:)

bungadora wrote: snip

How about the whole idea of foundations and helping people being " uplifting"?? :-) Liz from Humbug

Yes, we deal with housing. I could talk about helping to keep standards for the industry high. Dora

And how important it is to keep families from "bouncing around."

Selection in the upper sizes isn't usually that good. My usual modus operandi is to find all the bras I can in my size and try them all on. Usually I'm lucky if one fits well.

Losing weight is enough for me to reduce bra size. Christmas isn't the best time for it though. In fact I think the last Christmas is when I put on the last 10 pounds. So I'm trying to be good.

Oh the gift card was nice. And as I said, I was in need. Part of the problem is that the cover e-mail wasn't clear about what exactly was to be shared and how. As I said I'm not in the office full time, so I don't know how the others feel about it.

Those would go to the shelter for sure after though. I'm a comfort gal. Dora

Thre words, Wacoal, Chantelle, & Felina . To go with Nordstrom. Which seems to be the only store with a truly trained staff that appropriately know how to do the fitting, and know what they have in stock. The bra selection is really good, and someone will know what will work for you, and if they don't have it, will find it/order it. They're a little pricey, but they last really well. I usually wear Wacoal - which I've recently seen in Macy's. But, during the sale in July - I bought a Chantelle bra - and it is a fabulous fit. I also have some Felina's which are very pretty - mine are too big now. All those brands carry up to DDD. I also have one of those kind of molded Le Mystere bras. Looks like if you're a C or bigger you wouldn't want it, but the look is deceptive. They're a great, supportive seamless bra.

Yeah, me, too. But the last few years the 36C became a 38C to D, and well, at the heaviest went to a 42 D, now I'm sort of in between. All the gorgeous French lingerie are in the 36 C/D group - but, y'know, hope springs eternal. I'm happy when I get back into the 38s, and would be happier still back in a C. But, DH, and the husband of my friend know we're planning to have "the girls" put back in place. A little vanity, but what the heck. Gravity was kind to me until this last weight gain, so, well, ....

It's always good to be able to treat yourself with a gift card to something you need. Too bad about the confusing cover letter.

LOL - I understand the comfort thing. As DH and others are bugging me about the resume, get a real job thing - I keep saying - but then I'd have to wear hose again. Yup. Not my fav.

ellice

Don't let the molded/padded feel fool you. These don't make you look any bigger and they feel wonderful. They stay in place without putting stress on the shoulders and the straps are nice and narrow and the front has a good plunge if needed--no "shelf" across the chest. And the seamless part is a must when wearing dressier summer clothes. $70 each but well worth it. They don't run quite the same size as other brands since I normally wear 42G but this one is 44D. The only bad things are they are absolutely hand-wash only and the molded cups don't compress well to fit in a small dresser drawer or fully-loaded suitcase.

I'll keep that in mind next time I'm down in the States. Oh, one of the bras I bought is seamless and has 'gel straps' which I found rather interesting. Definitely not for skimpy summer wear because the straps are about an inch wide, but it will be good for wearing under light sweaters.

Trouble is I can't wear them until we've passed them around the office a week and a half fromnow.

I hear you. I have a few bras that I just haven't been able to let go.

Don't get me started on panty hose. That and 'dryclean only' should be tax deductible as far as I'm concerned. Dora

"bungadora" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

I am in total agreement. I had to wear panty hose today for a party and it reminded me how much I hate the bloody things!

I was in Selfridges in London with a friend (who is a GP) and I was laughing at some panty hose that had no crotch but a big zipper up the front. She was all in favour of them and said she would see less yeast infections etc. if every woman cut the crotch out of their panty hose.

As to dryclean, I won't buy it if that's what it needs, I cannot take the smell of an item that has been dry cleaned, I develop something that mimics a cold.

Panti hose I don't mind too much but dry cleaning clothes is a no no for me. Besides the smell, I'm much too cheap and it's much too expensive.

Lucille

LOL - you should come to DC, and come on a bra shopping excursion - we could do S.E.X. and bras in one day! The Nordies lady convinced me a couple of years ago, so I bit. Great bra - but it is a "where do I put it" thing. I actually fold one cup reversed in the other, and squish it in . I think their lifetime is about 2 1/2 years - as I've just noticed one of them is starting to kind of break down. But, the straps are now much wider than they used to be - very comfortable, and nicely finished but wide. Agree about the back size - I'm sure that mine is one back size up from normal - but same cup size. Hey - I could send you my too Felina - I think it's a 42 F (European Cup) - really pretty black lace.

Seriously, I have taken to ordering/buying bras during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale - I got the $60 Chantelle for $36, and the Wacoal for $34. Well worth it.

ellice

"Lucille" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

That too.

I'm convinced that they were invented as a torture device. I'm okay with wearing the microfiber fabric hose - more like tights. And when I had to "dress" all the time, came up with 2 rules. But hose in at least quantitied of 4 - 2 will run immediately, 1 will wear ok 1 or 2 times, and then the last 2 will likely last a few wearings. Rule 2 - buy the best hose that fit you, that you can afford. The cheap ones look bad, and never seem to fit right. I started wearing Donna Karan hosiery - they fit well, and look good. And Calvin Klein. Ditto. Gave up on the bargains - cause in the long run they weren't. And the comfort thing is key.

Selfridges - practically my favorite store. My colleagues used to make fun of my addiction for shopping there. So, I'm jealous.

LOL - that's so true. It's a losing proposition - if you wear undies with them, then, well, breathability - so to speak. If you don't wear undies

-well, the built in undies aren't so great. My aunt (the surgeon) , my doc, we all agree about the direct correlation between pantyhose and yeast infections. But the crotchless ones, well, they're not usually in the style you want for work. I have a pair from France that are like an all-in-one kind of suspender set - a waistband - with lace hose suspender to the hose. As if it were a suspender belt and hose, but instead they're all one knitted piece - very pretty - but some ridiculous thing I got in France.

How odd. Lately there've been more drycleaners opening that don't use the traditional chemical method, but some kind of CO2 method, or "organic" dry cleaning. Supposed to be better for us, and the ozone layer. I wonder what the diff is, and if that would be okay for you.

Fortunately, when we got the new washer/dryer - with the drying center - I can wash a lot of the things that otherwise would've been destined for the cleaners. And I'm really happy about being able to wash woolens in the machine, and then block them on the mesh shelves in the dryer, and they're dry in a few hours on ultra low heat.

ellice

Many things labelled Dry Clean Only are actually hand-washable in cold water. The key is being able to tell which they are. Silk, wools and linen can be washed. Though I have a pair of slacks where the linen came through just fine ... it was the lining that was the problem.

I've often washed things that are marked dry clean only. Sometimes I even take the chance and do it on a gentle cycle in the washing machine. Here in hot, humid Florida, it's not often that you can wear something more than once or maybe if you just go from the car to an air conditioned place you can get away with two wearings.

If I make the mistake of buying something that's marked dry clean only, I figure it's worth taking a chance instead of paying a fortune on cleaning and then being dissatisfied with the outcome. But if you decide to do that you must be willing to spend some time at the ironing board.

Lucille

Karen C - California wrote: >

The trouble with suits is they don't generally hand wash well. (sigh) Cashmere sweaters are another matter. I went ahead and washed my new sweaters last week, and they were fine. Ignoring, of course, the notice on the Woolite bottle not to wash dryclean only products.

Dora

I never liked Woolite and found it too harsh for most wools. What I liked to use was either dish detergent, like Ivoryor Dawn, or shampoo. Just be sure the dish detergent doesn't have any lemon and is plain.

I think it's much gentler and I find it easier to rinse out the suds.

Suits I dry cleaned when I was in New York but here in FL I don't ever wear anything like that any more.

Lucille

Well, yeah, suits were the one thing that I had to pay to have dry cleaned, but no way around it when you have to wear a suit to work. Actually, with many of my suits, I'd wash the skirt and blouse and only pay to have the jacket cleaned.

And now it looks like I will never again have to get trussed up in either a suit or pantihose ever again in my life. HOORAY! Nice comfy clothes and sensible shoes forever. :)

Most definitely you need to remind me when the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is happening. I'm not normally a Nordies person - got too many bad memories of trying to straighten out accounts receivable for Timberland and them. LOL

But I do like their cafes!

Donna in Virginia