Our 11th wedding anniversary was on August 7th. We had dinner and spent the night at Brookstreet Hotel while the girls had a sleepover at Nana and Papa’s house.
I got my hair cut/coloured/superstraightened for the occasion and although I had a brief and fleeting issue about what to wear I settled on a favourite dress. (I look at that photo now and wonder why I didn’t crop the toilet paper out. Gah!) I wore a pair of black heels that made me 6ft tall. (I love being tall!)
It was right before we went out that I read Dani’s post about bra shopping. Her post inspired me to get measured by a professional. I am a firm believer in foundation garments. Good underwear and a great bra can make a huge difference. But like every mom who’s breastfed, gained wait and lost weight again, my bra size has been anything than constant. I was a C-cup before we got married and DD when I was 200-pounds of pregnant with Emma. Subsequent weight loss has had an effect too. And since it’d been a couple years since I went shopping for underthings I figured it was high time to suck it up and do it again.
My intention was to go to BraChic here in Westboro but unfortunately it’s beyond my budget. So I went to Marianne’s at Westgate instead, a place which was recommended to me many times over. I wasn’t disappointed! The store is big, larger than I expected. It’s divided into three main sections: swimwear, sleepwear, and bras (although they also carry a lot of other things like summer hats, flipflops, cover-ups etc.). The staff person who helped me was extremely courteous and professional. I was really impressed.
I wasn’t expecting my measurements to be too far off from what I was already wearing. I thought I was a 36 and somewhere between an A and a B cup. My salesperson didn’t even measure me. She took one look and proclaimed me to be a 34. I was right about being an inbetweener. With cup-style bras I’m a B, with sports bras and other similar fabric/no-cup style bras I am indeed an A. (I had to laugh because I’ve been inwardly referring to myself a B-minus.)
I walked out with two everyday bras and one sports bra which totaled $150.
Armed with my proper size I finally felt comfortable returning to a store I hadn’t been to for many years – Jacob. I heard that Jacob Lingerie store at Bayshore was having a huge end-of-season sale and I took the opportunity to stock up on several of the cutest bras I’ve ever laid eyes on, in colours and styles I haven’t owned since I was dating (HELLO HOT PINK). I hadn’t worn matching tops and bottoms in YEARS, so I picked up some sets. There’s a lot to be said for the matchy matchy look. AM I RIGHT?
My new bras make me look totally stacked. I think I look taller too. (!) It feels great to be such a hawt mamma! ;)
Anyway, all this time, effort and money was totally worth it. It’s been a real boost (ha, no pun intended). I wish I’d done this ages ago.
I beg you. If you want to make yourself feel great, get over the discomfort of getting a proper bra fitting and buy yourself some fabulous lingerie. You won’t be sorry you did.
