Archive for December, 2008

Minimizers: for the Birds

As you know, I am a boob-girl. Not a leg lady, not a woman with killer abs, nor a girl with a great booty. I have long held that my best bodily feature is my bustline. I must tell you that I abhor minimizer bras and have never intentionally worn one. When I was in college in the early nineties, I realized that all bras for the D/DD + (full bust) market were by default minimizers, as if our volume was something that needed to be suppressed. That’s when I began buying french lingerie at Neiman Marcus. Those labels made D & E cups with seams and lace, very pretty. They also gave a good shape and were comfortable to wear.

Tonight proves this point beautifully. We were having an event at a local boutique and a beautiful blonde hair, blue eyed twenty something was present. And so were her breasts. But, they looked exaggeratedly big and low. Sure enough, she was wearing a minimzer bra. This greatly saddened me. Her breasts were squished together in the front, read no separation and looking similar to buttock cheeks. Secondly, the bustline looked low because a minimizer flattens the breast tissue across the rib cage and spreads it under the arms, hence the downward angle of the bustline. She said her size is a 32DDD, which in the full bust brands I’d peg her to be near a 32F/FF.

And as myth number two explains, she said “they (her breasts) don’t need to look any bigger than they are”. Minimizer bras don’t make the bustline appear smaller, they make one’s bust appear oddly shaped and poorly positioned on the body. To quote from a vintage bra commercial, “lift and separate”, as given by the full bust brands Panache, Freya, Fayreform, Fantasie, Prima Donna, etc., will give a higher and more proportional bustline on your body.

Trust me on this and try it. Its a new year – embrace your endowment and celebrate your curves. Don’t minimize the part of your body that epitomizes your femininity.

No Bouncing on the Hopper

While visiting my sister and her family in Orlando we went to the FunSpot USA, which I highly recommend; it is a mini amusement park. Sister was kind enough to ride the rides with my four year old daughter while I was holding the one year old daughter. They rode the Frog Hopper ride that ascends into the air and then bounces all the way down. It is great fun for all parties involved. I critically watched sister’s bosom as I had anticipated some serious movement because this ride is basically like jumping on a trampoline. Let me just say her bustline did not move, it was stationary. I was amazed and so once she got off the ride I of course had to inquire as to her bra. Sure enough, she was wearing a three part lace balcony bra from Freya, the black version of the above.

I guarantee you that if she were wearing a seamfree, molded, or too small in the cup bra, she would have been bouncing all over the place, and probably very uncomfortable. Have you ever experienced the knee jerk reaction of putting your arm up over your breasts when you suddenly have to run or engage in some other bounce inducing activity to prevent the boobs from hurting themselves or you? It is not a good feeling. Her top was a structured knit and the bra seams didn’t show through. This illustrates two points:

  1. The most supportive everyday bra is a three part seam cup made from a rigid material, i.e. lace. Rigid does not imply rough. One can find rigid fabrications that do have a soft hand.
  2. A woman is not tied to wearing a “seamfree” bra to prevent seams from showing through her clothing.

Balcony bra vs. Full cup bra

A balcony bra is cut lower across the top of the cups than a full cup bra. A balcony bra is similar in cut and coverage to a 3/4 bra. However, it is different than a demi bra. Truly, if you are a full D or anything near a DD, please do not expect a demi bra to be your everyday bra. Demi implies a 1/2 bra. It is cut super low across the top of the bra cups. A full busted woman experiences lots of movement in a demi bra because so much of the breast tissue is out of the top of the cup. While it is sexy, it is not very practical. A demi bra is definitely a date night bra or a special occasion bra necessary for a certain outfit. When Mom and I would shop together and I tried on one, she would exclaim “Hello Queen Victoria” because that is the look. Lots of breast tissue out of the bra. Just imagine Reese Witherspoon in Vanity Fair. And let’s remember, that was the access for the ladies of that time period to nurse their babies – from the top of the dress.

A balcony bra also gives less coverage than a full cup bra, and some people attest that a balcony bra gives less support. But I disagree.

The balcony bras from the full bust brands (freya, panache, fantasie, ruby pink, miss mandaly, etc.) have excellent support. And better than a full cup bra, the balcony gives superb shape and positioning of the bustline. A balcony, or balconette, bra is my everyday out of the house bra. It is plenty comfortable for an 8+ hour day. It’s the seaming difference and shape of the cup in the balcony bra that gives the improved shape and uplift.


You can tell by this picture that the full cup is more bra, and can be difficult to wear under certain tops like wide scoop necks, square necks, etc. Even more importantly, a full cup bra does not give as much of an up front and together look. The shape of a full cup bra is more natural, which means the breasts can sometimes go directionally under the arms. The opposite of together, as in apart from one another. I know several full busted ladies who refuse to wear a full-cup bra when they want to feel put together and sharply dressed. That being said, I do wear a full cup bra everyday: only at home and only without wires.