Dressing a curvy woman is a challange, isn’t it? There are not so many companies that cater for the needs of hourglass shaped women. We have Bravissimo – now Pepperberry, BiuBiu. I remember Mauzonka of Balkonetka once wrote about Bratique Helene… (but unless you have a very conservative taste in clothing and don’t want to look like your own grandmother I don’t really recommend it).  Georgina of Fullerfigerfullerbust mentions several brands, like PinUp Girl clothing (btw, Georgina, those dresses are really nice) or Simply Be. Brittany of Thin and Curvy likes Trashy Diva… But what made me think about writing this note is actually this article. It’s not a recent one, mind you (which just shows how long I have been sitting on it). Sooo, the world’s sexiest woman had to BEG for a gown – because designers think she’s too curvy… IMHO, this just shows how crazy and gain oriented the fashion world is. Obviously designing and making clothes that would fit real women, not half-starved waif looking fashion models is a challenge, you do have to put all those seams, God knows how many darts in various places, which is awfully difficult… To me it looks like those great names of fashion reputed to be great designers and taylors apparently are not capable of making a dress, or a shirt, whatever to accommodate feminine curves… and it doesn’t only refer to gala glamorous dresses. Just out of curiosity, once I dropped into Escada shop on one of the main avenues of Lisbon and decided to try on a dress… Just an everyday casual dress, nothing fancy. Obviously my boobs didn’t fit into a 40 or 42, and 44 was not available. Anyway, even 42 looked like a sack of potatoes on me… And for this I was supposed to pay over 500 euros… if I were stupid enough to buy it…

So, the point of this note is, we do already have some clothes for everyday wear, more or less casual or even formal occasions. But what about really BIG events when a glamorous gown like the one Christina Hendricks is wearing on the photograph IS absolutely necessary? Her example shows that we can’t really count on big designers (even if any of us could afford to throw several thousand bucks for a dress to wear only once). Well, what do you do then ladies? Are there any companies that make gala gowns or do we have to resort to having taylored them to our size individually?

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 50,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 19 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I’d just like to say that my bra-shop is already operational. Anybody who speaks or understands Portuguese is welcome: www.soutienocracia.com

What I have in stock now is some part of the Curvy Kate spring collection, and also Ewa Michalak bras. Actually, you’ll be able to buy them all, it’s just that for some models the delivery time will be longer….  (Sorry, didn’t rob a bank which I would have had to do to have all the models in all the possible sizes from Ewa:P

I’ll just repeat the address one more time: www.soutienocracia.com

How to buy from me? Anybody here from Braga, Portugal? Yup, the shop is located there, at the moment in my house:) Sorry for not having a proper stationary store, but I simply prefer to invest money into stock to give you more choice rather than  pay the rent and the cost of furnishing it and also employing somebody to help me (however I know that I won’t be able to escape this “fate” in the future). So anybody living in Braga(land) can come and try on bras and of course buy them:) In order to do it  it’s advisable to make an appointment by calling 91 020 3194 or writing to soutienocracia@gmail.com , I’m sure you can understand why it’s better to do it… Apart from all sizes of bras I guarantee additional attractions – namely 5 feline ones. Eeeeverybody loves them. But if you’re allergic, just notify me about it in advance, I will isolate the cats and air the “shop room”.

The other way of selling I’m offering is  a “bra-home-party” at a customer’s apartment. We simply arrange a date that is conveniant for both of us and you  invite a few of your girlfriends (and/or female members of your family) to your home for coffee and gossip, I come too with a big suitcase or two full of bras. There we sit, chat, you try on bras (and buy them of course) and we generally have a good time. As far as the number of women at the event is concerned, well, as they say – the more the merrier:) However,  more women to fit into a good size of a bra means more time that the party will take. The optimum number is 10, more or less.  It’s also advisable to provide me with the frame and bust measurements of the participants. Unfortunately all the bras that I will have in stock won’t fit into 2 suitcases, I would need several more… So we need to limit the number of lingerie to be carried to the event to the general area of the size that should fit you. Inside Braga this type of service is free, outside I have to ask you to cover the cost of relocating to the event. I suppose, after dividing the cost of it into 10 people it will be less the the shipping…

And finally Soutiencracia is going to sell online. The website is under construction, it should be ready more or less in March… 

Ps. Come to my Soutienocracia Facebook profile too.

The old bra is a 80C(36C) from Victoria’s Secret (yes, I used to think that this brand was a bra paradise), the bra that I wear on the right photograph is an Effuniak 70H(32H). There is a difference, isn’t there? And I must say that the old photograph shows me when I was actually 2 kg less than now… And still, a well fitted bra makes me optically lose even more than these two kilos….

And the bad effect you see above is an everyday bread to a lot of women. Big brands as VS, and also media showing incorrect women’s body image are the culprits who force women into believing that a look shown on the pics below is ok.

And mind you, these are photos from VS fashion show, where not everything may happen to be fitted correctly. Even Panache happens to dress their models into bad sizes as kasica shows here. However it seems that VS should learn a lot from Panache about fitting models into lingerie. Other films made by kasica at the shows of spring/summer collection  don’t show too many examples  of bad fit as the one with Masquerade. Victoria’s Secret’s website and catalogues show that they don’t have an idea about how a bra should fit  too. Have a look at some of photos from their website:

Really, a ton of examples of badly fitted bras. And they make the same errors as they did on their show(s) – too wide bands for all these slim girls and too small cups. The problem is that  VS is not the only one providing examples of bad fit for the public.  The internet is full of images of celebs, models and also ordinary women wearing incorrectly fitted lingerie (or clothes that don’t allow enough space for the breasts).

 The garments that the girls above are wearing on their breast can be only called nipple covers… These pieces of cloths don’t deserve the name of a bra.

I must say it seems like a constant fight… To convince all women that don’t know their correct size yet and believe that what they get from big brands is ok…

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 31,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 28 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 35 posts. There were 69 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 50mb. That’s about 1 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was November 23rd with 225 views. The most popular post that day was What does it mean to wear D or DD cups?.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were busenfreundinnen.net, forum.gazeta.pl, forum.miau.pl, facebook.com, and eternalvoyageur.xanga.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for gigantomastia, macromastia, 32f, curvy kate, and bfcidade.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

What does it mean to wear D or DD cups? April 2010
2 comments

G and GG cups – do they always stand for “get a reduction”? February 2010
7 comments

Plastic surgery – is it worth the bother? July 2010
8 comments

Boob-friendly swimwear May 2010
4 comments

What has a correct bra size given to me? February 2010
9 comments

Today I’d like to return to the Polish brand of Effuniak. It’s one of the brands that I’d like to sell here so I follow what goes on on Ewa’s website quite thouroughly and I also keep on buying some of the bras – just to test them on my breasts etc (I have to know what I’m going to sell, don’t I). At this moment I have to state these are the best constructed bras on the whole market, they just do miracles with the boobs. Mine and not only mine just look spectacular in Effuniaks . You can see that in the Balkonetka’s catalogue. You can also see that recently Ewa did a pre-Christmas suprise to everybody and introduced quite a lot of styles – padded halfcups in black, fuchsia, tourquise, powder pink and red (and complimentary line of plunges in the same colours in bigger cups – apart from powder pink). One more recent novelty is a padded halfcup in glossy cobalt. The latter already has a review on Bramania by kasica_k – a very positive one actually. Kasica’s delighted with it. And you? What do you think about it? The feedback in the commentaries on Stanikomania as well as on Balkonetka (70E , 70D, 70G, 70B)  is kind of mixed. The bra raises very extreme emotions. From the ones of love and delight about the style, fabric, colour and those wide straps, through the ones saying the bra woud fantasic if it wasn’t for for the colour to the ones hating those wide straps as well as the colour. However nobody denies the lifting effect it does to the boobs…

I would like to review collectively 4 more Effuniaks that I bought recently. Two plunges – red panther, black panther (both in 70H) and two plunges – a fuchsia and a tourquise in 75GG.

Here, links to Balkonetka users showing these bras:

red panther: 70C,  70H, 65FF

black panther: 70GG, 65F

fuchsia half cup: 65A, 75GG

tourquoise half cup: 75GG, 65C

FIT

I must say Effuniak produces real back sizes. In most cases taking your British back size is not recommendable. I took these two panthers in 70 and they are real boa constrictors. I would probably be much better off in a 75 in these two models, however as I ordered online and spent quite a lot of time waiting for my sizes to be sewn and then sent to me I decided to keep them. Extenders do exists:P

As far as half cups are concerned I was in Poland when I bought the fuchsia one so I could try it on. Dark half cups are the same boa constrictors as the plunges, for my 73cm of frame measurement a 75 was enough.

The cup size, in my opinion, is standard. I bought the cup size I always take from Ewa – in case of a 70 band it’s an H and GG with a 75 back size.

SHAPE AND UPLIFT

Ewa’s plunges give a shape and uplift that is an absolute mastership of the world. She should be given a Nobel prize for that construction. Half-cups give a shape that resembles more “apples in a basket” image instead of “breast on a tray” effect. Some may say that both of these are indecent… Well, I prefer to be indecent in Effuniaks rather than have my boobs squeezed and unsupported by bras that I would be fitted into in most of the shops.

BEAUTY

Well, as they say the beauty is in the eye of the beholder or you don’t discuss taste… I like wild animal prints as well as bold, deep colours. But I know for sure there are women who don’t apreciate such designs… If we all liked the same things the world would be very boring, wouldn’t it? I give a 5 out 5 mark both to the panthers and to the half cups.

COMFORT

I don’t remember if I mentioned it previously, Effuniaks came high in Bramania’s survey for “the most comfortable bra”. In case of these 4 models I agree too. The half cups are very comfy to wear. The plunges do need an extenter, but once I use it it’s fine, nothing digs in or tries to drill a hole in the sternum or armpits. No discomfort from staps either. The breasts are supported, in fact it’s almost like a luxerious holiday in a spa for them – they just lie in the cups and don’t have to do anything else but look nice. And they almost protest when I take the bra off…

How to Register:

Whenever you open the homesite of Balkonetka there’s a log in/register field to click on in the right top corner – after you click register you get the above picture. Just fill in, accept the regulations (they get fairly adequately translated by Live Search, in my opinion they are understandable, if in doubt write to mauzonka@gazeta.pl or ask on Balkonetka’s Facebook site). After registration you get an email from Balkonetka with a link to click to confirm your registration. If you are already registered and just come back to the website, just click log in and you get this:

Straightforward enough so far?

Ok. After you register you can fill in your profile:

Next to the position “how many babies have you nursed” there are options: Nie karmilam (didn’t nurse any) and numbers, you just choose whichever refers to you. A bit lower there’s also a question if you’re a man (mężczyzna) or a woman (kobieta)… Btw, I don’t think there are any man at Balkonetka… It’s not as they could find much of interest for themselves on the website. The breasts that are shown in the catalogue are dressed in bras, photographs are anonymous as you don’t show your face… You can change your settings in the profile with an edit function, change the password or even remove the account at all.

We are getting close to one of the most important functions – adding your bra purchases to the catalogue. To do it, you just need to click onto Twoja Szuflada (Your drawer) on the black menu on the top of the page. Your drawer will contain all your uploaded purchases, it will be visible to anybody who chooses to click onto your nickname. You click Twoja Szuflada and you get this view:

After that you click “Add a new item to the catalogue (Dodaj nowa rzecz do katalogu):

You upload a photo – mind you, one only so it’s better to put several together in Photoshop, Paint, Gimp or whatever other graphic programme, fill in the required fields, click Dodaj (Add) – and done:)  Other Balkonetka users can see what you bought and comment or advise you about it. I suggest using English in your descriptions. It seems to be the most popular and you’ll probably get the biggest feedback… I don’t guarantee you’ll get many responses in other ones…

Sorry for the quality of the images. I haven’t mastered Print Screen yet and I was forced to make photogaphs of the screen… That’s why it doesn’t look as good as it should…

Update:  I was just browsing through Eternal Voyager’s blog. It seems she bit me to writing about Balkonetka’s catalogue… The article’s available  here…

Today I’d like to write about a bra from the brand that I already mentioned in this blog twice – when I was decribing their spring/summer and autumn/winter collections. I just received a package with some bras from the current collection – I have been waiting for them very long, since summer. Curvy Kate website was announcing that the collection was going to be available from August… Well, it wasn’t:( And I just wanted an orange bra… And a few others… Finally, when they started to be available in Lovebras, I purchased them at once. So, ladies, today here’s my very first consumer review:

CURVY KATE EMILY FLAME 32GG

For the sake of order, I’m going to follow the review layout used by kasica of Stanikomania. Kasica, don’t beat!

BEAUTY  (4,5 out of 5)

When I removed the bra from the package I must admit a was a bit disappointed. Flame for me means orange. I was axpecting a fiery bra. I got one that is reddish/coral/ strawberry/raspberry (whatever you decide to call this colour) with an orange embroidery. However, the embroidery is very detailed and cute, the flowers are very well done. There are some nice ribbons at the centre gore and at the apex. Moreover the match of both colours gives a kind of enexpected effect. I had never seen a red and orange bra before…

FIT (5 0ut of 5)

Fiery Emily has quite a tight band. For my 29 inches of chest measurement a 32 was enough and feels stable. Actually, other soft bras from CK that I ordered alos feel snug enough. It’s kind of good that it’s not necessary to go down the size of the band so much anymore – smaller band with a recalculated cup means a bigger letter – in this case H – I’d rather not check out if that size is much more built up than 32GG …

SHAPE AND UPLIFT (5 out of 5)

This model seems to be really compatible with my breast giving them a nice round shape. Which unfortunately I cannot say about another of the bras that I ordered…:( The breast in Emily are elevated to the proper level. This may become one of my favourite bras for the dark and dull season that has just begun.

COMFORT (5 out of 5)

I’m giving a 5 – the bra is comfortable. At least it seems to be so, I haven’t had the chance to wear it for a longer period of time yet, so I can’t say anything more definite yet… For the several minutes that I was wearing and photographing it, I dind’t feel any potential discomforts – wires poking into the armpits or drilling holes into the sternum, or scratching straps, or whatever else. However, I may change my mind. For now, I’m giving the highest mark – it may change…

If you like sets of lingerie, panties are cute too:

 Here you can see the bra on “unphotoshopped” breasts.

To start with – who’s Ewa Michalak? She’s been a lingerie designer for 15 years and during that time she cooperated with Polish lingerie brands such as Corin, Kris Line (you can often find their bras on Brastop), Kinga, Konrad . As she says herself in the interview for Balkonetka: “I came across the Lobby Biusciastych through “The bra alphabet doesn’t end at D”  article written by Kasica of Stanikomania and Butters77 – the founder of the Lobby. It was kind of funny as a magazine with it had been lying in my place for almost two months and I was just going to throw it away but then I decided to cut out some pics for inspiration. It was then that I found this article, I read it and I opened the Lobby website. And my first thought was “Oh my god, I’m so stupid and I know so little’. And when the Lobby brafitters calculated a bra size for me I almost dropped dead.” Ewa, who chose a nickname Effuniak, stayed on the forum and started to design and construct bras for bigger and smaller breasts. The lobbyists started to test these constructions. These bras were really beautiful and girls who got to test them were really kind of lucky ones – that’s how the rest of us perceived it. You can see some of Effuniak bras from that period here . Weren’t they cute? A lot of them were half cups, even for  large breasts (over HH cups). You can just imagine this long virtual queue of women waiting to get one of their own. And unfortunately, few got one:( The designs were unique and mostly unrepeatable, and  at that stage it was impossible for Ewa to start a mass production of lacy bras mainly because of costs.

Later on, last summer, Ewa opened an impromptue shop on her blog. It wasn’t yet a real shop,  yet it was better than nothing. Still you had hundreds of women waiting for new batches of plunges to appear there, and when they did appear they were selling immediately – sometimes almost everything got sold in just one evening. Just like nude bras, or other colourful ones (banana, watercolour, ladybird, peaches ) or even “cow” plunge or “cat” plunge (however controversial they were).

Finally, last autumn Ewa opened a real internet shop. Finally  all of us could buy plunges – auberine, chilli, denim , that were soon followed by sea moss, red moss , pleated bras and quite a few others. What’s more, in autmn collection  the construction of big cups got improved. Before the cup was made from 3 pieces of fabric, now it’s made of four.  This spring and summer brought more designs, among them my personal favourite – powder dots. What this bra does to my breasts is absolutely astonishing. I must admit I got into a kind of self admiration after putting it on – couldn’t stop staring at my tits in the mirror:) Recently Ewa introduced a strapless bra too – although only smaller cups:( to start with. There’s also a photo of a girl testing Ewa’s halfcup on Balkonetka – so maybe this autumn we’ll finally  be able to buy them too.

What is exactly so unique about Effuniaks? Why were all those women so frantic to get them? The answer is – the CONSTRUCTION. I already mentioned it at the beginning – Effuniaks at the moment are the best constructed bras on the market. H+ cups (or even G+) of other brands often have a construction error -  their producers assume that big breasted women have breast under their armpits instead of having them on their front. This problem of “triangular women” is described in Kasica’s article on Stanikomania ( I really suggest Google Translate, or any other “engine translate”, as the article is very interesting). If you’re a G+ you can try an experiment – just fasten your bra in front of you and see what shape it gets – if it’s a cradle, it’s bad…:( In case of Effuniak bras, this error is not there. The cups are fully on the front of the bra. The other thing is underwires – G+ often have very wide ones, wider than it’s really necessary (it’s also conneted with this first error I mentioned) and also very high – can poke into your armpit. Effuniaks have quite narrow and relatively low underwires even in big sizes. Another thing that makes them so unique is the lift – they were even nicknamed -” elevators for the breasts“.  Just look at this  uplift.  The girl from the second link is also shown without a bra (but wearing a t-shirt) to show the elevation.  Isn’t it amazing?  What more can I say??? Well, recently there’s been another survey on Stanikomania, this time for  “The most comfortable bra”.. Effuniaks won (though not unanimously)…

To cap it off, some practical advice on how to choose a size of an Effuniak bra if you decide to order one. These bras have very tight bands, so if your frame is say 75cm(30inches), in most cases you will be well off in a 75(34) band. In case of Effuniak strapless, you may even need an 80(36). Anyway you have a calculator on the website – you have to take two measurements of your frame – first one  very tight, the second one without squeezing. As for the cup – there’s also a special way to measure for it. Bend down, so that your torso is horizontal,  make sure the tape is vertical and then measure your breasts. Type in your measurements into the calculator (first the measurement of your frame tight, then loosely, then around your breasts), click “jaki mam rozmiar” and you get the answer. But the answer from the calculator is only the starting point, as usual… According to  Ewa  you have to consider the shape of your breasts too, if they look like:

UU – most probably the cup indicated by the calculator will be fine;

00 – the cup indicated may fit but you may need a cup size bigger one; 

OO – you definitely will need a bigger cup size by one or two cups;

VV – the indicated cup may fit, but you may need a smaller one;

W - the indicated cup will be too big, you’ll need one smaller by 2 or 3 cups; 

^^ – breasts that are long and narrow at  the base ending with a kind of a ball - just like a pear - you should take  2 or even 3 cups smaller size than indicated by the calculator.

I hope this will help you check out for yourselves how Effuniak bras fit and what they can do for your breasts:)