Elle Macpherson Intimates available in a 30 back

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

elle macpherson intimates

I have been coveting Elle Macpherson Intimates’ colourful boudoir inspired lingerie since they launched their D-G range, but hitherto haven’t been able to play with much success because they started at a 32 back.

Enthusiastic as I was though, I somehow missed the announcement that finally my ship had come. It’s finally happened – Elle Macpherson now stock 30 backs. Hurrah!

Or so I thought. I tried the basic Artistry bra (above – how beautiful is the blue?) – and though it’s beautiful – simple, elegant, vintage-y and sophisticated – it’s definitely not for me. The band is snug, which I like, and the cup technically fits perfectly. But somehow, it’s not a match. The wires come up far to high at the sides for my (pretty average) frame, and didn’t quite sit right in the middle either – the cups seemed slightly too far apart. For my shape at least, it was too wide a bra for my body. But for those trying to problem solve a long rib cage, or wide set boobs – it might just be the solution for you – would be really interesting to see who it works for. Even though it’s a bit ya-boo-sucks for me….

Elle Macpherson Intimates is widely available online and in stores, including from Figleaves, House of Fraser, and Selfridges.

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Star in a Bra is back!

Posted on February 15, 2012 by
Curvy Kate Lingerie
K-Cup champions Curvy Kate are out in force and they’re coming for your bits – Star in a Bra is back.
The contest, which strives to celebrate positive body image and diversity, has run for the last four years and in that time has seen Curvy Kate rocket from a small bra collection on Brastop.com to a thriving brand.  Now with a global empire and an ever increasing share of the high street, we can only assume that this year’s contest will be the biggest yet.
I’ve always been something of a cynic about the whole ‘empowerment via nudity’ thing – but I have to say from the girls that made the top ten last year Star in a Bra truly does make a difference to the women who enter. And you only have to look at the top three, which features blog powerhouse Georgina Horne and the multi-talented and multi-lovely winner Lizzie Haines, to know that it’s as much about brains and balls as it is about boobs. I can’t wait to meet the finalists this year.
The contest opens on 23rd February – tune in to their Facebook to find out how to enter.
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Decoliscious : the new Freya Ashlee in sorbet

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

FREYA LINGERIE ASHLEE SORBETWinter is over. Or at least, the bleak, cold months without getting my hands on any new lingerie are. Freya’s newest Deco inspired molded plunge bra – the Ashlee in sorbet – landed on my desk this morning, and its coconut ice pink (more vivid in real life) is the perfect antidote to a month of sub-zero temperatures and thermal undercrackers.

I’m a big Deco fan, not least because I live in Amsterdam and the way it lifts the boobs is fantastic for defending G-Unit from the anything a bumpy bicycle ride can throw at them (see this post for more on protecting your delicate bits from your two-wheeled adventuring). And Ashlee fits very similarly to other twists of the Deco – it’s certainly comparable to the Taylor. It fits beautifully in the cup and and the deep plunge gives a great shape, though as with the Taylor some women – especially inbetweenies – may prefer to size down in the back and size up in the cup to get the most wear out of their style.

With that in mind, it is disappointing that once again this style is not available in a GG for 28 backs, but I believe the much coveted bigger cupped Decos could be in the pipeline so perhaps there’s good news for GG+ sizes to come. In the meantime it comes in the standard Deco sizing – 28D-F, 30D-GG, 32-36 B-GG, and 38 B-G – and with the option to partner it with some cracking high waisted pants too… Yum.

What style is brightening up your February?

Freya Lingerie Ashlee Sorbet

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Kelly Brook for New Look

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

Kelly Brook for New Look

Kelly Brook’s new lingerie collaboration has taken the high street by storm, with New Look reporting a boost in sales and the Daily Mail reporting at least forty eight articles on the subject so they can keep printing her picture.

I confess, I was a cynic. When the initial press shots leaked, I groaned (well, tweeted…). There she was again: beautiful, lovely, naturally boxom Kelly Brook pouting and pushed up in a bra too small for her – no doubt from a range barely close to supporting her bup size. I so long for her to stand up and use her status and her many charms to be the champion of boobs everywhere. And possibly my gal pal. Though that’s probably a bit weird.

But actually, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong – some of the fits shown are horrible and there has clearly been retouching to sort out the wires digging in to the wrong places: not good. But the range itself – while probably not catering for Kelly’s full bust – actually goes up to an F cup. An F Cup! IN A MAINSTREAM HIGH STREET STORE! That’s pretty huge.

The bras are gorgeous, and at just £14.99 they’re also cheap – so there’s no question they will continue flying off the shelves, and that more will follow to fill their spaces, and that women will continue to wear uncomfortable bras because marketing campaigns tell them it looks right. And let’s face it, we all know how powerful a squished boob can be at turning a big cleavage in to bazongas. For hanging around in the bedroom seductively, a too-small-cup can be very effective – as Kelly expertly demonstrates. Hell, for the right bra and the right occasion, I’m not adverse to slipping in to something a little less restraining. Just as long as I don’t have to move too much…

Kelly Brook lingerie (and hilariously kitch feather mules) is in stores now and selling fast. But if you prefer your high street priced lingerie to be able to do more than recline suggestively on the sofa, check out Boux Avenue. Vintage, boudoir inspired lingerie that actually goes up to a H cup and not to pricey either.

Oh Kelly – will you ever embrace your true G+?

Kelly Brook for New LookKelly Brook for New LookKelly Brook for New Look

 

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Why Playtex need to do more than change their calculator

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

Alison Deyette Playtex

Alison Deyette: do not trust this women with your breasts

It’s been a week since Playtex responded to pressure and pulled down their disgracefully misleading bra calculator and promised to review the way they advise fit, but a week on I still have concerns that they’re not doing enough to serve the very many women currently unhappy in bras Playtex have put them in.

The calculator may have gone, but Alison Deyette is still everywhere, cheerily giving terrible fitting advice while she jokes about ‘the ladies’ and adds five to everything. These videos need to come down.

Worse though, is the guide page – which as well as offering no visual solutions (although given what they show in their videos, probably wouldn’t be up to much), offer gimmicky product ‘quick fixes’ to help women solve their slipping or digging in straps. Anyone who knows good fit knows that these are two red lights for a bad fitting bra, but instead of addressing the root cause exploits the women further by selling them product they don’t need. Marks & Spencer did this a while back with the ‘Flatter Me’ bra - and I think it shows a total disdain for those women who put their trust – and their money – in to these companies.

I did check in with Playtex yesterday, and I will let you know when I hear back – tune in on Twitter or Facebook to keep up to date with the latest. In the meantime, keep fighting, keep spreading the world. What we’re asking for is a revolution – a culture shift in the way mainstream lingerie companies advise and serve their customers. It won’t be easy, but we won’t stop.

 

Useful reading:

What Most People Don’t Know About Bra Sizes

The War on Plus Four Manifesto

 

Posted in Busts 4 Justice, War on Plus Four | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Playtex remove bra calculator… what next for the War on Plus Four?

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Playtex Bra Calculator = wrong

Late on Friday, Playtex announced that they had finally removed the controversial +5/6 bra calculator from their US website.

In a post on Bust 4 Justice’s Facebook, they said:

“Thanks for reaching out. You’re right, and we’re sorry the fit calculator was wrong. We took it down, and we’re making adjustments to ensure it is correct. We appreciate your passion on this subject, and your feedback is really important to us. If you have any additional comments, feel free to send us an email at help.playtexfits@hanesbrands.com. We will respond as soon as possible.”

So that’s it, right? A job well done, off to the next?

Not quite.

Despite a few critics’ misinterpretations, the War on Plus Four isn’t merely a battle against +4 calculators. Nor is it a case of +0 vs +4. The War on Plus Four fights against bad fit advice where it finds it, tears it down, but then works to ensure that what replaces it is truly effective at helping people find their perfect fit (check out the War on Plus Four battlecry for more...). And here at Playtex, there is still work to do. Though the calculator has gone, still the fitting advice video advocates a +5/6 method; and in the bra makeover videos poor examples of fit are being held up as correct. So we will keep up the pressure to ensure they take this opportunity to rethink their fitting advice, because we want Playtex fans across the US to get the best possible support from their brand – and, in turn, get the best possible support from their bras.

Rewriting a new marketing position and creating good fit advice and support isn’t free and it doesn’t happen overnight. But – to Playtex and any other lingerie company – it’s an investment worth making. People who hate their fit also tend to hate their bras, but you only have to look at the rapid expansion of D+ specialists in the UK to know that women who find that perfect forget-it’s-there support will buy more lingerie – because they love it. Sometimes, doing the right thing pays off.

I’ve extended our support to Playtex on this going forward – and if anyone has any constructive suggestions or would be keen to volunteer for a focus group, you can reach Playtex on the e-mail address above.

I’d also like to say thank you and congratulations to all who inspired and helped fight this battle – you did amazingly. The work at Playtex isn’t over yet… but I wonder who will be next?

Love from B4J xx

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War on Plus Four: The Manifesto

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

Wonder Woman

NO ONE SHOULD SPEND EACH DAY HATING THEIR UNDERWEAR.

Wires that poke. Straps that dig. Gaping cups and underarm fat. The constant, nagging need to readjust. The inability to move five paces without needing to readjust again. And don’t even get me started on what can happen when it’s hot…

All women deserve freedom from the discomfort caused by ill fitting bras.  So Busts 4 Justice and the War on Plus Four are on a mission to demolish all of the bad information, calculators and guides that continue to keep women in these sizes. And we promise to keep on fighting – for as long as it takes.

Interested in joining? Have an idea/request for a campaign?  Swing by on Facebook, Twitter, or drop me an e-mail on busts4justice@gmail.com. Or why not initiate your own skirmish yourself? There’s a whole lot of work to be done.

FAQs

Q: Isn’t the War on Plus Four just replacing one arbitrary rule with another?

A: No. The War on Plus Four isn’t a case of +0 vs +1.  We want +4 calculators to be abolished and replaced with clear, visual guides to help women recognise their perfect fit. Where numbers are insisted on, we suggest a neutral +0 starting point, with high emphasis on using that as a base from which to find your perfect fit - be it +0, +2, +4 or even -1.

Q: Why do you bother? 

A: Because I know how – and I don’t use this phrase lightly – life-changing a perfect fit can be. I spent 10 self-conscious, uncomfortable and sedentary years loathing my body for burdening me with uncomfortable 34E behemoths that weighed me down, got in my way, and made me look huge. Simply by switching to a 30G, I dropped a dress size, kissed goodbye to my quadra-boob and PDAs (public displays of adjustment), and took up sport.  My boobs don’t even look particularly big any more.

Q: What does a perfect fit look like?

A: A firm band that stays horizontal to the floor around the back and lies flat to the chest at the front. An underwire that fully encases the breast tissue. Cups that sit smooth without spillage, puckering or gaping. Shoulder straps that don’t dig in. And most importantly, you should be able to forget it’s there from the moment you put it on in the morning to the moment you take it off at night.

Check out Bravissimo’s guide to see if you’re getting your perfect fit.

Q: Who’s next on the hitlist?

A: If your fit advice makes you part of the problem, not the solution – then consider this fair warning. It’s only a matter of time…

Q: What else can we do?

A: Brands are a big piece of the puzzle, but we can make a difference everyday by passing on our knowledge of good fitting lingerie. It may be a while before the impact the War on Plus Four is having on brands filters down to consumers. But by sharing good fit with mothers, aunts, sisters, friends and daughters, we can make a real difference to comfort, support, body image and confidence… one woman at a time.

What do you think? Will you be joining us?

Posted in Campaigns, War on Plus Four | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments