The past couple of weeks I have been suffering from an unfortunate plight that some of you may have experienced - my bras are trying to kill me.
I hate to admit it in public but I have put on weight (job loss + festive period = new dress size) and as a result my current bras are digging into me something rotten.
Whilst I have every intention of shifting my weight gain it is not going to happen overnight and I my poor body cannot take the discomfort of my bras much longer. I am also a big advocate of women making sure that they have the correct bra size after being really bad at it for so long.
So I embarked on trying to find some reasonably priced bras to wear in the meantime. When I started to search in high street stores I found myself facing a few problems: finding my size, budget and bras that weren't minimizers proved difficult.
And I am not alone ladies. I noticed a few women on my twitter feed were having the same problems as I was, so I decided to write about it and try and find places that offered the bigger busted of us choice and didn't cost an arm and a leg. With the average bra size in the UK on the rise, surely women with big boobs are no longer a niche market?
Here are my picks of where to shop (if you have any suggestions or tips of places you like to shop, leave a comment below).
Simply Be
Simply Be has had a pretty good year. The brand, which started out as a plus size catalogue now has stores in Liverpool and Bury. If you can't get to the stores, don't worry you can also get their lingerie online. They stock back sizes from 32-48 and cup size B-H and offers a range of bras including sports bras, multi-way and strapless. Another good thing is that they even have a value section which stocks packs of two bras at really good prices.
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| SHAPELY FIGURES PACK OF 2 BRAS, £21 - SIMPLY BE |
Owned by Dragon Theo Paphitis, Boux Avenue is a fairly new player on the scene. They sell beautiful lingerie and maintain the feel of luxury when buying underwear but without the 'luxury' price tag. Their stores aim to offer great service in a modern setting and I am dying to get to visit one, but in the meantime I shall make do with perusing the site. Offering up to a 40H in bra size a must for busty ladies. (Tip - check out their sale, there are some great offers at the moment).
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| LYLA SATIN BALCONETTE BRA, £24 - BOUX AVENUE |
Whilst a tad more pricey than some, Bravissimo is one of the champions of the bigger bust on the high street. They also offer a bigger range of large sizes than anywhere that I know of on the high street, with sizes D-KK cup. As they are a specialist in making bras for larger boobs, their designs are specifically catered to their market and give full and comfortable (and pretty) support.
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| POLKA DOT BRA, £18 (SALE PRICE) - BRAVISSIMO |
M&S have been doing what they do so well for so long that I doubt I need to explain. I got my first proper bras from M&S when I was a teen and their pants and bras have graced my underwear drawer my whole adult life. They cover all the bases bra-wise and they manage to do pretty and practical to perfection.
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| LIMITED COLLECTION VINTAGE LACE DD-GG BRA WITH SILK, £18 - M&S |
George at Asda
I had to include George at Asda as I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw larger bras at such a great price. For day-to-day t-shirt bras, they are definitely worth checking out, especially if you're skint and are in need of new bras. And with sizes up to a G cup, they are offering great value for more women than most in their price range.
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| 2 PACK BRA SET (AVAILABLE UP TO G CUP), FROM £9 - ASDA |
