Summer Dreams: a first look at the best of Spring swimwear

Posted on January 18, 2012 by busts4justice

Spring 12 Swimwear

It’s January 18th, there’s frost on the ground, and I’m wearing Uniqlo thermals under every inch of clothing… it’s not the most obvious time to be scouring pictures of nearly-nude women for outfit inspiration. But I have a deadline. In a month, I’m going to be (drenched in factor 50 suncream, complaining about freckles and heatstroke) on a beautiful beach in Thailand – so it’s time to dive in and warm up with a look at the hottest swimwear picks for Spring 2012…

Last year was undeniably outstanding for swimwear, with (what felt like) an infinite stream of styles, prints and colours bombarding us from every direction. And 2012 already looks like it’s going to be similarly bountiful – although I am disappointed not to see a great expansion in ranges beyond a G/GG cup as yet. H cups and beyond, I can only recommend getting in early if you see a style you like. Competition for those sorely under-served sizes is always fierce.

Hold on to your hats. It’s going to be quite a season…

First things first: Lucille is back – and she’s blue. Panache’s gorgeous nautical inspired range and star of 2011 returns with an even more nautical twist, available up to a G cup from 20th February – sadly (so sadly) too late to accompany me on my Asian adventure. A total classic though – well worth walking the plank for. Ahoy!

Lucille Panache Bikini

Curvy Kate’s long awaiting first swimwear collection launches this year, diving straight in all the way up to a K cup from the off. Hurrah! Cute, colourful with a classically Curvy Kate twist (hello ruffles!) – the three styles are a great alternative for those sizes pushed in to the black and bland territory by their cup size. Look forward to trying these out for size this year.

Curvy Kate Bikini

Also coming to the rescue of the much neglected H+ cups is Bravissimo, with this fruity number available now and all the way up to the K cup. The catch? It’s called the Copacabana. Good luck trying to get that song out of your head now…

Copacabana Bikini Bravissimo

This super cute Gingham Girl bikini – especially when paired with these cheeky, 50s inspired high waisted knickers – by Miss Mandalay. They’re not in store yet but they are due to be sold in Bravissimo this year. WANT. The only trouble is, I can’t seem to pin down sizing information – will they be reserved for our small cupped sisters, or will they boldly follow last year’s beautiful Harbour bikini in to the echelons of the HHs? Anyone?

Miss Mandalay Gingham Girl Bikini

Still with me? Hurrah! I have a lot of love for Figleaves‘ own Midnight Grace range, and this year they’ve come back with even more cute prints. Sadly we’re back in to G-only territory cup-wise, but I love the pin-up style of these halter bikinis and swimsuits. Super cute. More sizes please Figleaves!

Midnight Grace Bikinis by Figleaves

And last but absolutely not least, Freya‘s new lines come in a huge range of prints – festively all named after dances to get you in to the summer spirit. I have to say my favourite is the (gingham, again) Lindy Hop (below left, to a GG), but it isn’t released until April. Boo. Still, until then there’s the lovely Swing Lagoon (middle), and the super-bright Calypso, which sees Freya swim paddling in bigger cups, but only for 32-38 backs. Also look out for the Charleston, which seems to be the endlessly popular Pier but with bows. Cute!

Freya Swimwear

I need a lie down. What’s your favourite?

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What most people don’t know about bra sizes…

Posted on January 15, 2012 by busts4justice

La Senza Cup Choir

By most people, I don’t mean the discerning busts4justice.com reader, of course. But as I read the comments challenging her bra size underneath the gorgeous Lizzie Haines’ interview in the Daily Mail, I decided a world still blighted with ill-informed, ill-observed judgements about someone else’s bra size still needed more help explaining the (really not so difficult) nuances of bra sizing. If only to stop my head from exploding.

Here are five top tips to understanding all those numbers and letters. Feel free to wield this as a weapon in the face of boob ignorance. Even if you have to print it, roll it up, and boff people about ears with it…

1: IT’S ALL RELATIVE!

Theory of Relativity. And Bras

Never judge a girl by her cup size. It’s not the letter, or the number, that signifies a big bust: it’s the relationship between the two. The number indicates the measurement in inches around the ribs (usually close to exactly, if you’re doing it right) beneath the bust, and the letter indicates proportionally the difference between the two. So…

A 36DD = 34E, 32F, 30FF, 28G

…because the volume is the same,  but the proportion in comparison to the body is not.

2: D DOES NOT MEAN BIG!

28D bras

With that in mind, you can see that a D cup doesn’t necessarily mean ‘biggest’. In fact,

28D = 30C, 32B, 34A.

Beautiful, yes. Pushing the boundaries of bra size comprehension? No.

3: CHRISTINA HENDRICKS HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR!

Oh, Ms Hendricks. The woman is endowed with the most phenomenal bosom on television, and yet she does all of her similarly bestowed sisters a huge disservice by calling herself a 36DD. So women see her and, in spite of their quadraboob nightmares, don’t venture further up the alphabet because they assume that they can’t be ‘bigger’ than Hendricks, or any other famously endowed woman insisting they’re within the conventional bralphabet. A true DD cup would struggle to create the mountains on show below. Squeeze a GG/H cup in to a small space, however…

4: THERE IS MORE THAN ONE RIGHT ANSWER!

Got the numbers and letters sussed? Great. But that isn’t where a woman’s bra size journey ends. Leaving aside for the moment the fact that our awesome bodies change continuously through our lifetimes, so t0o do design and manufacturing standards between brands, styles and seasons. So whilst a 30G might be the most “correct size” between me and a conversion table, a 28GG, a 32FF, and in fact any other size in the vicinity could be “correct” factoring differences from bra to bra. This is why it’s important to recognise a good fit without the labels. Check Bravissimo for an excellent guide to getting it right…

5:  ALL BOOBS ARE GOOD BOOBS!

I Heart Boobies

Bra sizing is a hugely individual and personal process, and what is right for you is all that matters – regardless of how you feel you compare to girls in the same size bracket. Love what you have, and enjoy that you have it. And don’t forget to give them a squeeze once in a while. It doesn’t hurt to show your boobs you care…

How will you be spreading the good fit word this week?

 

 

 

 

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Stars of Spring: Fauve

Posted on January 14, 2012 by busts4justice

Fauve Lingerie Annalise

It definitely doesn’t feel like it yet, but Spring is fast approaching and with it the long awaited SS12 lines are creeping out between the stripped sale rails.

Having missed out on getting any end of season bargains (couldn’t handle the e-scrum, especially on websites without all the functionality needed for painless multi-size searching or European delivery) I’ve been refreshing pages like a blogger possessed, waiting for something fresh to capture my attention.

Fauve has definitely caught it. Freya’s luxe big sister has exploded in to spring with some real crackers, and so far for me is the stand out brand of the season. The lovely Annalise, above, is a beautifully feminine set, perfectly walking that line between floral and chintz. And the brocade-style Emmanuelle in lipstick – which while I’m fairly sure isn’t as new as it’s being billed (wasn’t it a love that couldn’t be from last season?) – is still gorgeous and well worthy of investigation.

Fauve Lingerie Emmanuelle Lipstick

I am also in love with Veronique in Grape, below, for being elegantly boudoir without edging in to bordello… Purple totally outstrips red in the bedroom – boys, take note.

Fauve Lingerie Veronique Grape

And if that wasn’t enough, look at what’s coming in February. The Moonstone colour of this Dali is going to look great with a whole spectrum of skin tones, and I’m all for pretty off-white alternatives to boring white bras. Especially in that lovely minty colour. Oh Fauve, you dreamy thing.

Fauve Lingerie Dali Moonstone

As for sizing, I advise caution – in the past, whilst I’ve found Fauve to fit perfectly in my usual Eveden size of 30G, it fits perfectly at its tightest hook. If possible, it’s worth trying a whole back size down/cup size up to ensure you get best value for money out of the sets – which (unsurprisingly, as Freya’s luxe big sister) are more expensive than other offerings this season. Of course, this means that – sensible hat on – my love for Fauve is unrequited – their bras start at a 30 back. I know there’s no future in it, but oh – sensible hat off –  what a wonderful first month or so that 30G would be…

Available from Leia Lingerie, and a number of other retailers online.

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Lizzie Haines wins Plus Size Model of the Year!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by busts4justice


Congratulations to the awesome, the clever, the talented, and the flipping lovely Lizzie Haines for adding another trophy to her multi-talented mantlepiece – after romping her way to victory as 100 Percent People‘s Plus Size Model of the Year!

Curvy Kate’s 2011 Star in a Bra winner raced to victory in the public vote, taking 36% of a hugely competitive (and bloody long) list of nominees. And frankly, Busts 4 Justice couldn’t be happier that she did. A true role model and an excellent lady to boot. And she’s gorgeous too – did you notice?

Win it Momma!

Visit Lizzie’s website here, or find out more in her interview with the Mail here.

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Freya Active Swim: the next big thing?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by busts4justice

Freya Active Swim
2011 felt like a year that promised many innovations but didn’t quite deliver. The long awaited Panache sports bra was met with conflicting reviews – including from this blogger who is waiting for another size to appear before I can decide if my problem is fit or that it is a torture implement sent to punish me for changing my mind about hating exercise. Boux Avenue promised high street size diversity, but launched with a limited size range for F+ cups (it is creeping up, but there’s a long way to go…28 cups anyone?) Oh, and I still don’t have my rocket pack or teleport – both of which I’m fairly sure are overdue.

So hurrah for the first review of 2012 then, for Freya Lingerie’s newest addition to their Active range: sports swimwear.

Last year, the thing I was asked most for by readers was advice on finding good, made-for-sports bra size swimwear. And the truth is, there just hasn’t been any. Freya’s newest Active arrives to fill a long unplugged gap in the market. And as I strongly believe Freya’s underwired sports bra to be the best out there, my expectations were perhaps unfairly high.

So could it meet them? Incredibly, yes. I wore a 30G (I usually wear 28GG in Active, and indeed in most Freya of late), but 30G was perfect (given the nature of the support, you can probably play around with sizing more than you can with normal swimwear). The swimsuit itself is comfortable, and the cut and style make it both attractive and indeed flattering – when was the last time any DD+ girl could say that about a sports swimming costume? The support is soft, but actually very good both in and out of the pool. (In the interest of experimentation I cycled to the gym in it to test this, and – with the exception of big jolts off kerbs – it was supportive enough to get me there without mishap. The things I do for science…)

And it’s even better in the water. Firstly, it’s chlorine resistant (which your bog standard bikini won’t be), so that helps extend its life in the very harsh environment of a swimming pool. Secondly, the soft support gently separates and lifts – meaning you don’t get that horrific, smooshed together and awkward to swim with “buoy” effect when you’re swimming on your front. Plus the soft support gives you much more freedom of movement than you would have in an underwired bikini – meaning you can work as hard as you can without restriction.

My only reservation about the swimsuit itself is that cup sizes are pretty arbitrary, and in the 30G I don’t think you could be much wider or much longer in the body than I am and wear it comfortably. So it’s good then, that the swimsuit comes alongside a tankini swimwear style that will be more flexible in the amount of people it fits.

And if all that wasn’t enough, not only will every Freya swimsuit made help another woman get in to the water, but it also saves 1/2 a metre of Atlantic rainforest with the World Land Trust. What better reason could you have to dive in?

The Freya Swim suit comes in sizes 30-40 C-H, (30-38 C-H in the tankini), and is available in two colours from retailers online, including Leia Lingerie, Simply Swim, Bras and Honey. Hurrah!

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