Bras for Competition

[davincisop]

Every man has just now run away from this forum....

But anyways, I'm going to be competing in late September and while I am losing weight I still am very well endowed in the chest area. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for types of bras to wear so the kids aren't jumping around every which way while I'm out on the ice. Thanks!!!!

[MadMac]

What style is the dress?

[davincisop]

Not sure yet. I am looking to get something that maybe has clear straps because I fall out of strapless. I can't seem to keep them up. I'm looking for nude or clear straps though and a nude bra. The dress will probably be dark and I'm looking to maybe to a strapless style that has mesh holding it up.

But I'm a size D if that helps.

[CaraSkates]

If you are having the dress made, get them to fully line the mesh with nude lining (either a lycra or a thinner lining fabric). This way, you can wear whatever bra you want underneath. I'm a 34D/DD and I must wear a sports bra with my skating dresses. Not optional. The clear strap contraptions just don't work the same. A well fitting t-shirt bra might do the trick underneath a snug dress - compression in the chest area is good in this case!

If you are buying off the rack, I suggest taking an old bra that fits well and sewing (or having someone sew) it to the inside of the dress. You can pin it in place, handsew it in (I usually just sew the cups) and then cut off the straps. Take the dress with you to the mall or store and try on bras with it, seeing which works best. I personally prefer a nude underwire sportsbra that will work under any tank style dress (as long as the mesh is lined). For more open backs, I make sure the dress is snug and make the bra part of the dress (I make custom skating dresses).

[MadMac]

Yes, Good tips.  The clear straps tend to cut into my shoulders -- not comfy at all. Built into the dress is the best bet, but a lot depends on the cut of the dress and how much body the fabric has.

[Sk8tmum]

If you are having it made, have them build a bra in; my DD has this done, and it works well. Something as simple as a swimsuit type bra works well. The other thing, practically, is the style: we've found more success with snug fitting dresses that are made of material with minimal stretch OR with one-way stretch and having the stretch go vertical instead of horizontal; this way, "the girls" are held down nicely. Avoiding dresses with cut-out backs means that you get that "strapped down" thing happening around the entire bodice.

In terms of those clear strapped bras - the straps seem to snap if you put much stress on them - we always keep backup/replacement ones on hand.  I'm thinking that the ease with which we find these says volumes about the likelihood of them snapping.

[fsk8r]

I just wear a regular nude bra with sufficient support. However I take care in picking my dress style so that I don't have straps showing, so there's no halternecks or low cut backs (or fronts). I'd prefer to not worry about my bra on the day and whether I'm bouncing around and would rather take the time to pick a dress which is suitable. Then again, my coach wouldn't let me skate in an unsuitable dress. She's seen teenagers at quite high level bouncing out of their dresses because they don't have sufficient support in relatively low cut dresses. Strappy dresses might look nice, but if you need support, you need support.

[karne]

I am going to wear a nude bra with clear straps; but then, I am also a B  (why is it that when you lose weight "the girls" are the first things to shrink?). I think if you have the dress made, or choose a dress with a lining and decent shoulder-back coverage, you could get away with wearing a normal bra, I would just choose a lighter colour.

@Sk8tmum, thanks for the tip about the clear straps snapping. I think I'll get some spares, just in case! Wouldn't want to risk anything going wrong!

[SynchKat]

You're smart to not want strapless.  I wore one once for a competition and I kept having to adjust myself.   

If you get a dress you can wear a normal bra with you could always get some elastic and snaps swen in to hold the straps in place. 

And yes those clear straps do snap sometimes so be careful.  I had one go once at work I think! 

Make sure to post pics of your dress when you get it! 

[davincisop]

Thanks ladies. I am going to have to see what I can find. I'm sort of set on getting a strapless dress held up with mesh but I will see where my body is at in 4 weeks. I'm hoping to be down about 10 pounds since I'm losing inches, but I have to step up my game and lose some weight, too. Maybe my boobies will go down in size a little.

[icefrog]

If you have a strapless dress held up with mesh the mesh might be think enough to not see the bra. I used to have a dress like that and the mesh was double layer and the bra underneath wasn't an issue.

[ChristyRN]

If the bra is close to your skin tone, it won't show under mesh--at least not from the judge's box.  I have a dress with a mesh top and if I wear the correct color underneath (I have to remember *before* I head to class since I skate afterwards) I can barely see it.  I really doubt judges can see it either.

@Karne--I lost 60 pounds, and not an ounce off my 36DDs.    It took surgery to make mine smaller...

[fsk8r]

I've heard of one coach who doesn't like the clear straps because they catch the light. She also doesn't like nude straps showing either. But I think some of that is being old school and not realising that some of the modern materials really don't show under mesh or from a distance.
Ironic that we fuss about these things for skating, but girls are happy to walk down the street in spaghetti strap tops with multi-color bra straps showing!

[Sk8tmum]

I've heard of one coach who doesn't like the clear straps because they catch the light. She also doesn't like nude straps showing either. But I think some of that is being old school and not realising that some of the modern materials really don't show under mesh or from a distance.
Ironic that we fuss about these things for skating, but girls are happy to walk down the street in spaghetti strap tops with multi-color bra straps showing!

True, but, when the same girls get dressed up for prom, they usually cover up the lingerie - and I've been told that the multi-coloured bra straps are "so last year" now ... anyways, I actually agree that the hard, shiny clear straps look unattractive, and apparently others do too - one of the clear strapped bra we have uses something different, which is a wider, matte, textured strap that blends in to the skin better (and is more comfortable too).  It is more discreet than the other ones.

[sarahspins]

@Karne--I lost 60 pounds, and not an ounce off my 36DDs.    It took surgery to make mine smaller...

Same here.. I've had the same size chest no matter what my weight is as an adult.. I was a 34D by the time I was 14 (definitely NOT overweight then!), and I wasn't done growing.

As an adult I've ranged anywhere from 125-185lbs and my chest has remained much the same.  Even nursing 3 kids didn't do much, as it did for all of my friends (I have one who went from being a D cup to a "barely A" after nursing her son for only 10 months, and all I could think was - why can't that be me?!)

[karne]

@Karne--I lost 60 pounds, and not an ounce off my 36DDs.    It took surgery to make mine smaller...

Oh, I'm so jealous. I lost 8 kilograms, dropped a cup size from C to B, then proceeded to put the 8 kilos back on...on my stomach! 

[emilayy]

i'm not sure if the dress is from online or a store, but the dress shop that i get my dresses from sews an old bras into my dress. they cut the straps and the back part off and just sewed the cups into the front of the dress (my dress has a deep v in the back and is strapless). if the dress shop doesn't do this or you get your dress from online, a local seamstress would definitely do it as well.

[isakswings]

My daughter is an A cup(but is only 13...so yep growing). She borrowed a dress for her spin event last month and it had cups sewn into the bodice. I thought that was quite cleaver! I may try that with dd's dresses when she gets to a point of needing support. Right now, she is small enough she can get away without any support in her dress. For now, I fully line her bodices. That is thick enough for her. I made both her competition dresses and one is a strapless, tank style dress. I used swim suit liner for the nude part of the dress. She could easily wear a bra under that dress. The straps are wide enough and you would never see the straps through the fabric. If you ever make a dress or have one made, you can choose a nude lining fabric over the nude mesh for the top part of the bodice. I actually prefer this fabric over the mesh... it much more durable. It is the same fabric I line her dresses with too.

Good luck!!

[karne]

I invested in couple of pairs of wide clear straps for Saturday. They were actually pretty hard to find - ended up in a speciasit bra store! Now to hope all goes well...

[Sk8tmum]

I invested in couple of pairs of wide clear straps for Saturday. They were actually pretty hard to find - ended up in a speciasit bra store! Now to hope all goes well...

Dance stores sell them; that's where we get them.  Plus, the bras themselves.

[Brantill]

Most of my bras are demi t-shirt bras. I find them very comfortable and shape well.   I personally shop for bras at cheap places like Target, although I like fashion  bras like from. I don't like padded or push up because I already wear a D cup, so I don't need to look like I have more boob! All I need is a really good strapless  and I haven't found any that I like.

Mod note: split from unrelated archive topic.

[Brantill]

There are so many styles of bra available that it can be difficult to know which to choose.Every style of push up bras has its advocates, because they each do different things. Once you fully understand the differences between the bras styles and what you want from a bra, you'll be able to decide on the style that's right for you.Non-wired Bras .Traditionally, all bras were non-wired bras, also known as wire-free or soft-cup bras.

[blue111moon]

My dressmaker advises bras with non-stretch straps for the best support.  I have all my dresses made specfically to cover the bras I use to skate in normally.  But then, I'm old, and the low-back look isn't a good one on me anyway.  My body needs all the coverage it can get. 

[FigureSpins]

Go to a dancewear store with your shirt/outfit.  The bra will be more expensive, but they have a lot of options.  One of my DDs had a skating outfit that was low-cut in the back as well as the front; our local dancewear store had a bra with clear shoulder straps and a clear back-strap, which worked out perfectly!   

Personally, I don't think that strapless bras work for an athletic sport, a clear-strap bra won't fall down or show.  If you already own a bra with removable shoulder straps, you can buy clear straps at a sewing store like Joann's or Hancock Fabrics to fit.  Check the width of the straps before you buy - best to bring the bra with you to the store so you can measure/compare.

[Skittl1321]

When I used to dance we often wore bras that had the straps go around our stomach instead of mid-back, and then had convertible straps that could go halter, criss-cross, wide or narrow on the shoulders.  There was almost always a way to configure the bra to an open back leotard.  It looked so much nicer than the clear straps so many people use today.