THE SHOOT

The secret life of BRAS

How Many bras should I have? The world according to Amelies Follies

By CATHERINE AUBERT

This is a question we often get asked, and in the same way that you can’t expect your shoes to work with all your outfits, you will need di erent bras to work with your entire wardrobe (and di erent occasions in your life).

And yes, if you had to have only one bra and you didn’t want it to show under your clothes and work with as many outfits as possible, we would recommend a smooth bra as close to your skin tone as possible (but you may still need a sports bra, so that’s already two). But that would be comparable to eating the same food or wearing the exact same outfit every day – not much fun. So, the question remains: how many bras should I have? The answer is whatever works for you. But bear in mind that in order to get the most out of your bras, you shouldn’t wear them two days in a row, you probably need more than one of your favourite (it needs washing every two to three wears, or after each day if you get sweaty), and saving a bra for best is a waste of money as your size is more than likely to change with time.

FOR US, THE MAGIC NUMBER IS SIX. HERE THEY ARE:

• A couple of flesh-coloured ones. These may vary a lot in colour depending on your skin, but as a rule, you want to go darker not lighter than your skin tone for invisibility purposes. These two happen to be smooth, one a plunge, one more a balcony that can also be changed into a strapless bra. These are only a must if you do not like showing your bras through your clothes.

• A push up bra (we picked a nice neon one because life is too short for boring underwear)for when you feel like showing a little cleavage or the neckline of your outfit needs something lower cut. It has little removable cookies inside so you can choose how much vavavoom you show. • A balcony bra. We’ve gone for red (because it doesn’t show through white) and it’s a colour that makes us happy. The balcony shape is especially good under square necklines like vest tops and spaghetti straps. This is also the bra we often call your ‘date night’ bra… because of what it does to your assets.

• A black bra. This one happens to have a long line lace detail that when worn makes us feel a little sexier. But we think everybody should own at least one black bra…it’s a bit like that little black dress – a staple for any wardrobe.

• A sports bra. Wired or not will be down to personal preference. Make sure you invest in a properly fitting sports bra if you do any kind of high impact activity (anything that makes your breasts bounce up and down) to avoid future sagging and to improve your comfort whilst exercising. It will also improve your performance.

“ Life is too short for boring underwear”

These six bras would cover most of our wardrobe, but we’ll be honest it still wouldn’t be enough for us. We like to wear a non-wired sports bra for Pilates, and that wouldn’t work for more high impact activities for us; we go at least a cup size bigger just before our period, so we have a couple of bigger bras for those days too; we tend to buy two of our favourite bras so they last longer. Ultimately, there is no magic number and we often expect our lingerie to last longer than it should and to work under every item in our wardrobe. So, the answer to how many bras is whatever works for you. In the same way that some will own two pairs of shoes, others will have 20+ in their wardrobe. It is the same for bras. Regardless of how many you have, follow the rules below and you should never have to own an uncomfortable, ill-fitting bra again. First, always get fitted. Don’t assume your size will remain the same. It changes all the time (weight fluctuations, hormonal changes, lifestyle) and don’t get hung up on a specific shape. Accept that breasts change with age (unless you have paid for them). Don’t feel you have to justify buying new underwear…do you justify that new top? Just because ‘no one sees it’ doesn’t mean you should keep on wearing that grey, overstretched underwear. Unlike shoes , an old bra cannot be fixed. You cannot change a wire or bring back the elasticity to a worn out backband. And if getting rid of your unwanted bras makes you feel guilty, remember we have a bra bank. Your bras will earn money for charity then either be given a second lease of life or be recycled for parts, making room for better bras for yourself.

AMELIES FOLLIES

Don’t wait any longer. Book yourself an appointment at Amelie’s Follies for that long overdue bra fitting. ameliesfollies.co.uk