shopping for bras

[Janet Bern]

This is for all of you who are a bit embarrassed to go to stores to find bras in person.
Yesterday I was in drab and brought my breastforms (in my pocket) with me to Kohls. That was a piece of cake. I picked out bras and brought them to the fitting room and tried them on. No one paid any notice. I brought a few back and hung them up to the place I bought them and picked out 3 more. tried them on and decided on 2 bras. I went to the line (about 8 people) and held the bras and went to the checkout when I was called. Checked out and paid and exchanged a few words with the cashier and left.
Next stop was a Maidenform shop in an outlet. Lady said "can I help you?" I said I was looking as I walked over to the bra section. I picked out a few and asked her if I could try them on. She said "try them on?" I said yes and she said sure and brought me to the changing room where I tried on a few and then after picking on asked if I could try on a few more. "oh Sure" was the answer and I did. i bought 2 bras and left after chatting a bit with the ladies.
Next stop was the Hanes Bali Outlet and figured I would try again. A young lady asked me if she could help and I told here I was looking for a 40 or42 bra with long enough straps over the shoulder and cups that were narrow and not too big at the inside. She stuck with me and suggested I try one on. I rode too high on my chest and when I came out I told her. She suggested another on and it was a perfect fit.
I was about 10 miles from my home and would suggest the same any of you CDs that would like to get a perfect fitting bra.
There are more of us doing this than you think.

[Susan]

Bravo Janet

A very good example for our shyer sisters.

I hope you enjoyed yourself.

[KimberlyS]

Great job Janet.

That has been my experience also. Be honest and ask for help and you get it. And yet they may pause as they have a sudden reality adjustment, but after the pause I have always been treated as regular customer.

Keep up the good work.

[RickS]

It is nice to hear about all the positive experiances some of you have had.
It gives encorugment for the SHY shopper,in our community.

Lets describe how it realy is in a store like Macy's.
(The lingerie dept. is on the 1st floor.)
When a guy goes into the lingerie department, he is usualy greeted by a female sales person. Asked if he needs any help. She is usualy very friendly helping you find what you want and in a size that will fit you. ( if you tell her it is for you ) Then if you ask to try it on , she will thell you that men can't use the women's dressing rooms. That I can take it to the men's dressing rooms on the 2nd floor to try it on.
So you tell yourself , Sure why not .
So you have to walk through the store carying these items. ( skirt,bra or whatever ) to find a elevator to go to the 2nd floor. When you get up to the 2nd floor, you have to cary them across the men's department to find their dressing rooms. Being looked at very odly by people on both floors.
You go in and try it on to find that it is too large or small.
So then you have to go through the reverse process to get back down to the lingerie deparment to find something that fits.
Men shopping for women's can be a large obsticle for the Shy shopper.

[Erica S]

Good going Janet,

I am glad to hear you had such a positive experience shopping for bras. Now when you where done with your fit tests with your forms, did you just put your forms back in your pockets and resume your male mode? Did anyone notice? I can not imagine that they would because you were in a dressing room.

Now another question, what do you measure on your chest, where one would measure for the band size? I am a 39 inch measurement there.

Again great job in shopping I am glad your experience went well.

Hugs,

Erica

[Absaroka]

I think I have the chest measuring thing figured out finally.

Some sites say measure under your bust and add 4" for the band size. Others say measure above your bust. In both cases you measure from the spot where the band lies in the back.

I couldn't figure out why some sites said to add 4 inches and others did not. Then one day I measured myself and lo and behold measuring above the bust gave a dimension about 3" larger than below the bust, which is why you have to add that 4" when you measure below the bust.

There have been a couple of times I've been measured in stores. Each time the SA measured below the bust and just used that dimension without adding anything. The result was always a bra with a band size much too small.

I figure that the SAs are probably not that used to measuring men. And thus they make the relatively easy mistake (I'm also 6-2 so they have to reach up a bit to do this) of measuring below the bust rather than up above, perhaps reasoning that the measurement will be the same on a man.

zari

[Carolynn]

I have had the experience that if you have a male chest measure of over 40", then you use the direct measure for the band size +2 inches unless you are going to wear the bra in the outside hook loops. Usually only resort to that when you have one that you really like but you can't find in the size you need. When you are under 40", adding three or 4 inches to the band seems to work pretty well, but the most accurate is above the bust measure. Also don't fortget that most CDers are measuring for a bra to confine breast forms, so take that into account. Might want a little more snug fit than if they are attached.

[Erica S]

Carolyn is right, My wife just bought some new bras and well they hold her well but there is room in the cups. I am not sure if it is too big band size or cup size is too big. I have seen and read that you want a snug band and the cup should hold your breast but not have is over flowing. This could be an issue with us being cross dressers and most using forms. You would not want a bra that is too loose or big in the cup size as it would with some outfits look and feel bad.

That is IMHO, anyway have fun finding the bra that fits and feels good and looks good on each of you.

Hugs,

Erica

[Azurielle]

The only bad reaction I ever had when shopping for lingerie was this clerk at sears who jaw-droppingly spaced out when I asked if I could try a sports bra on. Took her about 15 seconds to snap out of it. It was more hilarious then not, even tho she almost ran away screaming ''fire'' as soon as she unlocked the door.
Ah, well, it's a crazy world we live in!

[Davita]

Yep, them sales ladies in a lot of departments have come across all kinds of people. We just have to be confident and normal (as normal as we can be) and the sales ladies will respond accordingly. Myself, I am always cognizant of the other customers. It doesn't do anyone any good to scare off customers. And it doesn't do us any good to be uncaring of other people's feeling even if we don't like them -- a lost sale is lost income to some one.

Anyway, I have in my fun plans is to go to a bra fitting event en fem and have fun with it. Fortunately, I have plenty of places to do that. I just have to decide if I want to surprise a new batch of folks.

[Jessica Hannah]

Great to hear and thanks for the advice. I am a bit fortunate as my wife used to work in the lingerie section of a big department store and is an expert at fitting people for bras .

[Absaroka]

Jessica did your wife ever discuss men coming in and wanting lingerie for themselves?

[Janet Bern]

Jessica, I would be interested in hearing how many
men came if for bras for themselves, How many en drab and
how many enfemme?

[Janet Bern]

I just want to add a suggestion that I made on another website regarding
bra fitting.
Your opening remark "I informed her that I was looking for something in 38-B and how that was not a common size"
was the perfect comment to an SA. You let her know that you wanted to buy a bra that fit you. No excused or made up story.
She immediately fit right into her job of selling a bra. (if you have breastforms, be sure to bring them or wear them)
A good lesson to anyone that would like a fitting ... Poke around the bra section and when asked if you need help say yes
and be specific as to what you want..