I always knew that one day my boobs would take over the world. It seemed like I went from a training bra to a D cup* within a period of a few months. In college, I was an DDD cup*, then a G cup, and now I'm an H cup. The reason for this growth had to do with a combination of hormones and weight gain. Basically, I gained weight, my boobs grew, then I lost weight and my boobs didn't shrink. I knew that I had outgrown my G cup bras, but I put replacing them on the back burner. What helped me snap out of it was an encounter with a local bra fitter. A few months ago, I paid a visit to Iris of Iris Lingerie in order to show her a sample of The Flirty Bow Collar Shirt and she took one look at me and said, "You know not to come in here with a bad bra." She then hands me some bras to wear with the shirt sample because it wouldn't look good without the proper foundation. She knew right away that (1) I was wearing a bra that had lost its mojo, (2) I was no longer a G cup, and most importantly, (3) the most fantastic garments will not look good if the foundation is out of whack. How can I expect to properly showcase my shirts to big bust women if those shirts are not being supported and shown at its fullest aesthetic potential with the right bra? I was so focused on growing Exclusively Kristen and fulfilling my duties as a graduate student that I neglected my foundation. That's when I made a point to update my bra wardrobe and retire my G cup bras. I went through my bras and realized that even if I was still a G cup, they ALL needed replacing. I had some 34 bands (I'm a 32 band) and I even had an old DDD sports bra. The rest were worn and had lost their tautness. I needed a complete overhaul.
Because I've been reading full cup lingerie blogs and hanging out with bra fitters, I notice more easily women who are not wearing their proper size, are wearing bras that have lost its tautness, or are wearing bras that are not the right fit for their breasts. As a result, the aesthetics of their outfits suffer: shirts and dresses don't hang properly, I don't notice their fantastic outfit because my eye immediately goes to their quadra-boob, the women appear heavier than they are, and they suffer from poor posture. Everyone has that one friend who looks good in every outfit that she wears and I can almost guarantee that it's mostly due to her posture and her undergarments.
So the moral of this story is...just because it's not seen doesn't mean that it doesn't affect your outer appearance. Get regular bra fittings from someone who carries a wide range of bands and cup sizes, because age, medication, pregnancy, and weight fluctuations can all change the size and shape of your breasts.
More to come. This is only the beginning of my H cup bra finding adventures :-)
"It starts with the right foundation." - Iris, Iris Lingerie
*I was probably a DD cup and then an F cup, but was mis-sized due to shoddy bra fittings, which I outline in a previous blog post.