2
How long does it take for bands to stretch out?
When i first found this site, I learned that you should get bras that just fit on the loosest hooks, so that the bra will still fit when it stretches out.
well, I've now had my purple floris for 8 months, and my envy, which I dont wear as much, for 9. Both have gotten more comfortable - the wires dont hurt like they used to - but both still fit on the tightest hook. and i have not gained any weight, I've maybe lost 2 lb.
Is it just that these bras have really firm bands? Or does it always take years to move down to a looser set of hook? Or maybe I'm not even really a 32? I tried a 34 in the raspberry marcie, because everyone said marcie runs tight, but the raspberry is super loose, so even my 32 needs to be on the middle hook most of the time. and I guess I have a 34 elomi, which is fine on the 2nd hook.
Filed under Bras ups and downs
14 comments
You just have to remember all fabrics/brands are different. Just because you wear a 32 in one brand doesn't necessarily you'll be a 32 in every single other bra. I'm sure you've noticed there are lots of fluctuations in measurements with different fabrics, brands, etc. Have you taken a good look at your bra measurements and noticed how different they are?
As far as Marcie, I don't know if I've heard the rumor that it runs tight. Looking at your bra measurements, your Marcie was 26.5" unstretched/34.5" stretched when new, which is very, very stretchy for a typical 32 band. No wonder you can wear it on the 2nd hook. ;-) My Marcie (same size as yours, but different color) only stretches to 31.5".
You have your purple Floris stretched band measurement at 31", so it's no surprise that you can wear it on a looser hook than the 34.5" stretched Marcie. :) Your Fiolecik says 24.3" unstretched/30.5" stretched, and your BM Perla says 26" unstretched/33" stretched. Even though the tag on all of those says 32/70, they are VASTLY different.
All of your bras have different band lengths and are of different 'stretchiness' (is that a word? lol), so it makes sense that they would wear at different rates. Also, I believe the lifespan of most bras is *supposed to be* around 6 months or so, so the fact that you're not even on the tightest hook yet after 8-9 months is still really great. Of course, we in the bra community have learned how to care for our bras so they do last longer than that (and a lot of us tend to own a lot of bras, so we rotate more!) Wearing your bra on the 2nd or 3rd set of hooks doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's not dead until it's too loose on the last set of hooks. :)
If I were you, I'd measure the stretched band length of all the bras that feel really comfy right now and compare them. That info might tell you what your "ideal" stretched band length is. In the future, you can look on Bratabase to check stretched band lengths to see if a 32 or a 34 would be best in the particular bra you're eyeing. I find it helpful to click on the link that shows you all of the measurements for each size. Not everyone measures exactly the same way, so I like to see how much it varies from person to person. I also tend to trust measurements from usernames I recognize moreso than newbies (just because seasoned users have more experience measuring).
Yeah, i do look for that - but sometimes it varies with colors (like the marcie).
But if the average life is 6 mo and after 8 they havent even started to stretch much . . . . that average life seems really wrong.
have you had any bras give out after that short a time? have you actually kept any bras for 2 years?
This thread has 14 comments. Log in to read them