I had heard from two different co-workers about a store called Lady Grace where they do bra fittings. I've had a hard time finding bras that fit that I like, so I decided to go to this place and even made it priority enough to put on my to do list. I currently have a little bit of feeling better about myself to do, so I decided to start from the basics and go buy some bras.
I walked into the store and said I was interested in a fitting. A nice and professional woman took me into the dressing room to begin. Truth be told, I was nervous about being half-naked in front of some random lady who would measure me, but it turned out that this was a clothed operation. In order to do the measuring, she asked me to hoist myself up. She didn't use the word hoist, but that is what I did. I held onto my bra straps and hoisted while some measuring went on. She asked me if I put my bras into the dryer. Yes, I answered. She then told me that after the first time you put them in the dryer, you just have expensive slingshots with no lift. I presume that was why I was hoisting. That was lesson one.
I am about to share the most amazing thing about this trip. I was basically buying the right size, part of the time. It turns out I am borderline on the cup size. Fascinating, I thought. No wonder I always feel like I can't find a good fit (and I'm sure the loss of support from the dryer made the rest of it). At one point, I thought perhaps I was not quite (I'll admit it!) a B and so would try on different sizes going smaller if I thought it wasn't right, never feeling quite right. Well, it turned out I was bigger than I thought and was borderline B/C. It is amazing to me that I could have read myself so wrong. What I find most interesting as well is that my shoe size is 9 1/2. Many shoemakers seem to stop half sizes at 9, meaning I am left with the choice of 9 or 10. Another sizing dilemma. This seems to be a running issue for me in other things as well.
So, this nice woman brought me a couple bras to try on and checked me out when I was done. It turned out I was a B in one and a C in another. I still couldn't believe it. She had me put my shirt back on and then mentioned that my breasts were now higher than in the bra I came in on. This makes me look slimmer due to looking less slouchy. That did help me feel better! Then, I went on my own and the next most interesting information came out. I found a style I liked, got both B and C and then headed back in. I didn't feel a whole lot of difference between the two, so I asked the lady to look me over. When I told her I wasn't totally sure, she let me know that my left breast was slightly bigger than the right. Don't worry, it is natural, she said. That's fine by me since I don't think it is noticeable, but I have learned I need to fit for the left. What a day of learning.
I then decided to ask about an athletic bra. You see, the athletic bras I have been using are about 18-20 years old in some cases. No joke! Of course, they are not holding up as well as they used to (yes- a pun!) and it is time to get rid of them. A different woman handed me two other bras with actual sizes (not the squish bras with a range of sizes) and it felt totally different. Boy did I learn about foundation garments. Luckily, it is sale time, so I stocked up some and headed on home after getting a full talk on proper care.
Now, after I write this, I'll go clean out my drawer. This is a great first step to improvement. Over the last week, I lost about 3 pounds, putting me back to a weight I was before, but it was still inspirational. I am sure it is a side-effect of my new consciousness about my health and eating due to the cleanse project ( I say that and everyone thinks laxative, but that hasn't been the effect so far)- and maybe a little due to the fact it is getting warmer out. I realize, too, that I won't lose weight if I feel bad about the way I look and how I dress, so I decided to look a little further into my closet and found clothes that I hadn't been wearing. I remember when I moved about a year ago Tim noticed clothes in my closet he had never seen- part of the effect of feeling like I was fat and frumpy was that I wouldn't wear them, but I actually pulled some out today and felt pretty good about myself. So, although some other things in my life may be a bit chaotic- yes, you career!- I am actually feeling quite positive about my self-improvements. My next step will be buying new underwear after losing another 3 pounds. Since that isn't on my list, I'll keep that story to myself (although the physical therapist did tell me that my right hip is slightly lower than my left- if you didn't know me, you'd think I was a mismatched, uneven freak- but that is only true about me emotionally).
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