Mini Reviews! Forever 21, Soma, and Victoria's Secret

At my closest mall, we have very little in the way of bras outside of Victoria's Secret (VS) and Soma. I love Forever 21's selection of cheap, adorable bralettes/bras but they don't really work for me (not that stops me from trying!). I, as usual, tried something on from Forever 21 even though I know it wouldn't fit-I'm definitely not a 32C! Outside of the Forever 21 '32C', I wasn't really planning on turning it into a bra trip. I thought I was going to write a quick post on Forever 21 and be done with it. However, my fuller-figure friend wanted to stop into Soma. While we were waiting for her to join us from her bathroom break, I discovered someone I knew was working there. I figured it didn't hurt, and asked her what the smallest band/biggest cup size they carried. I was told that it was a 32G US, which translates to a 32H UK! Doing that research makes me realize I definitely did the mental conversion wrong because I thought that the 32G US was smaller then the UK conversion size. That does explain why nothing fit in that size though. I tried on the most at Soma. Finally, we ended up at VS. We always end up at VS. My friend loves their underwear and fragrances and stuff and I like to wonder around. I only tried on one bra, but it was a hell of an experience. Excuse any funny faces/lighting: fitting room selfies are extremely awkward.

This is the 32C from Forever 21. I wish I could have tried it on in a 32D but this was the smallest band/biggest cup I could find. It's super cute but everything is wrong. The cups are made of a stretchy soft lace that is not very supportive. I loved the bold mesh lace and the color of the bra. 

Sad sad shape. I get no support. I think it was a triangle seam cup with a side sling for added support. Straps were stretchy, cups were stretchy, band was stretchy. No support.

The band was divided into two parts: a mesh half and then a trendy strappy bottom half. Note the side sling-I'm not entirely certain it did anything.

The gore was too wide and rested on tissue. I thought it was an interesting way to treat the gore.

So Forever 21 was a bust. So many cute things-nothing in my size! On to Soma. I hate to say that I was a really bad bra blogger and forgot to note what style these were. :/

So I first asked for the smallest band/biggest cup they had. I had my conversions mixed up and thought that the US size was larger then the UK size. Knowing that it is the opposite explains why these next two bras were so damn big on me. Interestingly enough, this one and the tan one are molded cups. They're very thin and flexible like fabric though but offer no seaming.

Both bras in 32G US were far too shallow at the root for me. They were also full coverage and all up in my armpit. No bueno. I asked for the next size down and my friend brought me...a 32DDD. I was too confused to ask how that worked. I was expected a 32F (because a 32DDD could be considered a 32E). Doing some research, Soma has 32Es listed from the retailers Freya and Fantasie. 32F isn't even an option. The next time their own brand pops up is in 32DDD. If anyone can make heads or tails of that let me know!

So here is this tan one 32DDD. The volume is pretty good on the larger boob. I'm not entirely certain how much of that extreme wrinkling on the other is due to size difference and what is due to my taking photos. Again, super full coverage-tall cups, tall gore, long wires, tall wings. 

Band is true to size.

I didn't dislike this bra at all. However, for 65 or whatever dollars, I better be pretty damn wowed and to be honest I thought this bra was butt ugly. That plus the less than perfect fit made it a no go.

So here is Soma's version of a pushup bra (also in 32DD). Very shallow and wide. I almost hate to admit this...but I bought this bra. I know. It does not fit. It is a Bad Fit with capital letters. Yet, it is comfortable and soft and I have some clothes that are so clingy that even my flattest Ewas don't hide under them. Also there was a sale if you bought two so you know. I did this so my friend could get the deal. Anyway: shallow, wide, no immediate depth. Medium wings, low gore.

Band is nice and firm for a 32. I'm estimating 30/31 off the top of my head. I get some quad when I wear this as well as deep wrinkling in the bottom of the cups. Since this is a bra for certain outfits mainly, this was not as big a concern as it would be in a bra I'd wear every day. I'll go into this more in depth with my review, but I think the quad is actually from a shape mismatch and not a size one. I plan on putting in narrower wires but I'll go into that in my review, as well as my very pleasant store experience. 

And finally, Victoria's Secret. I haven't bought a bra from them since I found a bra that fits. And even then I wasn't buying bras from there. This was by far the most unpleasant experience. There was a very very pushy saleswoman who was trying way too hard to make the sale. I saw a 3 part cup in store but it didn't come up to a 32DDD or I would have tried it on. I tried on a longline and it's a laughable fit.

This bra was just a mess. It was too small and shallow, the band shifted around, the gore was too wide and I had quad. And the straps weren't fully adjustable! There's nothing special about the front of the straps that would necessitate half adjustable straps. I was very disappointed with my overall experience at VS.

Overall, I'd reccomend Soma if you are in their size/price/shape range. The bras are super comfortable and they do have some cuter options. I did not get sized so I cannot judge that part of the experience. However, the store was very pleasant and everyone was super nice. They also wrap your packages up really nicely with tissue and don't fold them to put them in a bag. I hope to have my full review of my Soma t-shirt bra up within two weeks at the latest. Thanks for reading! I hope this helped.

Forever 21 Sheer Mesh Bralette in size Large

I was out with my cousin tonight and we decided to stop by Forever 21. She began to look at their bralettes (she's around a 28H/30G) so I figured I'd join her. You never know until you try, right? They have a lot of pretty bras and slouchy bralettes but their bras use matrix sizing so those were definitely a no go. I tried a underwire-less bralette and the fit was okay but not good enough to justify the cost. I tried this on first in a medium. While the Forever 21 site calls this a 'bra', it is more like an under-wired bralette and that's actually what the tag on the bralette says. While the band was perfect, the cups were far too small. The cups on the large fit perfectly, but the band is a smidge too big. Just my luck. I bought it anyway though because it's super cute and a style I haven't seen yet for non-matrix bras. It's minimal support, although it does have underwire. For some reason it's a front close so the gore is far too wide and I can't easily take it in although I might try to take it in at the back (just sew a seam straight up middle). It has underwire and triangle cups with one seam for shape. There is light boning on the side and the material is very stretchy. This means it's super comfortable and there's greater ease for fit. You can slide the top cup around to suit you. I love the two straps and two layered cups and if anyone knows of this style in a bra form that goes to 30F or 30FF let me know!

First up is the first bralette I tried. The cups were too small and folded at the bottom. My boobs were creeping into the band-space. It was very comfortable but provided minimal shaping and support. It's hard to see in the photos but you can see the lack of shape in the front shot and the quadboob in the angle.

I had a lot of issues tonight taking photos for some reason, so I might try to take more tomorrow when there is daylight. Here's the second bralette and the one I ultimately bought. All these photos are taken pre-band shortening, but I found that that just made the bralette fit even better. 

No idea why the lighting is so bad. Here you can see the gentle shaping the bra gives. It's east-westy but still lifted and round. The gore is super wide but oddly enough that doesn't really cause a problem.

I keep forgetting that this is a bralette. I mean, the shape and support is gentler then my bras but I still get a phenomenal shape from it. The top layer is shifty-you can slide it around to best suit you like I had to. I wish I could do the straps tighter because they are rather stretchy but then I get quad. They aren't that bad at the length they are though and definitely still wearable. 

I love the look the two layers give and how it hints at being sheer and naughty but still manages to hide my nipples. This bralette is very armpit friendly. The wings are low and the straps are close set. There is the boning on the side as I mentioned but as of my brief try ons it wasn't too noticeable.

Have I mentioned how much I love this shape? The edges have some sort of binding on them that might dig in and cause quad. It happened to me but I was able to scooch things around. For this reason, I do not recommend this bra to any one who is very full on top. The cups are narrow and deep which is perfect for me.

The material the band is made up of is very very stretchy. I already took it in using the Skeptical Bra Blog's tutorial and when I get around to it I plan to reinforce my handsewing with machine sewing. This band originally stretched to 35.5 inches: it now stretches to 30.5. Originally the bralette felt very shifty and insecure down near the bottom/outside of the wires but now it feels so much better and more secure after the alteration. There was no significant/noticeable effect on the cup fit but the straps are now closer together in the back so I need to angle them farther in on the front which works fine for me. I also stupidly snipped the mesh while trying to cut those tags out so hopefully my repair holds well.

So this is how my boobs normally look in a bra. I wear almost exclusively Ewa Michalak so I have prominent, in your face boobage 99% of the time.

The bralette, on the other hand, provides a softer less pronounced fit. It's still round but more out to the sides and minimized from the side. It almost hides under my tanks too-better then Ewa's do anyway.

Cup construction-two layers, triangle shaped with a single seam.

I am so pleased with this bralette and I'm glad I was able to get it to work for me! I wish that Forever 21 carried it in other colours because I would so buy them all. Now that I now some bralettes/sml sized items work for me I won't be scared off next time. I hope this holds up to wear and wash: the quality is expected for the price ($15) so I'll be treating this gently.