Budget Fashion

Shopping!

January 23, 2020

I haven’t been shopping in forever. It’s not really something I do much of anymore, at least not in person. But today I am going to shop for new bras/underwear because IT’S TIME.

Some of my sports bras I remember wearing when I was pregnant with Annabel (so = 8 years old).

And some of my underwear is SO old that I cannot even admit it here.

Since I am not going to have any more babies and I assume my chest size has reached a plateau for the foreseeable future, it’s shopping time! Plus it’s on my monthly goals list, so I have to do it . . . right?

Does anyone have recs for me? I do like Natori bras (shown below on a model from the Nordstrom website, not me!) and some of their bottoms. But I am open to suggestions!

(I did try Third Love and hated both bras I tried, so that is why we are perhaps the only podcast without them as a sponsor!)

30 Comments

  • Reply EM January 23, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Hi! Longtime lurker, (love the blog!) but first-time commenter 🙂

    For sports bras, the Brooks Jubralee is amazing. I bought my first one in REI when a random fellow customer saw me looking through sports bras, picked it up, told me I should buy it because it was the best sports bra ever, and then walked away. She was so right.

    For regular bras, I swear by bra fittings. They’ll figure out your size and bring you styles/brands that should work for you. Nordstrom does them I think, but smaller specialist shops would as well.

    Good luck!

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 23, 2020 at 7:28 am

      Hi! My 8 year old bras are Brooks Juno!! So that makes sense. Yeah, I think I will go to Nordstrom today and ask for a fitting. I do like the idea of smaller boutique places , but I don’t know of one with a great reputation!

  • Reply Peggy January 23, 2020 at 7:34 am

    Big fan of wacoal every day bras. I recently purchased underwear from the gap (breathe line) and was pleasantly surprised. Sports bras – I’m a big Juno fan as well.

  • Reply CBS January 23, 2020 at 8:10 am

    Try Sloggi if you can find them. Super soft and comfortable. I’m pretty tiny up top and really like their unwired bras. I also like the Gap Body ones, basic, not too expensive.

    • Reply Diane C January 23, 2020 at 2:18 pm

      Sloggi makes great underwear! It’s cotton, so very breathable and soft. For a while the only place I could find them was in Taiwan and I would have my mother stock up for me when she went back to visit my grandparents. I’ll have to look for their bras!
      But I also do highly recommend getting professionally sized- I got sized for the first time in my life when I was 40 and it was revelatory!

  • Reply Rachel Stefaniw January 23, 2020 at 8:52 am

    No groundbreaking suggestions, but please report back with what you find and love!

  • Reply Maggie January 23, 2020 at 8:57 am

    I really like Natori bras too – I am pregnant so changing sizes a lot and typically go to Nordstrom to get sized and buy one bra, then once I know the right size I go to Nordstrom Rack (the one by me had Natori) and get a few more for half the price 🙂

  • Reply Ali January 23, 2020 at 8:59 am

    Soma! I love Soma everything. For some reason, I thought it was a store for “older” women and stayed out of it for years, but I am hooked. Love their no show underwear. It stays in place perfectly. And the bras are soft and comfortable. Just never pay full price…there is always some sort of sale going on there.

    I also love athleta everything so their sports bras are excellent!

  • Reply Leslie T McGuire January 23, 2020 at 9:30 am

    I also love the Soma no show underwear. I order it online now that the store near us has closed. Another vote for Wacoal under-wire bras. At my age and after having (and nursing) 5 kids I need all the help I can get! I had a fitting at Macy’s about 10 years ago.

  • Reply Leslie T McGuire January 23, 2020 at 9:31 am

    oops–you didn’t ask about PJs but I also love the Soma pajamas. They are so soft and they have pockets!

  • Reply Canuck January 23, 2020 at 10:19 am

    Honestly, I bought 3 of the Gap Body Every Smooth Wireless Bra last year and wondered why I have ever spent more on a bra! So comfy and looks great.
    For underwear, Lululemon hipsters! No lines, fun colours, keep their shape.

    Good call on buying more, it makes such a difference to just have bunch that you like and that fit!

  • Reply Emilie January 23, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Gap Body! I am a huge fan of the wireless bras. I’m not particularly voluptuous and so the wireless is great. Not sexy but so comfy!

    • Reply LF January 23, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      Yes! Those are great. No weird lines under dresses either.

  • Reply LD January 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    I wear an odd size (small band and very large cup – so much for breast size going down after breast feeding! ) and can basically ONLY go to Nordstrom. I like Chantelle and Freya but my needs are different. For a sports bra I LOVE the online Shefit one. So customizable. I am envious of people who can walk into Gap and buy bras — but I do like their undies! I also like these undies… and they are very inexpensive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DHP4WL/

  • Reply Beth @ Parent Lightly January 23, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    I had really good luck with the Reddit A Bra that Fits. It is seriously amazing. In the 20+ years I had been wearing bras, I only found maybe a few that fit well and it was just random luck. After going through the Reddit process, I tried a few different bras based on recommendations for my shape, found one that worked, and now it’s all I have. I tried a fitting at Soma and it did not work for me at all (I love their PJs though). I am pretty small on top and weirdly shaped I guess so I’m very happy to finally have found a well fitting bra.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 23, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      okay mind BLOWN by that calculator/site. I just ordered 3 bras from Nordstrom w/ the recommended size (which was not what I was wearing, but I guess was a ‘sister size’) in 3 different brands, including my fave (Natori). Will report back.

      • Reply Beth January 30, 2020 at 10:30 am

        Isn’t it crazy? It actually made me feel SO much better about my bra fitting struggles over the years.

    • Reply Lori C October 22, 2023 at 1:33 pm

      This is a super old post/comment but I was looking for new bras and found this post and comments. Huge thank you Beth for sharing this resource! I read through the Reddit process and ordered a bunch of bras in my “new” size and they are great!! (Turns out you don’t have to have big boobs to be a DD) I’m trying all my friends to redo their measurements!

      • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger October 22, 2023 at 3:45 pm

        Aww that is awesome!

  • Reply Omdg January 23, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    Calvin Klein bras (prefer front clasp) and champion sports bras.

    • Reply Shar February 5, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      Calvin Klein bras are great! Kohl’s actually has a decent bra selection for a budget as well.

  • Reply Emiliy Stricker January 23, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    New bras and underwear were on my Christmas list for the same reason! I tried some Natori bras and the Spanx Bra-llelulah, which were ok, but I LOVED the inexpensive Warner’s Women’s Easy Does It No Bulge Wire-Free Bra that I bought on Amazon (TTS from my perspective). I also got 20 pairs (10 black, 10 light blue) of Aerie Lace Thong Underwear and am loving them as well. Happy shopping!

  • Reply Marjorie January 23, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    If it makes you feel better, I am still using running sports bras that I bought during the 2nd Clinton administration. Target’s Champion line FTW!

    Having said that, I hate shopping in general, including underwear shopping, so mostly rely on the Gap Body line — they’re reliable and comfortable and lasts a long time! For sports bras I love Target’s Champion line — inexpensive but built to last (I wash mine in cold/delicates and hang dry, which probably helps a ton). Brooks also has an excellent women’s sportswear line.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 23, 2020 at 4:31 pm

      Well now I’m just nostalgic for the Clinton years 😛😂

  • Reply Erin January 23, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    I have the Natori bras and love them!

  • Reply Joan January 23, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    No suggestions but I agree about Third Love. First of all I didn’t like the way their sizing was based on a current bra. I had several bras which fit differently so it was difficult to find the correct size. The bras I received were not great and pricey compared to others I’ve ordered.

  • Reply Melissa Holmes January 23, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    Hi Sarah. If you are small chested like me, I highly recommend Coobie bras (no hooks, no underwire, mostly one size). They are the comfiest and I wear them every day unless I have a work event that requires a real bra. You can buy them direct or on Amazon. https://shopcoobie.com/. I love these bras!

  • Reply Katie January 23, 2020 at 10:14 pm

    I just did this too! Mayor I makes a wireless bra that is super comfortable and cute with lace on the bottom. It looks nicer on than you’d expect too. They also make a wired version that I like of the same style. And agree on Thirdlove – I would prefer to use measurements AND maybe a quiz about current bra to get the best fit. I just don’t have the patience for all the back and forth over a bra.

    • Reply Katie January 23, 2020 at 10:14 pm

      Sorry, Natori

  • Reply Dayna January 30, 2020 at 2:45 pm

    I, too, recently realized that I’ve owned the same VS bras for going on 5+ years, through the transition of two pregnancies and body weight fluctuations, and the only reason they technically “fit” me, was that they were so old they were completely stretched out, lol. However, they really started to fall apart and I just knew one day soon, I’d be putting it on and it would completely snap, so I set out on a mission at some point last year to find new ones. Had SO much bad luck that I had almost given up until… I found the new(ish) line at Target called Auden. I took their online quiz to find my size (which was WAY off from what I thought I was), went to the store to try on a few different styles and fell in LOVE with the “Everyday Bra.” Super comfy, fits just right in all the right places, and probably the very best part… it’s only $9.99! I’m still SO happy about this discovery! 🙂 Good luck

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