THE SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT BRA

WEARING THE RIGHT BRA CAN MAKE YOU FEEL so much better

CHOOSING A BRA TO WEAR AFTER SURGERY IS A VITALLY IMPORTANT FIRST STEP FOR WOMEN AT THE START OF THEIR BREAST CANCER JOURNEY. LINGERIE EXPERT MONICA HARRINGTON HAS HELPED HUNDREDS FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AS THEY ADJUST TO THEIR NEW BODY SHAPE

Monica has always been fascinated by the power of lingerie and has worked with women everywhere – from high fashion celebrities to cancer patients in hospital

Tell us about yourself ?

I’m from Cork in Ireland, my family live there so I pop over on a regular basis to see them. Home is north years but travel globally for work. I’m married to a guy from Perth, Australia, and we have one daughter who just turned 13.

How did you start in your career?

I got into it totally by accident. After my A levels I got a summer job working in the lingerie department at a department store. That summer, I saw hundreds of women transformed by the power of well-fitting lingerie. As you’d expect,

London. I have lived in London for 30 their clothes looked better when their bras were correctly fitted, and I was fascinated by how lingerie could increase body confidence and make clothes look amazing.

How did you end up working with breast cancer patients?

Almost 30 years ago I began fitting women post-surgery, and I trained to fit breast prostheses and loved it. While working for Triumph I set up a training programme to teach other women working in lingerie departments and boutiques how to offer a proficient bra-fitting service to women post-

surgery. I asked Breast Cancer Care to get involved and we did the training days together for many years. I still help Breast Cancer Care (Breast Cancer Now) with some of its Moving Forward courses, where I do a body confidence workshop focusing on lingerie, sports and swimwear.

In 2016 I set up my own company consulting for brands, styling on shoots, private lingerie and sportswear styling. An important part of my work is styling clients post-surgery, which includes breast prosthetic fitting and helping women find the right lingerie and get their breast to look symmetrical if surgery has left them unbalanced.

I also work at Guy’s Hospital Cancer Centre in London, fitting women who are referred from the breast clinic for breast prostheses. I help them find the right fitting bras post-reconstruction. You work with lots of celebrities – how is that different to working with women who have experienced breast cancer?

No matter who I am styling, I try to give them the same experience. During my training I worked with a woman who was my model. She would always say, ‘I’m just the same as any other woman, I’m just arranged a little bit differently.’ This has always stayed with me.

Why is a well- fitting bra so important?

Wearing the correct shape and size can make a huge difference to how your clothes look. If you are wearing a breast prosthesis, it’s important to get the bra right with adequate support before fitting the prosthesis. Post-surgery, especially after a reconstruction, you need the bra to fit well and have enough compression. What are the most common mistakes women make when buying a bra after surgery?

The type of bra you need after surgery may be very different to what you used to wear, especially if you are used to wearing bras with bones. You need to get fitted for the bra and that has obviously been very difficult during Covid-19. It is why there is a video on the Future Dreams website (futuredreams.org.uk) where we explain what to do. It can be very distressing for a woman if she comes for a prosthesis fitting and the bra she has bought is not suitable.

How hard is it to find a bra when you have a prosthesis?

There are many brands and stores offering good bras, with and without pockets, to suit different budgets. It’s a lot easier than it used to be.

Has it been a lot harder for breast cancer patients during Covid?

With stores closed and no fitting services available it has been difficult. As a brand ambassador for Future Dreams, I’ve been ringing lots of women to give them advice over the phone. I’m also doing virtual fittings

for some of my clients, which has been very successful.

Can you make women feel confident again with a comfortable well-fitting bra?

Yes definitely. At the early stage post-surgery, the bras are often not as pretty as many women would like. They are definitely more function over fashion. But I ask women not to bin their old bras – just put them away for a while and give them a bit of a sabbatical.

I ask women to think about a few months on and I tell them about the beautiful options they will be able to wear.

When it comes to their lingerie due to breast cancer, I don’t want to put women in a particular box. It is very individual. I’m all about thinking outside that box when the time is right so if a client wants something a bit more

seductive, let’s try to find a solution. Why is the Future Dreams Sisterhood Bra so important?

I meet women who often just can’t afford a bra. Sometimes due to breast cancer diagnosis they have to take time off work, cash is tight and spending money on a new bra is not an option. The sisterhood bra will help many women to have the right bra when they need it most.

What is the best advice on choosing a bra for immediately after surgery and then later?

I recommend a supportive bra without any seams in a breathable fabric with a deeper under band, sides and front fastening for immediately after surgery. Something like a sports bra. For immediately after reconstruction it’s all of those features, plus compression to hold everything in place. You can start to have more fun with your lingerie

later on, looking at colour, lace detail and more, depending on the type of surgery.

Why do you need more than one bra for different stages after surgery?

Straight after surgery there is the scarring, which needs to heal, so it’s important to wear a bra that doesn’t irritate the area around the breast and chest and under arm area. That’s why you don’t want a bra with wires.

Six weeks post-surgery, many women have healed in this area and often want a soft bra that has less coverage but still offers enough support and comfort.

How can someone get help with fitting?

Throughout the UK there are independent lingerie boutiques offering appointments. Just ring in advance and mention you are looking for a specialist fitting. Some hospitals have bra-fitting clinics where specialist brands offer a service.

In the London area I will visit clients in their homes and also offer virtual fittings if a home visit is not an option. We plan to offer fittings at Future Dreams House in Kings Cross when it opens.

Have you always checked your boobs?

Yes, and I think it’s because I have met many women who tell me their stories and how they have discovered their cancer. I moisturise every morning so it’s part of my routine to check if anything looks or feels different.

IT’S ALL IN THE STYLING – AND LEARNING HOW TO THINK DIFFERENTLY

Monica has helped many women find the right underwear. The important thing to remember, she says, is that no-one’s breasts are the same before surgery and no-one’s experience of breast cancer treatment is the same. Here she shares some of her success stories...

One of my clients was size 34F and had a reconstruction but she was much smaller on the reconstructed side. She was in her 40s and was wearing baggy tops to hide the lack of symmetry and had lost all her body confidence. The first thing I did was find her a good-fitting bra. I then fitted her with two partial prosthetics on the smaller reconstructed side. I used a fuller shape to the front and a more slender, smaller partial prosthetic to the side. It took some time but I made her breasts look symmetrical. I took some pictures with her phone so she could see how to place the partials inside her bra so she always had a reference when she was doing it herself. When she saw how different she looked in her clothes she was crying with happiness.

I had a young woman who was only 30 and had a double mastectomy and reconstruction. She came to me before going on her long-awaited honeymoon. I fitted her in beautiful bras and bralettes in different shades, plus some great bikinis. Most of the styles were from brands that were not post-surgery, so she felt like her old self.

One regular client loves beautiful lingerie. She had her surgery about 30 years ago when bra options were very limited for women post-surgery and she loves the variety of lingerie she can choose from now. I fit her in gorgeous bras and matching briefs and there is not one nude bra in her wardrobe. All the bras are supportive and hold everything in place and she looks great. She says she loves knowing she is wearing matching lingerie in beautiful colours and she has had breast cancer. It is such a confidence booster for her.

I help another woman who has had a bilateral mastectomy and no reconstruction. She wears a prosthesis and has her everyday bras and weekend bras for date nights with her husband. These bras are gorgeous and sexy. She says this gives her so much confidence.

SUPPORT FUTURE DREAMS Protect your staff What sort of bra to wear after surgery BEAUTIFUL: The Maisie set Facing breast or chest surgery is a distressing and emotional time for many women. But one source of comfort can come from wearing the right bra during the post-surgery period. Future Dreams has collaborated with Royce Lingerie, the world’s only dedicated wirefree bra specialist, to offer support to women

during this challenging time in their lives.

For women facing breast surgery in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional obstacles during an already anxious time. With non-essential appointments cancelled and emotional support limited during lockdown, Royce Lingerie wanted to help and so donated post-surgery bras for Future Dreams to distribute to patients.

After having a mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstruction, reduction or augmentation it is vital to find a comfortable, well-fitted bra – not just to aid healing of the surgery site, but to help restore self-esteem.

Michelle Morgan, who was given a post-surgery Royce bra by Future Dreams, explains, ‘The sense of calm and comfort from Royce’s Silver Post-Surgery bra was a huge relief. I still felt a large amount of discomfort when wearing other bras but this felt completely different and so comfortable. The fabric is gorgeous, breathable and, most of all, it is so comfortable to wear. I feel confident in it!’

Amaya Raymond also received a free bra. ‘It fits like a glove,’ she says. ‘It’s amazing and feels like it was custom made for my

body. I’m so pleased with the style and fit and I feel confident in it. I’ve never tried a Royce bra previously, but I would definitely recommend them to anyone in future.’

The positive impact of Royce has also been felt by breast cancer nurses, who have been thrilled to be able to offer women a bra following surgery.

Hannah Ford, a senior Macmillan breast cancer clinical nurse specialist, has been distributing Future Dreams’ Royce bras. ‘Patients have frequently commented on how comfortable they find the bras to wear and how supportive they feel,’ she says.

Royce has almost 30 years’ experience in designing post-surgery bras and regularly advises women and professional fitters on how to find the best bra for post-surgery. Here it shares its top tips... Get fitted It’s important to get professionally fitted prior to the surgery. However, if an in-person fitting isn’t possible, you can fit yourself at home using Royce’s online guide at royce-lingerie.co.uk/fit-guide. Royce recommends going up a band size to allow for swelling.

Go wirefree A wirefree bra will offer greater comfort immediately after surgery, it will also put less pressure on the delicate chest area.

Choose details for comfort You should be looking for a secure, full-coverage shape with a deep centre and underarm edges to avoid irritating the surgery site. Front-fastening bras will also make putting on or removing your bra much easier.

ROYCE LINGERIE’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Silver Post-Surgery The go-to choice for many women after breast surgery and the ideal bra for the weeks immediately following a procedure. With anti-bacterial, thermo-regulating X-STATIC silver fibre, the Silver Post-Surgery (left) is available in dual cup sizing to make fitting even easier.

Most women feel ready to move to a more conventional bra after approximately 6-8 weeks following surgery. It will still need to be wirefree but women will have a little more freedom to choose a style that they prefer.

Maisie A great option for the second stage of recuperation. Beautifully comfortable Maisie is a stylish, smooth-cup bra in soft fabric with satin cuff detailing. It comes with ultra-comfy smooth cotton lining that can also hold a prosthesis, if required.

Royce has a wide variety of comfortable, practical and beautiful post-surgery bras. View the full range at royce-lingerie.co.uk/post-surgery-bras.