Congratulations you’ve gotten some new bras! You’re wearing them on that loosest set of hooks and they feel comfortably snug, supportive and all around awesome. But how do you know when it’s time to readjust and move onto the middle or even tightest set of hooks? As the elastics in the band stretch out the tension that helps keep everything in place start to make a few things shift around, so we’ve put together a short guide on what to look for when it’s time to move those bras in a notch.
- The gore (where the wires meet in the center) starts to dig into your chest wall: Everything is going well with your bras, but one day you notice that the wires are starting to put pressure on your sternum. Think of the bra band like a belt, when it has just the right amount tension, everything will stay in place, but if it starts to stretch out that belt buckle is going to shift around throughout the day, digging into your stomach or pelvis.
- The wires start to rub or chafe under your armpits, or dig into your rib-cage under your breast tissue: As the band loses elasticity the tension on the wires is no longer staying level with your underbust, when this happens your bra isn’t defying gravity as well and it has a bit of a teeter-totter effect, the band slides up a bit and the wires shift down causing pressure on the breast tissue or on your rib-cages (sometimes both)
- The band doesn’t feel as secure: Sometimes the band will just loosen up over time and you won’t feel the shifting of the wires when you’re wearing your bra but over all the bra just doesn’t feel as supportive.
- You feel like you’re adjusting your bra more frequently during the day: When your bras fit well and are brand new they tend to stay in place for most of the day, if you start noticing yourself pulling the band down more, or feel like you have to readjust your bra on your lunch break it might be time to tighten up the band a bit.
Sometimes these changes are gradual, other times your bra starts bugging you right in the middle of the day! If you’re on your last set of hooks and you notice these irritations, then it’s probably time for a new bra!