In Defense of Beige » All bra adventures

In Defense of Beige

I've been reading a lot about women who hate beige bras because for a long time that's all that was available to them.

Though I certainly understand the sentiment, that's not my story.

As a teen, while my breasts were on the large side for my peer group, I was still in a standard size. My bras were either pretty white satin and lace, or sexy black satin and mesh, with the occasional blue thrown in. Beige was neither pretty nor sexy. Beige bras were for moms or grandmas who didn't care.

I bought my first beige bra when I was 21, a beautiful Vanity Fair in a colour they called Fawn. It is still one of my favourite bras ever- it's buried at the bottom of my lingerie basket because I can't bear to get rid of it.

Throughout my 20's my breasts continued to grow, and eventually I found myself sized out of the local market. At one point I was living in a pair of identical black and white Bali bras which were technically 3-4 cup sizes too small, but had stretched so much they were just wearable. Then disaster struck: the white Bali disintegrated in a bleaching accident, and suddenly I had only one bra which worked with about half of my wardrobe. I searched every store for a new white bra, wasting money on 3 different bras which sort of worked in the fitting room but were useless once deployed in the real world.

In desperation I visited the only specialty store within driving distance, where I was wrangled into a scratchy, seamed, beige torture device which was expensive as hell, ugly as sin, terribly uncomfortable, would have shown through all my clothes, and still needed an alteration in order to fit me! (This store no longer exists- no surprises there). I was so desperate that I actually returned to the store a second time before deciding not to buy anything.

Two months later I was overseas, and went to a favourite lingerie store that had supplied most of my bras as a teenager. I tried on various sizes, and eventually alighted on a never-before-encountered cup size: the DD. I was overjoyed: the bra fit! Granted, it was not much more supportive than wrapping my breasts in toilet paper would have been, but it covered all my breast tissue and didn't poke me anywhere, and at that point this was enough for me. I bought it in every colour available: black, pink, 2 whites (just in case) and yes, beige.

These bras were my best friends for over a year. Then, on my next overseas trip, I was able to visit a specialty bra store. The lovely fitter found me the perfect black Felina bra: seamless, supportive, fitting, and comfortable. The only negative was some ugly (to me) embroidery where the cup met the strap, but who cared? I wanted the same bra in white, but as it didn't exist the fitter suggested beige. I didn't want the beige- it was ugly, so I settled for a lacy white too-pointy bra. It wasn't long before I realized that I really needed that beige bra in my life and bought it online.

Together with a hot-pink purchase from the same visit, these were my 4 bras for the next year and a half. The beige did most of the heavy lifting- I wore it more than half the time. It was the ugliest bra I'd ever owned, and yet with time I came to love it for its practicality. When the wires started coming out of their casing I painstakingly sewed them back in. I couldn't get a replacement because the model was discontinued, so I went on wearing it despite the stretched band and the discoloured straps (the result of my having to wear sunscreen every day in Summer).

I can wear a plain beige bra under almost anything. It disappears, becomes a part of me, lifts and shapes my breasts and then pretends its not really there. I can wear it under a shear lace top and it's safe for work. I can even wear it under sheer black if I'm desperate.

Eventually the time came to retire my loyal beige friend, as I had lost a lot of weight and my breasts were swimming in all of my bras. Fortunately, in the 3 years since my white-Bali disaster, Freya and Fantasie had found their way to a local chain. My first search was for a new seamless beige- I could live without any other bra, but not this one. I was almost ready to compromise on Fantasie's seamed Serene, when a fitter introduced me to Fantasie's Smoothing 4520 in "Nude". Plain as can be, rounded, beige with a slight sheen, it was love at first sight. I already know that the Smoothing is going to be a repeat purchase bra for as long as Fantasie keep making them.

And what about the old Felina? I'll attempt some strap and band shortening, and then probably wear her around the house until she falls apart.

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Shared on Sep 29, 2012 Flag this