement 1--------------------F

You may find that you actually fit into a bra-size that doesn't  "settle" with you on paper BUT go to the store, try one on, slip on a sexy shirt and notice the difference. Your girls don't sag, they are supported and inadvertently your posture is corrected, you will be more confident and your ladies more shapely, close and NOTICEABLE.

TIP: Get a professional to measure your size, or you measure and try the size and brand on at the store. Then look online for those brands and at a DISCOUNT.

Trust me, your girls, back, AND partner will thank you!