Wearing Wireless Bras For a Week
With my cup size dropping again, I decided to really think about the kind of bras I want to wear before investing in my new lingerie. I thought and I thought, and where my thoughts landed is probably fairly obvious if you’re a dedicated follower of this blog: Fortnight. And so at this very moment, the only bras I own that fit me the way I like are three wireless Fortnight longlines.
Mira in Sky/Peach, Vega in Dusty Pink, and Mira in Navy/Black
Wired bras haven’t really been a priority of mine recently. I’m not sure what triggered it, but I’ve become fairly sensitive to, and just aware of, the wires pressing against my body. I can size up in the band to get a looser fit, but that doesn’t seem to change my feelings about under wires.
This isn’t to say “I’m done with under wires! Who needs ‘em!” It is to say that I am branching out to wireless bras more frequently for everyday wear, whereas I typically used to wear them as home bras. What’s been particularly interesting about this development is feeling that I’m breaking some kind of rule by wearing wireless bras in a D+ cup size– that I’m not fulfilling some quota for how much lift one “should” get from their bras. It’s a subtle, and has not deterred me from actually wearing my wireless pieces, but every now and then I catch myself feeling like I’m not getting “enough support.”
But what’s enough support precious?
To explore these feelings, I decided to exclusively wear wireless bras to work for a week. The results? Interesting.
I’ll start with the conclusion and explain how I got there: wireless bras will now be part of my everyday lingerie rotation and are one of my go-to choices for work. I will not exclusively wear wireless bras, as I don’t feel comfortable with the shape under all of my clothing. Unlined and lined wired bras will still have a place in my drawer.
Wired options like the Panache Andorra for instance! I happened to find this beautiful discontinued colour on sale the other day.
There was an adjustment period over the course of the five days that I wore wireless bras. At first, I felt like I needed to adjust and fidget with my bras, but that need largely subsided after day two. By day five, I was able to leave them alone and wear them like any other wired bra.
Why were wireless bras difficult to adjust to in a setting other than my own home? I have some thoughts. Contour bras are generally the style pushed by highstreet lingerie shops; bras that ideally mould your beasts into a near-perfect sphere. When I first got fitted, I wanted to stick with contour options because they seemed the most average. But when my fitter showed me the Freya Pollyanna, a discontinued unlined style with a lace upper section, my curiosity was piqued. I tried it on, and was enamored by the natural yet lifted shape, and the breathability of thinner materials. Since then, unlined bras have generally been my preference to contour bras. But for a while when I first began wearing them, I did feel odd. Occasionally I’d feel self-conscious, that my breasts somehow looked too breast-like, and so I would fidget with my bra frequently (which once you put into words is a fairly ridiculous sentiment).
Freya Pollyanna. The black version was my first well fitted bra.
Beginning to wear wireless bras has had the same sort of adjustment period. The more I wear them, the more normal they feel and look, and the less I feel like adjusting or fidgeting with them during the day. Right now I prefer them to most wired options.
So, again, what’s enough support precious?
As much or as little as you like.
‘Til next time,
Windie
I think you nailed it with “as much or as little as you like”. It holds true for me as well that I was self-conscious at the beginning when I was wearing non-padded bras, I still am to some extent but that’s more to do with the nipples showing through occasionally… I’m not okay with that. I know it’s a normal function and not necessarily a sexual one, but I would get serious glares if I walked around like that acting like nothing in my country (Sweden). I’ll only wear non-padded bras when I know I can cover up in some way (for instance a scarf hanging loosely). Kinda fucked up when you think about it, I’ve seen guys wearing thin shirts and sometimes their nipples are poking through, nobody bats an eye about it (I notice it and find it slightly uncomfortable at times but hey, they’re humans so I don’t really care).
I think a good guideline though for support would be that unless it hurts, you’re good 🙂 I really, really like the look of Fortnight bras, where do you usually get it and how do you afford it? I remember you saying they were expensive?
Hey Jenny! Yeah I experience similar nipple paranoia. It’s not really seen as a super okay thing here in Canada either. I’ve been trying to get over it, but I do own some pasties that I use for work when I want to wear sheer or unlined bras.
I usually buy Fortnight bras from Secrets From Your Sister, a boutique in the city I live in. The prices are identical there and online, so it just means I can avoid paying shipping basically. They are unfortunately quite expensive (roughly $100 per bra), but I managed to get two of these on a great sale 🙂 And I’m getting a decent tax return this year, so I have some spare fun money right now! They are worth every cent though, the workmanship is phenomenal.
Fortnight bras are available online from shops like LYNNsteven, Journelle and Lille Boutique. I know there are a couple more, but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head!
Lucky you haha, I run the risk of getting major VAT expenses if I order something from the States (or Canada)… I’ve done it once though, bought the Creaclip from the US and I was lucky enough to not bump into any VAT expenses, maybe because it was so cheap… You don’t happen to know if there’s any limit for when it applies? I’ve heard ordering stuff from abroad and living in Canada can be a really expensive business!
I’m not sure if I’ll order something from Fortnight in the near future but they’re definitely on my mind! Your reviews of how the band feels is really appealing to me, I hate bands that are overly tight in the elastic and more slack throughout the rest of the fabric (Freya!!!). I’m also attracted to the fact that many bras of theirs are wireless, I really don’t think underwires are always necessary, it depends, and I feel like my chest is small enough to do good without them (I’m about a 30FF right now, recently gone off BCP so I’ll likely go down to a 28 since that’s what I used to be, and my boobs have grown a little so they’ll probably go down a cup or two as well).
I’m pretty sure customs charges differ from country to country. I almost always face import charges on items ordered from the U.S, but only occasionally from items ordered from Poland or the UK. I think U.S residents will avoid import charges if the item is below $200. I haven’t found the cut off point for ordering items into Canada yet though, haha. I’m quite sure that the cheaper the package, the less likely you’ll be charged though. Since I order most of my items from Europe though I’ve manage to avoid custom charges on almost every package, Hasn’t been too pricey yet 🙂
And yeah, I don’t find wires are always necessary around that size range. When I was around a 28FF-G I had one wireless bra that I enjoyed wearing a lot.
So, this may seem like a silly question as I know Fortnight is a Canadian company, but where can I get Fortnight online in Canada? I live in Nanaimo, BC (Island, yo) so I could drop by Vancouver if you know of any boutiques that carry them there. Also, does Fortnight actually make a 36E? I can never find that combo. I have considered sister sizing to 34F but I have a high breast root and with fortnight’s tight band I fear it would be a poor fit. Thank you!
Hey! Not a silly question at all 🙂 I’ll start with sizing. Unfortunately it looks like Fortnight stops at a DD in 36 bands. I would still give a 34F a shot if you’re really interested, as I do have a friend who wears her tighter bandsize (she wears 30s and 32s) because she prefers the extra stability to make up for the lack of wires.
As far as boutiques go, Lynn Steven carries Fortnight and are located in Vancouver, maybe they can help you out!