Success in Biubiu!

Here we go with my newest Biubiu order!

With my last order, I learned that 44BBB might be too small, and that I really needed to keep my eyes out for stuff that would allow room for my bottom too!

Bring in the Oia and Vienna dresses: Perfect! 

Unfortunately, they weren’t any in 46BBB, so I would have to wait and see if they made some more: I decided that due to the extra pleats on the Oia, I would go for that one to make sure there was room for my hips. 

Just in time, as they brought out the Oia Charcoal! 

As you will notice, it has longer sleeves than the first Oia – some might find this good or bad. I generally really like sleeves, and will make this very useful as everyday wear, but I do feel a shorter sleeve could have lightened the look a bit – especially in a darker color like this, it can come off as being a very ‘serious’ dress.

 But let’s take a look:

 I’m very happy with it J I did actually also order it in 44BBB, and I can’t stop kicking myself that I didn’t take any pictures (it was during Christmas, and in a rush to go to the post office with all my packages, I packed that up too!), but, it being a bit tighter at my bust, pulled the back tighter and thus revealed back bulges – not too bad, but I have so many clothing items already, where I get self conscious about that, and where I need to think “oh, I can only wear it if it’s a standing-up party” or “only if I can find some shapewear” or “I just have to make sure it doesn’t cling right here” etc. so I didn’t want another dress like that: In the 46BBB, I can wear it without even thinking about what I have underneath, or how I stand or sit. Very relaxing.

Though it fits really well, it of course isn’t ‘as tailored’ – I do have some loose fabric at the sleeves in various ways, and I wish it was more fitted at the underbust where I am narrower than at my waist, but that’s if I have to be really nitpicking about the fit, because overall, it great! 

The skirt is very full as you can see, so there was no problem at all with my thighs and hips – this makes me think I could also go for the Vienna: it’s still a quite full skirt, but the Oia just has a bit more front-pleats. 

Due to the color, though I love gray, it can need to be spiced up a bit – as you can see here, I’ve paired it with my teal leggings, for a very simple way to spice it up – though I played around with it a bit, and here are some looks it could be styled as:

I think it works pretty good for both looks! (And yes, as Vee spotted at Bratabase, that is the Morticia corset from What Katie Did! It’s a 30” that unfortunately isn’t curvy enough for me – it’s closed at the top, and all open at the bottom)

The fabric feels really really comfortable and soft, and kind of ‘sturdy’ and heavy – the feel o f quality! And the construction cannot be faulted – the seams that run down the body are flat and smooth, and it doesn't cling at the wrong places, and the skirt falls wonderfully. If I was to critique one thing, it would be that it’s almost impossible to get into! The long, thin (nicely concealed) zipper is really difficult to work on my back by myself (as it requires the fabric to lay pretty flat to zip, and when I bend my arms backwards, it can't lay flat!), and I have had to ask my neighbor for help once! It’s a bit easier to take off, which is always a relief J And check it out, pockets!

It took me a while to see that they were there, and they aren’t so big that they add bulk, but enough to have somewhere you put your hands + some coins and a cellphone! 

Overall, I think I will get some good use of this dress :)

When making my order for the Oia, I also checked what else was available in 46BBB – And there we have Partimao! (comes in many colors, but only gray left in my size at the time!) 

The color really struck me – it’s gray, but a bit purple-ish, which I found interesting, and figured the wrinkled fabric would show off my shape, without showing too many bulges, so I put it in my shopping cart immediately: And I’m glad I did:

It did exactly what it said on the tin ;) I found it a bit short, though, which is (part of) why it doesn't look to have so many wrinkles as on the website: I’ve had to pull it down, thus straightening it out a bit, but it still works the purpose. 

I like the neckline too, as it can look a bit ‘off the shoulder’-ish, without actually revealing my bra straps.

I wish the back could also be wrinkly, because as I’ve mentioned before, the back view can really make it or break it for me! Luckily this looked pretty good, but it would have been even better had it been more wrinkled up – though that would take an entire different construction of the top: The wrinkles are due to the front piece being much longer than the back:

I love the sleeve length! I like a bit of arm coverage, but not so much that I feel ‘hidden away’ in my tops, so this is perfect J

And I have to say again, oh my, the fabric of this! I think Biubiu must make a lot of effort to find materials, because in my own experience, and in other reviews too, it’s always noteworthy how wonderful the fabrics feel!

So, all in all, I love this! My hopes is that Biubiu will make bigger stocks (they sell out so fast!) and make sure to include lots of 46BBB’s for me ;) And keep women who are curvy at both ends in mind! Because I really love the pieces they have there, but there are so many where I know my lower half wouldn't stand a chance :b 

Posture: I'll never look back!

Sometimes, I get fed up with all this bra business. I think, what’s the point? Am I just trying to be ~*special*~ with some ‘freaky’ bra size not found anywhere in the country? Has it really made any change besides to my lingerie-budget? Should I give it up and go back to ‘normal bras’?

And then I see something that makes me think “Nope. This bra thing really is important”.

I present to you – posture!

Before: 38DD

Summer, 2009

Fall, 2009

Today in 38DD,
imitating old posture (not easy! Keep in mind
that I think I weigh more now, than then!)
And poor all that tissue, forces out of the cup!

After:

Summer '12, 34JJ

Summer '12, 34JJ

Today, 34K made into 32KK
My arm looks wonky - I am touching my own shoulder, elbow pointing at camera (trying to let it distort neither picture or posture)
In other news, do we also fit jeans? No?

Pictures really do most of the talking!!

When I was wearing ill-fitting bras (aka. 38DD) nothing about my posture was good. I slumped because the straps were putting so much weight on my shoulders. My back arched, trying to redistribute the weight of my chest on to me body. If I stuck out my chest the slightest, quadro-boob would be apparent even through my layers. I had threatening to escape the bottom of my cups, so sticking out my belly as much as possible, was almost a way to prevent that from happening. And oh my god, the side-boob. I didn’t scoop at all, in fact, I may have anti-scooped a bit (or my bra did it for me – no room in those cups) so the band was doing all sorts of weird business, going under the side-tissue, and riding up like crazy, making my posture do equally wonky things.
I didn’t know this might be due to bras, or at least that the bra was preventing me from improving. I just thought this was how I looked.

When I started to try out new bras, it was at first difficult, because I still had the same posture – so I didn’t get the full potential of the bra. But when I realized ‘Hey, I can stand comfortably like this now’ (as the bra simply didn’t allow me to keep a straight posture before), I just kept it in mind, and slowly this meant it was much easier to fit for a bra, and thus it got much easier to get a good posture – an upward spiral!
The fact that it was so difficult to copy my previous posture (you can see, my back is not arched enough on the new photo - So I am more so 'leaning' than arching - you can see that by the fact that I am not sticking out my bum while sticking out my belly, as I am in the old photos) seems to me to be a sign that it has definitely had a lasting impact. My back simply won't do those wonky things any more!

So this is definitely one element to bra fitting (and there are many more – I wouldn’t even know where to get started on how badly 38DD’s fit me) that can convince me to never go back!  

Formal wear for the XL Hourglass

I don’t really do style posts, mainly because I do not have much style (how do you think I got cast for that make-over show I posted about?) but here comes one ;) I just found a nice, curvy- and plus-size-friendly outfit, so I had to share!

First things first:

The dress is the Yvette Dress from Gina Tricot in size XL, 299dkr (£32/$52)

I’ve added sleeves to mine. Here in the midst of winter, bear arms isn’t really the look, plus I prefer not to show my upper arms in general, so I go through all sort of hoops to add sleeves to my tops and dresses (can’t tell you how many cut-up shirts I have!).
I had an old see-through shirt that had a tear at the body, making it a bit trashy, so I put those sleeves to good use. I felt it would be a shame to put a cardigan over this dress, since the sheer back and shoulders are kind of the point, so I felt this worked well. Gina Tricot has lots of sheer sleeved tops (must be the trend atm), but since it would be used to cut up, you can probably find something cheaper elsewhere, if you wish to do the same.
I really love this dress, as the full skirt makes it very comfortable and flattering, accentuating my waist-to-hip ratio, and not constricting in any way. The sheer shoulders gives a nice illusion of not being as covered as I actually am. It definitely doesn’t downplay my chest size, but seeing as I like that in order to balance out my larger lower half, that is just a plus for me! The soft material, viscose, feels soft and warm, and I don’t doubt I’ll feel nice and comfy in this during the Christmas festives J I would have wished the neckline was a bit larger, either showing a bit more shoulder or more collar bone, just so it isn’t that covered, but since I don’t have a sowing machine or any sowing skills, that is one alteration that will have to wait, if I decide to do it.
The sheerness of the back continues down a good bit lower than the buttons, which again helps balance out the covered-ness. And, with sheer rather than completely cut out, you can get away with a lot more, I think. A black bra going across the sheer area can easily look intended ;) 

 

On to the sizing,  you can see from the stock photo that this dress obviously fits me differently than intended (aka. the skirt looks like it was supposed to start at the top of the hip, though on me, it is more like an empire cut), but I don’t mind, I think it looks fab J It’s a bit tighter across the seam where the opaque (I know it seems a bit see through due to the flash in the pictures, but it really isn’t) meets the sheer, so I wouldn’t want to size down, even though the rest could easily have been smaller:

I generally find Gina Tricot to run much larger than other comparable brands, especially in those items listed S, M, L rather than numbers.

Check these pictures I took last summer:

These tops look identical in the store, but the left is size XL from H&M, and the right is size L from Gina Tricot! And Gina Tricot also has up to XXL in some items, so even though they don’t have a plus-size collection like H&M does, I’d say they are a good place to go for larger sizes, even though their size chart doesn’t really indicate this: XL is said to match measurements B: 105cm/41” , W: 87cm/34”, H: 112cm/44”: This dress must be much larger than that in all three measurements, since I measure around 48”-34”-49”. So I think ladies much larger than me from the underbust and down would also have luck in a dress like this.

I think my curves make it shorter than intended too: Their dresses are based on a woman of 172cm (bit less than 5’8”), and I measure 173cm (bit more than 5’8”), but it came up a bit short with heels.

They don’t have this dress on their website for some reason, but it was part of the news in the store, so they should have plenty left if you go to one. If there is none near you, check these similar dresses you can shop at their site:

From left to right, that is the Majkan Dress, the Elin Dress, the Mildred Dress, and the Marcia Dress.

Because of the loose waist, I’ve added a belt. I don’t have many, but this one fits my needs. I don’t know the brand, but bought it at Gunnva, and they also had it in beige, and in bigger sizes (this was a “75”, and they also had it in “85”. I don’t think that is cm, since I wouldn’t be able to fit something that measured 75cm. Maybe they are inspired by EU bra-sizing? Since it is an under-bust belt).

Note that it actually had 3 of those leather panels, but I cut one off, as it was just adding too much bulk. Now it can sit more smoothly at my waist and underbust.
If I want to wear this dress for not so late evening events, I think I’ll pair it with a more colorful belt. I want to wear it for Christmas I think, so I’ll try to get my hands on a red belt, and perhaps some red accessories to lighten it up a bit J

The shoes are from Vagabond. They are so my style, and very comfortable and practical, and I use them a lot, but they still look all new, so it’s excellent quality. I think a “lighter” shoe would match the elegant style of the dress better, but a) I don’t have other fancy shoes and b) I like these too much to pass up a chance to wear them ;)

Under this dress, I am wearing Trinny&Susannah All In One Seamless Body Shaper in a size Medium.

Not me, obviously. 

I don’t know what’s up with the sizing, because according to their size charts, medium fits a waist of 27”-30”, which I am obviously not. But, this is the only shapewear piece I’ve tried that actually shaped my waist, which is sort of the point of why I want shape-wear in the first place, I have an annoying roll between my underbust and waist, and I have some rolls at the back, right around where I would like a belt to sit smoothly.
Extra bonus for giving me a nice bum: Despite being an hourglass, I don’t actually have a bum to write home about, my bottom half fullness is more due to my thighs, hips and lower belly. But in this piece of shapewear, I got a nice little shelf!
Speaking of my bottom fullness, aka. thighs, this is of course too tight there. Not as bad as on other pieces, showing that this piece is definitely more curvy in its sizing, so I can wear it without having to alter it/wear something  over it to keep it from rolling. I may still alter it at some point (as I’ve done with other pieces) to get a smoother look on my thighs in case I want to wear it with more form-fitted things.
I just said I didn’t have to wear something over it, but that is not entirely true: Because the fabric is stretched to it max, the texture get rather ribbed, meaning it makes a loud swooshing sound when I walk. But, easy fix, some cheapH&M leggings in 2xl cut off at mid thigh, and you are ready to go (are you sensing a trend of me cutting up stuff to make things work?)
One thing that puzzles me about shapewear, is that the backs come up so high – if this one was to sit tight and shaping at the top of my bra-band too, it would come up to over my shoulders, and the straps are way too long for that. I may alter this, cut it lower in the back/make the straps shorter. But not for this dress J
A last note of praise for this shapewear piece is the crotch area. These all in ones are a nightmare to wear to a party, because they aren’t meant to just quickly take off and on, but still the crotch area isn’t always so manageable. But this one is much better, it is more elastic in that area, which means it also gets bigger when you put it on, and isn’t so much of a hassle. To make it even less of a hassle, I have cut the seams a bit of the overlap, so they overlap more loosely, and I now won’t worry one bit when getting tipsy at a party.

I am wearing this dress with my newest Ewa Michalak bra, since they black and nude colors work well with this, even if it is seen a bit at the corners of the sheer parts, the nude will camouflage itself, and the black will look like a seam/part of the look. Plus, no bra gives as attractive a shape as the EM’s do, so I really prefer to wear it J

Figuring out Ewa Michalak

EwaMichalak, worlds biggest size selection of bras. They even make sizes if they don’t have it. Their narrow wires are like an answer to so many busty womens bra-prayers. Their uplifted, centered shape is one of the most coveted looks. So it is no wonder, that finding your right EM size is of high priority for many!

In the dawn of time, I ordered a 36H CH Biszkopty bra from Ewa Michalak. I loved the lightly padded cup, the uplift, the shape… But  then I noticed something:

What is that?! Well, I soon learned that it was the “Orange-in-a-glass” effect! I’ve talked about it earlier when I had my “shape epiphany” (funny how I didn’t notice for so long, and now it seems so obvious… But I guess I needed to be closer to my size to have other fit issues than “too small”)

The bra is not big enough near the bottom to allow the boob, much like if you put an orange in a narrow glass: It’s not that the glass doesn’t have enough volume, it just the shape that isn’t compatible:

 (Was it reasonable that I was super surprised when nothing bra related came up when I searched for “orange in a glass”, or do I just forget that others don’t have bra-related connotations to everything? I even had to take this picture myself!)

Since then, the CH has become too small on me (as I mentioned in this post, my boobs have grown noticeably since last spring when my proper “bra journey” started), and the Orange in Glass has become ridiculous (because it is too small all over, it is even pulling more at the fabric near the bottom, making it flatter!) 

(Difficult to photograph, as the best angle to see it, would mean the camera was covering it, with my oh so stealthy pics-in-mirror-shots)
This would turn out to be quite the obstacle between me and Ewa Michalak.
I tried some PL's in 36H which were definitely too small cup/too big band, and returned them for PL Onyks and Carmen in 34JJ. I have since referred to these as “disaster bras”. The obviously have similar problems, but Carmen is made of a thinner, less stiff fabric, and it is therefore not as noticeable, so Onyks will have to take all the rap for this mess:

Despite 34JJ being my “larger cup volume” (I estimate that I am a 34J-JJ, and sometimes a 32band), it did create a whole lot of “orange in a glass”. Well, no harm, I thought. Wrong!

^That is what eventually happened. The gap was not stable enough to support either boob or bra, and it was bound to collapse under the weight at some point. When it did so, it made some ugly folds in the bottom of the cup, making the bra cup sit lower than the wire itself, dragging my boobs down with it (droopy boobies!), distorting the entire fit horribly (as also discussed in the Shape post)
Because of excessive wear of this bra, these folds have turned quite permanent, and therefore the problem just worsens, because now the folds have taken up more space than the gap originally did!

Here we have so pictures to prove the mess this bra is on me:

And here we see how that messes with the overall compatibility between me and the bra:

I saw  another example of orange-in-a-glass, and the same incompatibilities again in a CHP Brzoskwinka in 34HH, though had it been larger, I think it would overall be much better for my shape. (Took a chance with a non-returnable order, just to try it out) (Only took one side-shot before I put it up for sale, and the picture was super blurry, so you’ll have to take my word for it ;) )

I discussed this on Bratabase, and both me and MilkAndHoney compared which styles, CH, CHP or PL we found the most bottom shallow. I felt like the PL was the most bottom-shallow, and CHP had the most volume, but she felt that CHP was the most shallow, and CH was the deepest! Hmm! I had already sold my CHP at this point, but she took a look at the bras, and concluded that *actually* CH goes out in the deepest angle from the wire, and PL the most shallow. So we concluded that whether the cup is too small at the bottom, can come as a result of different things in the overall compatibility  for example, the width of the bra overall, the width of the bottom if the wire etc. So many factors! It is not too difficult to see that you can't just pick bras of the rack and expect them to fit!

But, what to do when a bra is not compatible with your shape? You size up!

Here we have PL Cappuccino in 34K:

Now, I do think that this is technically too big, and some fitting issues associated with that comes into play: For example, it covers a lot of my armpit too (which is often the result of too big cup with too tight straps), and it is fuller coverage than I think was intended (I don’t mind though! My soft-ish boobs would appreciate the higher center gore promised to come in a future style, too!), and there can be slight gaping unless I am 100% scooped! But, what makes me confident that this is more like my EM size, rather than a smaller one, is the fact that I STILL get a bit of orange-in-glass:

But, I am quite happy with this bra! I am glad I have found something from EM that really does work for me, and I will continue to fine-tune my fit, because I really appreciate their shape, and I applaud EM for accommodating so many hard-to-get sizes! 

So, for me, EM is a really, really tricky business! But I feel like it is such a must have bra! When ever I’ve been wearing one, even my disaster bras, I get sort of disappointed by the shape of most other bras: I would do anything for that centered look, which so far I’ve found only EM to give!

On an unrelated note, I AM SELLING BRAS at Bratabase!!

TV styling for the XL Hourglass

I have mentioned it a few times on Bratabase as well, but I've been cast to get a make-over in a show (I am not mentioning the name here, because I don't want this blog to pop up when people search the show).

Well, it was today!

As I've mentioned on Bratabase, I encountered some problems with the bra brand who sponsored the show: They only went up to a UK G-cup, which is just never gonna cut it for me. You'd have to sister-size the shit out of it to get close, and many fitters have tried, and most have admitted defeat (others have said "Oh, but it is normal for a new bra to cut in" and "Some bras just aren't meant to have a flat center-gore" and "You just have to really keep pulling the band down")
I had informed the casters of my size in bras and everything else from day one, and still it was impossible to convince them that this wouldn't work for me. After some very condescending emails from the production, and a slightly snarky answer from me, they contacted the brand, who said they could do nothing to help, and that was it. I am quite disappointed  as the make-over hosts have stressed in interviews how important a proper bra is, and one of the hosts herself is a 32G. But oh well, I'll rather not get a bra, than be forced to say "Oh, how wonderful to get this lovely bra" about an ill-fitting one.

I know most of the stores that carry this brand very well, and therefor know that most of the ladies at the make-over show would not get a good fitting (we had to go get it ourselves before the make-over day), so I was rather worried.

The day came, and all the ladies were excited about their new bras, and so was I, on their behalf. Luckily, some of them were spotted to need a re-fitting at the set, and came out with much better garments than those they had brought.

I was advised to go talk to the bra ladies about my 'situation' and I was already sick of it. They bra-ladies had not been informed that I had already discussed this throughout  so they were rather confused: I said I did not fit an G-cup, and they said they wanted to take a look , and already my guard was up. To my surprise, even though I was wearing the most unfitted top I own, thus making my waist look 40"+, they said "How about a 38band?" (which is usually what I am suggested after I demonstrate that I am not as wide as I look in loose clothing) I then put my hands around my underbust and said "Actually, I prefer it much smaller than that, to get proper support" and they surprised me (I was prepared fot the worst) by saying  "Yes, of course, smaller bands is how you get the support, and you are much smaller than we thought - I'll bring you a 34band" Hooray! A fitter who knows what they are doing! She put me in a UK 34G, and, surprise  surprise, it was much, much too small. And that was it! They admitted "you are right, we don't have your size, so brilliant you brought your own ones, I think the one you are in now is great for the make-over" (It was Ewa Mickalak PL Onyks 34JJ) I am so glad I didn't have to struggle with the fitters there, and so relieved on the others behalf that they are in good hands. And so glad that the show actually bothered to get someone skilled!

Moving on to other hourglass-related topics on the show: I have to say, I am disappointed that despite giving my measurements, sizes and fit problems of clothes, none of the clothes brought seemed like they had been bought with any of that in mind. I only tried one thing on, that wasn't way too tight, and that was an oversized tunic.

First there were some stylists who put me in a bunch of different clothes, while I was blind folded - I got a full body wear-your-own-bra shape wear ting, which, as always, was too tight (rolling up) at the thighs, and too loose (not shaping) at the waist. Story of my life! But perhaps again a case of who is sponsoring - this was the hosts own line of shape-wear, so obviously they couldn't use something else.

Then I tried on about a million wiggle-dresses. And when I say wiggle, I mean that several stylists had to try to attempt to pull it over my boobs, or over my bum and thighs  If they finally succeed  the waist was still loose-ish , and omg, I can't sit down (or breathe).

When the host came, she took a look on me (note that I had to cover up, as my bra was the 'wrong brand', whereas the others were styled from their underwear - so perhaps I don't mind too much that they didn't get me a bra? :b), and said "Your thighs and breasts - fantastic breasts - are what is causing you a problem, size wise, and that's why we never see gorgeous your waist" You got it! So, good start. But as I said, nothing was brought to actually solve these problems. So it was a bit steep from then.

Weirdly enough, she didn't put me in any of the clothes that I had been pre-styled into - she gave me jeans, long tunic and a small jacket.
The jeans, no shocker, was waaay too tight around the thighs, and too loose at the waist - meaning it was inevitable that they would crawl down all evening.
The tunic was a thin , wrap-over-bust, low empire cut, which sort of draped over the belly, and created a rounded shape around the bum (for an hourglass like me, I've got a surprisingly insignificant bum, so a bit of extra volume there is welcome). All in all quite flattering for my shape, I think. It was larger than what I would have gone for (meaning that it would often fall open at my bust, and bunch up around cleavage, underbust and waist), but seeing as options were limited, I figured it was fine.

She wanted the jacket to stay open at the bust, and then pinned at the waist, and I must say, that was a flattering look - but oh my, arms way too small. The host then argued that most plus-size clothing is made much more tent-like, so if I want a waist like this, I wouldn't have to sacrifice size in other places, in this instance in the arms "But I can't move" "But you'd look fantastic going out for drinks with your friends" "Not if I intend to get a drink near my face" "You could with a straw, couldn't you?" "It would have to be a very long straw" Chuckles from the film-crew, and cue the jacket was sent to a seamstress to be made a bit larger in the upper arms.

When it was returned to me, they had continued the extra piece of fabric down to the bust (which was fine - the tunic was see-through, so more coverage was welcome), but they have put it too far, so it also gave extra room at the waist and underbust - though it was already too big there :( So, "Story of my life" continues! (They are wide stitches though, so I'll make an effort to alter it myself) But, because I had seen a lot of the other ladies get something they really, really weren't comfortable with, I decided to stick with this that was almost good.

So, all in all, I don't think they were properly prepared to actually give an XL Hourglass like me, an amazing make-over. The clothes were lovely (though perhaps only one at a time ;) You know how it is for TV, a little over the top), but styling and fit-wise, nothing new. Still same old struggle to find something that even fits, and the only thing they focused on was to emphasize my waist - something I am already desperately trying, so knowing the 'what'  is not enough: I need the 'how'!

After the show has aired, I will share some pictures and stills with you to show you more, I just figured a post now, while it was fresh in my mind, was in its place :)

I am curious/anxious about the editing of my interviews, because I get the sense that they are sticking to their view-point of who I am... I know that so often these shows are about someone with low confidence who feels inadequate, who gets turned around... But I said in interviews that I am not insecure at all, so I am more looking for clothes to match my confidence, but they may just edit that out :b They also kept asking me 'what would you wear for this or that', and I said an example ('jeans and a fancy top') 'Oh, so you never wear heels?' (could see them thinking 'we must show her how good heels are') 'no, no, I often wear heels' 'ok, but you always keep your legs covered, you'd never wear skirts or anything short?' 'No, I have lots of short skirts' Sorry I am not a stereotype of an body-insecure girl xD
And they also asked something like 'most other young people care a lot about clothes, how do you compare to your friends, when you are going out for example?' and I said that my friends care more about clothes, and they know what works for them, whereas I just don't really make the same effort... Well, I think (I couldn't hear properly) that they presented me on stage as "She often feels left out when her skinny friends dress up", and that's not at all what I said, at all. First up, she doesn't know anything about how big my friends are - from what I said, they could just as easily have been bigger than me! So I hope there are not too many of those bits where I am put in a way different light :o

I am glad that you are already used to seeing me without my head, because the hair they made for me was hideous! Anybody out there with very 'fat' natural curls? Do you know what we hate? Hair dressers. Know why? Because there is apparently no other outcome from a hairsalon than frizz. And proof here, when the best hair stylist of the country, gives me hair 3 times it's size, spread out one strand by strand. Luckily, they liked the color and they liked the length  so they just refreshed that, so nothing is permanent! 
And on another non-hourglass relevant note, they loved my make-up :b They said I had the best self-applied make-up they had seen when doing this season shows (and this was during the 28th episode, so I am very flattered!), so they also wanted to keep that much the way I had it (of course a bit bolder, as it has to be seen on TV)

A coat for the hourglass: Mission impossible!

Sorry again for neglecting this blog for a while! I've got plenty of excuses, but hey, doesn't matter, I hope I am back now :)

So, winter has come, it's cold, and we need to be dressed warm. But oh, it is not easy when no winter clothes seems to be made for our shape, is it?

So, here are some of the jackets I've battled with this season:

Here we've got an H&M jacket that I bought in 2009 (yes, it's been a while. I am a practical type of person, I only shop out of necessity, which is also why you won't see many style-posts from me ;) ), and if I remember correctly it cost £75 / $120. Though I rather liked this one, I knew it wasn't ideal for my shape. As you can see, I look quite flat-chested (and I very much like being busty, so this is sad news for me), and my waist looks huge - I definitely don't look like the shape I have! There is the option to tighten the waist, but as you can also see, the 'waist' is no where near my waist - it is in fact higher than my underbust. The top section is just too small, and tightening it will just make the boob-space even smaller! There is also a little bit of flattening boobs, due to the small shape. The jacket is a good fit on the rest of me though, not too much excess fabric at my hips or arms, and I loved everything else about it, so I would have kept it: Unfortunately  I forgot it when vacationing this summer :( (I went north, hence why my jacket-season started early) 

So, reluctantly, I went on a hunt for new jacket!

I had a coupon for Ellos, so I went there and found this coat for £85 / $136. I went by the size guide (Which is definitely not a curve-friendly chart), and took a size 52 (UK 24 / US 20) to make sure there was room for both my hips and bust. 

I think it is very obvious that this is a quite large size, that I have tightened excessively at the waist band (and it is still not actually at my waist) and I am not crazy about that look. There is just too much bulk at my arms and armpits, and the waist area. But, I think this is as good as it gets when it is done by sizing up, and it is not too bad.

But, this is a horrible, horrible jacket, and that is just unacceptable for that price. It is so horrible that Ellos has agreed to give me my full  amount of money back. The quality is just horrendous, and it started to fall apart from day 1. Added to that, I think it is obvious that there has not been put much thought into it - the pockets openings are almost vertical, making them useless as storage (compare those to my old jacket, where I could store bottles of water and books if I wanterd to. The fabric of the coat is of such poor quality that it can't even support it own seams, and the waist band has broken - horrible jacket.

But, up here in the cold north, I can't exactly send it back without something to take its place, now, can I? So the hunt continues... 

Enter Pepperberry. 

I have much love for Bravissimo, and I really want to love their clothing as well, but oh, it is difficult.
My waist measures 85cm, so that is on the small side of a size 16. But, the bust and hip measurements put me off this: My bust is about 119cm standing up, so I outsize even the Super Duper Curvy for size 16, and with a hip measurement well beyond the 110cm suggested  as well, it didn't seem likely.
So on to size 18. With a hip measurement of 117.5cm, and a Super Curvy bust of 118cm, this seemed a bit more likely (there are no Super Duper Curvy coats. I wish, though!).

I have to admit, this 'making do' with sizes reminds me an awful lot of the compromises I have to make with regular size charts?

I chose the Fur Trim Parka Coat, for £60 / $95

This is a truly lovely coat. I was worried that it would be too thin, more like a shell-type, but it seems quite warm, and quite heavy. The cotton feels very sturdy and of high quality.

And check the inside:

Cute floral at the back of the neck, along with a little chain that says Pepperberry. A little pocket with matching floral trim, and blue checkered trims along the inner seams, and the inside of the sleeve is satin. Quite lovely details, that adds to the luxerious feel you get from Pepperberry.

But, looks are not everything, lets look at the fit:

I am wearing a regular long sleeved top under this, and I can tell you, it is quite tight at the hips, as I feared it would be. It wouldn't be a deal breaker if it was great everywhere else, as it wouldn't be impossible to wear an extra layer. And to be honest, it looks so great when it is more trimmed down around the hips.

Going further up, we encounter the first problem, which is quite the opposite of what we had with the first coat: The waist on this one is too low. It is not at my narrowest point of my waist, it is closer to my hip, in fact. This fitted waist was not very fitted either, but since I had sized up to a size 18, I don't blame them, and it can just be tightened with the inner straps.

Now comes the most important: The fit of the bust. And oh, I'm sad :( It is so small! Like, really, really small, probably smaller than in most jackets in fact. As you can see, it really really squashes my boobs flat, if you compare it to the Ellos jacket. And I can hardly move my arms, because all the fabric is needed to allow me to breathe! It is especially tight at the top of the bust, and is therefor squashing my boobs downwards: I imagine this would not be a bad fit for droopy boobies - the lower (and looser) waist means there is plenty of space right around my underbust. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) my boobs are much higher than that, and this jacket fails at making room for them :(

So, it seems I am stuck with having to size up in jackets, and then just tighten their waist. I do find it annoying that jackets are even more so 'straight figured' than so most other clothing - with all the extra padding they give, I would have thought there would be especially demand for them being nice and fitted? Or is stuffy-looking simply the look for winter? I hope not :o

Emma Lingeri: I'll stick to online shopping...

Sorry for neglecting this blog a bit! I’ve had some crazy weeks, and then I had a horrible cold for some time as well, so no blogging :o

So, on to the post: I am always looking for stores near where I live, that had decent size rangers: I was looking at what stores had Freya bras, and there was listed a big department stores (which was not successful, as you can see I wrote about here on bratabase) but they did recommend another store, which I had also seen had Freya.

(excuse the crappy pics, they are from google maps)

Described as so on their website: (translated, obviously)
“Special advice for girls with big measurements - all sizes of bras”
“We cover a wide range - from AA to K cups.”
Already here, I was a little concerned. Why claim to have all sizes, when it is technically impossible? Unless they will create bras in any given size (almost like Ewa Michalak are willing to – though I am sure even they have a limit) And as seen in the more modest statement below, they don’t have all sizes. Several brands now offer up to UK L-cups, so up to K is in no way covering all sizes.
A bit weary, I contact them to a) ask if it was UK K-cups, or EU K-cups (which is about a UK H-cup), and b) if it really is true, or just a glitch on their website, that they charge 1000dkr for every Freya bra (£108/$174) (The most expensive Freya bra I could find at ‘expensive’ Bravissimo for example, was £34! What could possible justify the extra £74? I know we have high taxes, and that a physical store will always be more expensive, but surely not 218% more?!)
I realize that a question about if it really is true, would be rather annoying to have to answer with “Yes”, but I did actually expect an answer, but weeks passed, and none.

Yesterday, I was coincidentally in the area, and popped in to see the store for myself. It’s a small little boutique, crammed with lots and lots of bras, and there were two people at work. One who I think may be Emma herself, and another young lady, who quickly came to the counter when I entered. I told her I had heard they had Freya bras, and she asked what size I would like to try. I asked for a British size 34J and she went to look for some. They didn’t have anything in that size, she told me, but she did have an Arabella in 34HH “which is just a teeny bit smaller than the J”

I tried it on, and besides being an adorable bra, it was, not surprisingly, too small in the cup, but what was surprising, was that the band was so, so loose! I've figured I’m probably a small 34, but in this one, even in the inner most hook, I could very easily fit both my hands under the band. I told this to my fitter, who quickly said that I was not to close it in the tightest hook – went on to hook it in the middle, and proclaimed this to be a good band size for me. Good thing she knows it shouldn't be on the tightest  but it really shouldn't be on the middle either. And it shouldn't be loose on either of those. She then said that I had to adjust it a bit, because it was way too high on my back, so I had to make sure to pull it down so it was level ever so often. Gee, if only there was a way to avoid the band riding up, eh?  Even when she was pulling it around, I was baffled that she could not tell just how loose it was on me – she could easily fit both her hands under it, and pull it out a few inches when adjusting. Everything also moved around just as freely as if I had been braless – there was just nothing done by that band.
But the cup was too small, especially on my larger breast – some definite quadro-boob. I also pointed out, had the center gore been flat, then the smaller breast would also have some quadro going on. But she said that some bras just don’t lay flat. Well, technically true, but then that most likely is the wrong bra for you.
She let me try on a 34J, which they had waiting for another customer (so I could not buy it), and it was obviously better, despite the large band which meant the center was still not flat (and it is quite difficult to scoop on a too loose bra, I’ve found!)

She then moved on to offer me a Marie Jo, though I said I was certain they didn’t have big enough cups. She gave me a 80I (  ̴36G), “as these are probably tighter than the Freya you just tried” (well, I’ll hope, that Freya Arabella was uncharacteristically loose, as confirmed when I looked it up on bratabase: All reviews said so.)
The band did feel like the right snugness, but I’m pretty sure that also had a lot to do with the fact that the cups were approximately 3 sizes too small! So part of the band was used around my boobs, rather than just around my torso. When I said the cups were obviously too small (my soft breasts were literally folding a bit along the edge! Which they do if the cup is much too small both in width and depth), she told me that the edge was a bit elastic, and would stretch out to accommodate my breast. This rather annoyed me. Why would the bra be made to be very ill-fitting from new? Unless, of course, it’s not. Give Marie Jo some credit, I am sure they didn’t make the bra to purposefully give quadro-boob. And someone with smaller breast would not have it as so.
The worst thing, however, was the center-gore. One thing is a center gore that’s not flat, like the Freya was, that’s just not getting the full potential of the bra. But a bra where the wires are literally squeezing breast-tissue? No thanks! As it was just a coincidence that I got to go to this store, I did not have a camera, but here are some pictures to give you an idea:

(Pictures from Playtex, Bravissimo, Brastop and blogmagazine.org.  Funny enough, Playtex shows this as an ’after picture’ from a bra-makeover, whereas the others show it as a bad fit)
On these pictures, it even looks like the wires are more so ‘resting’ on the tissue, where they were actually squeezing me on the Marie Jo bra.
I pointed the center gore problem out to the fitter, and she repeated what she had said of the Freya bra, that some bras simply don’t lay flat. I explained that this was different than just a slightly hovering center, this was actually pressing on my breast tissue. She then just repeated that not all bras sit flat, and the reason this was on my tissue, was just because it wasn’t separating my breasts. I had to quite firmly tell her, that I would never want a bra where the wires were squeezing my tissue, before she let it go with a “well, this is probably not the right shape for you, then”. I have to say, her ‘advice’ on this bra quite shocked me. Had I not been prepared with some decent bra knowledge myself, she could have talked me into getting a bra which was just so horrible for me. I was very disappointed. 

She then said she had one from Fantasie, in a JJ “so that may be too big for you, since you say you normally use J”, she said. I told her the bra I was wearing when I came in, was actually a 75JJ (Ewa Michalak), so I would give it a shot “This is a 70 (32), though, since you fitted the 75 Freya on the middle hook, you can probably use this on the loosest until it stretches” Ok, so then it was cleared up that she did not understand how cups depend on band! The Fantasie bra was actually an excellent fit, despite it being a seam pattern I would normally not think much of (I think it was the Kara Full Cup), and the shape was not bad either,  but I had already decided that I would not spend my money in this boutique (especially not if they charge more than 200% of the bras value!). 

She asked if I knew of the brand Ulla, “who even have some bras in K or even L-cups!” and gave me a look of ‘can you believe it?’. If we are talking UK cups, L-cups are unusual, so I’ll forgive her for being a bit baffled at that, though I don’t like it when fitters treat any size as unthinkable. So I ask “Are those UK or EU cup sizes?” To which she answers that there are no difference at all between UK or EU. It suddenly made sense why she though an EU I-cup might fit me when I asked for a UK J-cup! (I checked Ulla, btw, and it is EU sizes: Their specialty is up to EU I-cup/UK G-cup and over 38bands, though they had some EU L/UK HH and smaller bands).
I remembered their site said they had up to K-cups, so asked about it: “Well, that just means we can order up to K-cups” Well, heck, so can I!

So, all in all, extremely disappointed with Emma Lingeri, and will not go again. As mentioned, Emma herself was there as well, (I assume it was her, as she is the same who is standing in front on their group picture on their website) doing some account work right next to the fitting room, so she could have done something, if she realizes what bad advice I was given. This to me can only mean that either she doesn't care, or she doesn't know better advice, neither which is good.

So, it seems things are not very promising for bigger bras and fittings in Denmark L There are very few stores left in my area that could possibly have more sizes.

Good news though, is that I am becoming more sure of my size: Those who’ve seen me on bratabase, will see I’ve added two big loads of bras, and in the second load, most the bras I got was a good fit :D Then it was just a question of liking them or not. I reordered the Marcie Bra from Cleo in 34J rather than 32J, as it could do with being a bit bigger in the cup. It could also do with the cups to be closer together, so I will take in the center gore, meaning that it is fine that I had to go up the band to get a bigger cup, as it will probably take an inch off the band when I alter it.