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NB: This is a bra which has been discovered during a drawer cleanup. It's both very old and very worn! The cup depth and width measurements should be accurate, but I would be uncertain about the accuracy of any band measurements. No tag left sorry Jj.
The Berlei Sweatergirl range seem pretty typical of the type of bras used to fit more women into less sizes. They're fairly full coverage and a one-piece cup, with what appear to be somewhat wide wires, thick, close-set straps, and from my memory in the standby colours of white, beige, slightly darker beige and black. This one is 'slightly darker beige', although it ... is quite faded now. They fasten with 3 rows of 3 columns of hooks. The straps are partially adjustable.
When I was in high school, my family hadn't quite figured out the internet yet, so the smallest band size and biggest cups was very simply what was available in our department stores (Grace Brothers (now Myer) and David Jones). I was so slight as a teen, that even the standard +4 measuring tapes used in Australian bra stores didn't actually put me into a 10 (32) band, but my bust size did. So this style is (in gradually increasing cup sizes) what I wore for most of my school days.
Pros: It doesn't show up under thin, light coloured uniform shirts. The materials are very sturdy, so I outgrew the bra before I outwore it. The full coverage and fairly wide band meant that the bra was fairly comfortable to wear, despite me knowing now that it was a very poor fit.
Cons: I honestly suspect that the design of this sort of bra would not fit a woman who uses Bratabase standards of bra fit (roughly a 32" underbust and roughly a 38" bust) owing to the relatively deep, closed cups and full coverage, which are unlike the breast shape of most women in this size range (who usually have comparatively tall and shallow breasts).
Additional thoughts: I wonder why full-bust bra companies cannot adapt some of the features used by mainstream companies for their largest cup sizes, as whilst most women wearing DD-E cups probably don't require full coverage, broad bands and centred straps, women in J+ cups would appreciate these features. As a small framed, very large busted woman, I seem limited to balcony styles which end up with straps which would like to sit 2-3" out on my arms and very high-cut armholes which rub under my armpits and are uncomfortable. While balcony cuts are 'cute' and nice for a special occasion, for everyday wear, I'd really prefer something in a similar style to this.
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This bra is not owned any more
Updated on Sep 07, 2014 Flag this
Seeing this bra is a total blast from the past. Is it just me or did sizes used to be bigger then. Eg. A 10E back then was way bigger in the bust that the 10E's of today? I feel like bras have gotten smaller.