OK my boobs are the same, I just have new bras. Actually my boobs being the same is newsworthy in itself-- the last real bras I bought were in 2008 (as opposed to desperation close-enough buys from Cacique, which it turns out? Not much cheaper, and hellishly uncomfortable, so why did I bother?), and marvel of marvels, I ordered the same size as I got then? And everything fits!
For a long time no matter what my boobs would change size every few months. Partly, it was that I still hadn't figured out the right size bra, so I was wearing bras that were "good enough", and being used to how poorly they fit. I'd never had a bra that fit properly, by then-- not really-- so I didn't really know how to evaluate the fit. I'm still not 100% sure, but I know that the ones I have now fit, and the old stretched-out ones didn't.
For the record, and I'll probably repost this to at least one of the comms I follow, these are the bras I bought. All are the same basic type-- I wear balconnettes, because full-cup bras a) give me an unattractive shape, and b) cut in at the top of my boobs-- I guess I'm awfully perky for my size, or at least really full in the top of the cup, so even cups in approximately the right size cut in far too sharply for my shape. I also wear bras that tend to push me towards the front and center, because unlike many, I have no breast tissue on the sides of my chest or under my arms. American bras invariably have underwires starting in the center of my armpit, which is horribly uncomfortable if your boobs are on your actual chest and not in your pits.
Naomi, by Freya in 32JJ. Loosest in the cup, and band; straps are fully adjustable and good thing too, as they're very long. This one is the cutest-- I've never had a houndstooth bra before! I wish it came in more colors.
Alana, by Bravissimo, nude, in 32JJ. The color is a soft pink, very cute, though not as nice against my skin as some. (I'm very pasty.) Very similar in cut to the Naomi, fits nicely. Elastic is a bit sharp, but I think I'll get used to it as it breaks in. Still hurts less than the Cacique bras, new or old.
Eliza, by Panache, in 32J. It was on sale in yellow, and sold out in JJ, so that's what I have. This one, the cups are a little too wide; I'm getting armpit-poked. But at least they're close enough in the center, so it's just that they're too shallow, not that they're set wide on the band. (Wacoal is downright ridiculous with this issue.) It's not uncomfortable apart from that (I just have to kinda keep hiking it toward the middle a bit, to protect my poor underarms, but it's really not as bad as the Cacique ones I'm used to). It's also almost unbearably cute, with a dangly little lace bow and frilly edges. Today I'm wearing a dress with a slightly low neckline in the middle, so if I look down, I can see the middle of my bra. (It comes up a little higher in the center than the Freya ones, I think.) Which today, is making me cheerful, because that means I see the cute little lace bow. I actually posted a photo down the front of my dress on Twitter because I found it so cheerful. Hey, Internet, have some almost-porn. My treat.
Broderie bra, by Bravissimo, in 32JJ, in blue. I'm still waiting for this one-- it was at one of their store locations so it had to be recalled before they could ship it, so they sent it separately. :) I'm looking forward to it, and hope it fits as well as the others.
The only thing about ordering from Bravissimo is that they don't do free shipping to the US, and they don't do free return shipping. So i'm only going to order things I'm 99% sure will fit well enough, which is why I'm also likely to order things on sale and not at full price. If I'm going to make do with it if it doesn't fit, I'm not going to have paid full price for it. Shipping the bras back would cost me at least $15, and having them shipped here cost almost $20, and that's a whole nother bra's worth of shipping charges. So I'm fortunate that I got to go to a Bravissimo and try things on, and haven't changed size much since then.
I have to say, thinking about this has made me suddenly reluctant to go back on birth control. I gave it up when I lost health insurance, like five years ago, and my boobs have stayed consistent since then. I'm a little frightened; I want to go back on it, now that I have insurance again, but I really really really really really don't want to go up any more cup sizes. Being a JJ is awesome now that many of Bravissimo's lines end at K-- if it came to it and I wanted a generous fit, I could always size up. If I go up at all... well, they say they go up to L-cup, but I didn't see any bras that actually did. There's probably one. I've been there before, back when most of their lines stopped at G. (And most of the
really cute ones I really want stop at G or H. And every last one of the strapless or convertible options stops at G.) So.... ehhhh....
And I have to point out-- I've gained and lost up to about 25-30 pounds between now and 2008, and yet my boobs have stayed close enough to the same size-- it's really impressive. Overall I'm much narrower through the midsection than I was 2 years ago, and yet my ribs are holding steady at 32. I would like to request a round of applause for my boobs, for behaving themselves so incredibly well, after so many years of being such misbehaving pains in the neck. (Literally.)
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