Spring Clean Your Bra Drawer

When was the last time you bought a bra? Before your first child? When you were still in college? Can't remember? Then it's time for you to have a fit and stock up on a few new bras just in time for spring.

Women's breasts change at least every five years - add to that hormones, pregnancy, weight change and other factors and it becomes easy to understand how 85% of all women are wearing the wrong size bra. Well ladies, it's time to put your big girl panties on and go have a bra fitting!

Bra fittings can be quick, painless and relatively non-invasive. The last time I had a fitting (last summer) it was a lot more simple than I had remembered and yielded great results. After having two kids my body had shifted tremendously and I had graduated to a 38C - who knew? Certainly not my drawer full of 36B's at home.

A few of my favorite places to send clients for bra fittings are Victoria's Secret, SOMA by Chico's, Belk and Nordstrom. If you have a little lingerie boutique in your neighborhood, I highly recommend that too. You'll get great service and they'll remember your size with each visit, making it so much easier to be a repeat customer.

But I hear a few of you wondering why have a bra fitting when you have a drawer full of bras that work just fine. Well, take a good look. Do they hold 'the girls' at attention at the midpoint between your shoulder and your elbow? That's the goal to keep breasts not only looking perky, but to maintain circulation which can help to prevent breast cancer. Breasts are made up of tissue, not muscle, and as we age that tissue begins to break down and results in a little sagging. A perky chest can help us maintain a youthful appearance and look great in our clothes. s
I highly recommend that women buy most of their bras in a color closest to their skintone. This helps to keep them less obvious if a strap peeks out or you bend down to pick up your child and your shirt gapes open. A black bra is ideal for wearing under black garments, but please avoid white bras - especially under sheer white tops. They only serve to call attention to themselves and look tacky. Stick with a skintone and you'll look chic and polished every time. Reserve a pretty color - pink, red, leopard print? - for the bedroom. When you dress up for romance it helps you to feel special and chances are your partner will feel special too.

Now's a great time to take advantage of Hanes.com's $14.99 bra sale. Buy any two (or more) Playtex or Barely There bras and they're just $14.99 each. That's a deal we can all use more of!