You remember Gossard, don’t you readers? They’re the brand that after coming under fire for appallingly incomplete and misleading fit advice performed a hopelessly flawed and uncontrolled ‘test’ on fitting methods and concluded their one was the best.
Well, who am I to argue with that kind of science? If they’re sure their fitting advice is scientifically *cough cough* proven to be better than one based on no calculators and actual good fit practices, then I’ll default to their superior knowledge. After all, they make these bras. They must know how they fit.
So before ordering a Gossard EgoBoost (bastion of female empowerment The Sun’s push-up bra of the year, don’t you know…) I grabbed a tape measure and quickly ran my vital statistics through Gossard’s bra calculator to make sure I was going to get the best fit.
Now while this seemed fishy to me at first, Gossard’s small print says this is most accurate between sizes ‘A-DD’. Only women above a DD should check with an in store fitter. I’m in range, so I added to my Figleaves basket and waited for my ego to be boosted. I like to call my stubborn disregard for logic here “Gossard PR Style”.
What can I say? One week later and I can confirm that Gossard’s EgoBoost is possibly the worst bra I have ever reviewed. The heavily padded cups are small and, it almosts seems, entirely in the wrong position. At the side, the wire tracks in to the side of my breast and causes spillage so wide I couldn’t button my shirt couldn’t fit properly. In the middle it’s a similar story, with the wires resting on my breast tissue and smooshing them down. Try as I might to jiggle everything in I couldn’t fix this, and as I moved very quickly my back band was riding up and I could feel my boobs being pressed down against the ribs below.
But whatever, right? This is EgoBoost, not ComfortBoost. Maybe she’s not about the support – maybe she’s one of those bras that never leaves the bedroom. Except (and here I was genuinely surprised) the cleavage was lame. I tightened the straps fully to try and get the right lift, but nothing. So much of my breast was being squished out sidewards and downwards that there was nothing to go up. When I tried tucking everything towards the middle I got something approaching the advertised cleavage, but it didn’t take long for gravity to undo it all.
This bra is so bad, it’s almost as if I’m wearing it in completely the wrong size. But looking through Gossard’s website, it’s clear this is how the EgoBoost is supposed to look. Gossard’s bras aren’t supposed to sit flat against your chest or effortlessly lift your bust skywards. They are designed to smoosh your boobs in to an approximation of a Sun newspaper worthy spread, and then it’s up to you to stay completely still and use carefully applied bronzer and PhotoShopping to get the advertised result. Baffling. EgoBoost? I’m not sure how low my self-esteem would have to be to need a pick-me-up from this.
For a truly decent push up bra from a company who does give a crap how it fits, check out Freya’s Deco collection.
Busts 4 Justice 
Their band are rather tight, aren’t they. I just received one of their most awesome designs in a 30FF, it fits, but I am debating to go up to a 32FF….but if the 30 fits on the first hook, even if rather tight but without muffin top, maybe I should stick with it.
Actually I don’t find their bands too tight (granted, I was trying a band two sizes bigger than I would usually wear here). I would definitely stick with a snug band if it fit find and there was no muffin top though. You get extended wear out of it, and the bigger band size would probably be too loose anyway.
Couldn’t agree more. I see no point squashing yourself into something like this when you could buy something that actually fits, doesn’t physically hurt to wear, *and* makes you feel that your body is something you want to celebrate and share (cf. Freya Carys, the most comfortable and most beautiful bra I have ever owned or worn).
Are you not a little bit curious to know how the bra would fit in your actual size? I mean… I’m all for not buying into brands that perpetuate this kind of misinformation about bra fitting, but their products might be redeemable if they have to potential to fit well. As consumers, we do have the power to shape industries by voting with our wallets – but we won’t change anything if it isn’t proven to companies like Gossard that they could make money from selling sub-32, G+ bras.
Yes and no. To be honest, there is literally so much padding in those things I wasn’t personally that interested in trying a 30G. The last time I reviewed a Gossard bra in the same way I did review both. The bra was okay, but their attitude to my poiny stank. The reality is now D-G ranges are fairly common and what Gossard offer is nothing special: I would prefer to spend my money (and my writing time) supporting companies that give a damn about fit and are part of the solution, not part of the problem…
Well said! I’ve been thinking about this as far as blogging goes, and how to decide what gets a review and what doesn’t. I think it’s really responsible of you to hold them accountable for their customers’ well-being. I have never bought a Gossard bra, but I don’t really feel inclined to until their fitting/PR practices change dramatically.
I used to wear padded pushup bras a lot because I believed myself to be about 32B and wanted to be bigger than B cup. I turned out to be closer to 28E, wearing the right size gives a far better boost to my shape and better cleavage than sticking gel pads in 32Bs offering no support at all! Anyone who believes Gossard advice probably does need an ego boost…but not the one Gossard are offering.
I’m really sad that Gossard has such poor fitting advice, because I actually am a big fan of their bras. I wear a 30F, and the Ooh La La range has been a wonderful fit and my lace pushup creates some wonderful cleavage, but according to the calculator I am a 34B. In what universe? That would be a horrible fit!
I’m usually sad that I’m out of Gossard’s size range, because I think their lingerie is beautiful, but seeing your entries on them, I can honestly say I’m glad that I don’t give them my money if they give fitting advice like this. That bra you have sounds like the 34DD VS bra I owned in high school. Extremely padded but no cleavage because everything went… well, the wrong direction! I finally had to tie the back together to get any sort of support and “oomph.” Not comfy!
Im a 32FF and i LOVE this bra! i have 4 at the moment and plan on buying more. its the most comfy bra i own and gives me great cleavage.
When it comes to bras, the right fit is key and I wouldn’t sacrifice my comfort even if it made me look like a supermodel lol