Dear Bwitch!

My underwire bras always poke me. How come?
Savitri

As a bra gets larger in the band size, the distance between the cups also increases. Underwires are placed in a bra according to accurate measurements. If you experience poking, your bra is probably the wrong band size. It is important that you measure for your band size and then not deviate from it when purchasing bras.

What features should I look for in a maternity bra?
Radhika

A comfortable maternity bra should have wide side bands and shoulder straps to support growing breast tissue. Shoulder straps should have some cushioning and not stretch. Look for a bra with three or more back closures to offer the most flexibility in fit. The bra’s band should lie under the breasts and on the rib cage — not creeping up on the breast tissue. Also, if you’re pregnant during hot summer months, or you find yourself getting hot easily, look into bras made from 100% cotton. And remember, you will be wearing these bras for several months after your baby is born, so it is wise to buy a good bra that will adjust with your changing sizes.

Why are the bottom of my breasts often red or bruised?
Tina

When the band of your bra is not up against the ribcage, but rather resting on the under-breast tissue, redness and bruising can occur. The problem is that the band size of your bra is too big (e.g. you’re wearing a size 42 instead of a size 40). Your breasts are falling out from the bottom of your bra and your bra straps are being asked to bear too much of the weight and support. Not only are you uncomfortable, but your bustline is not getting proper support. Try a bra with a smaller band size and a larger cup size (e.g. try a 42D if you were wearing a 44C).

What are some general tips on drying lingerie?
Kirti

When possible, only line-dry lingerie. This will increase its life considerably.

• If you do put lingerie items into the dryer, first lightly shake out the items, or untwist them before placing them in the dryer. This will allow even drying and reduce wrinkling.
• Don’t overload the dryer. A stuffed dryer will not allow the items to tumble. Drying will be slower and clothes will wrinkle.
• All clothing should be left in the dryer just long enough to remove wrinkles and moisture. Any longer, and the heat can actually set wrinkles, increase static cling and cause shrinkage. This can be true for natural and man-made fibers.
• Acrylic, nylon, polyester, and microfibers have low moisture absorbency so are fast drying and should be dried using a low temperature setting.
• Once you remove your items from the dryer, immediately hang or fold them. Clothes left in a heap will wrinkle.

Women to design first sexy eco-friendly bra!

After failing to come up with seductive ‘green knickers’, companies have given up. But, a new campaign has been launched which asks British women to design the world’s first sexy eco-friendly bra.

At the moment, most ethical bras are made from plain and boring beige cotton, reports The Sun .

Nicola Alexander of website daisygreenmagazine.co.uk who are launching the hunt said: “British women are sick of boring eco-friendly undies. They want a raunchy, frilly bra that makes them feel great and is good for the environment too.”

The design which wins will go into production to be exported worldwide with a donation to charity from each bra sold.

Nicola said: “When we first announced our plans to make the ‘best ever’ ethical bra, we were inundated with comments about the kind of bra readers wanted so we decided to give women everywhere the chance to tell us.”

Women grin and bare it on Facebook

By now you must have figured what was up with the colour-coded updates of your female friends on Facebook on freaky Friday.

Of course, till afternoon, most men were momentarily foxed with the in-joke (read: among women only) streaming their pages with status messages like white, black, red, leopard, beige, ‘nothing’, ‘is officially colour-blind’…

The secret was out soon: these were the colours of the bras worn by the women. A search revealed that the origin of this campaign lies in a blog where the following post was up: “In honour of breast cancer awareness, we are playing a game…… silly, but fun! Write the colour of your bra as your status, just the colour, nothing else!!

Copy this and pass it on to all Females …… NO MEN!! This will be fun to see how it spreads, and we are leaving the men wondering why all females just have a colour as their status!!”

“I was told about this by a friend last night and then it was all about ‘let’s fool the guys’. So, I put up my colour because it was creative and a girl thing. Only this afternoon did I get another message associating it with breast cancer awareness,” says Jui Lele, assistant manager, Globosport.

YK Sapru, chairman and CEO, Cancer Patients Aid
Society, India, says, “This campaign would have been started by the American Cancer Society. I am not very sure whether the campaign works for India, but I am sure it has generated some amount of inquisitiveness.”

Actor Renuka Shahane, who has been creating awareness for the cause, says, “Well, it is rather interesting but I think the men should be equally aware of the cause. A lone ‘pink’ or ‘red’ as a status line would be rather ambiguous.”

“It was a fun thing to do because everyone in office was doing it and even though it didn’t seem to be about breast cancer, the idea might stick. If the idea was awareness, then an information link would have really helped,” says Urvashi Choubey, management trainee, Hanmer HSL.

So was it a fun marketing survey of women’s bra preferences/fantasies and men’s reaction to that, some project to spice up a sometimes predictable Facebook experience, Facebook’s possible attempt at stealing Twitter’s thunder, or a way to make women think of the very real threat of breast cancer? Whatever the reason, it proved to be sticky.

“A possible reason it went viral was the association of the bra with women’s liberation, the idea of freedom,” says Krishnapriya Banerjee, analyst, McKinsey & Company.
And as news cycle on the Internet goes, most men took over at #umbra on Twitter, in a bid to keep “a-breast” with the ‘loose talk’ and coming up with ‘BRA’ infested one-liners at the speed of crackling mass hysteria about the contraption. A Facebook user’s exasperation by the end of it came with one final, “Ok, enough bra-gging.”

Girls ditch their frilly lingerie for thermals

Sales of thermal underwear soar as temperatures plummet to -15C

Feeling sexy seems to be the last thing on women’s minds right now as sales show they’re swapping lingerie for thermals.

New sales figures have revealed that girls are ditching their frilly lingerie for thermals as temperatures plummet to -15C.

There’s nothing sexy about being cold, and it looks like girls are picking comfort over class as record numbers of long johns have flown off the shelves.

And women are keeping their not-so-naughty thermal secrets under wraps, with sales of faux-fur coats raising by 22 per cent.

Department Stores Trust Pulling Power of Lingerie

Underwear is traditionally the top item in department store sales to the extent where they often have to hire security guards to maintain order in the crowd when expensive imported lingerie goes on sale. Ahead of this year’s first sales event starting Friday, department stores are as usual focusing their efforts on marketing underwear.

Underwear bargains are believed to be one of the most effective ways to tempt customers to loosen their purse strings, since many customers who buy high-class underwear also buy other luxury items.

According to Shinsegae Department Store, 12.3 percent of customers at the luxury lingerie zone in its Gangnam branch also made purchases at other high-end brand booths, while 7.7 percent bought expensive imported casual clothes as well. In other words, customers who buy luxury lingerie have strong purchasing power. At Hyundai Department Store, the story is much the same.

Another noticeable trend is rising demand for red underwear as it is traditionally believed to invite good fortune. A department store in Busan saw the sales of red underwear make up 25 percent of its daily overall sales on the opening day, and other stores are since then also planning a similar event.

The Nightwear Collection

Lingerie shopping made easy & ‘sexy’

A sexy set of lingerie might appear to be the most intimate gift for your girl, but buying it or rather buying the right kind of lingerie can be quite a daunting task.

Particularly, if you wish to increase your intimacy with her, a wrong choice can do more harm than good. After all, nothing can be as embarrassing for a girl than getting a sexy corset in a size that’s way too small, or big, for her.

So, if you want to avoid the untimely death of your relationship, better brush up your style sense before going lingerie shopping for your girl. We bring you a few quick tips:

Size and style rule the roost: The first step to avoid making a blooper is to know her actual size and her taste. While buying a smaller size may cause her embarrassment, buying a larger size can give her an indication that you think she is bigger than what she actually is. So, it is always better to do a little homework beforehand. Check out her lingerie drawers and examine the labels where her size too will be mentioned.

Similarly, having an idea about her style sense will be a big help. Buying a bold black corset may be a wrong choice for a girl who loves flowery lacey stuff. A bad choice can only make her cringe, so observe what she loves to flaunt when you get into some steamy action. If you manage to get even a little close to what she loves, know that you have hit the jackpot. After all, finding her something she loves to flaunt is the greatest achievement for a man. So, let the time be your guide!

Shop for her body type

If she is tall and slim: Garter belts cut the body horizontally and make your leggy lass appear all the more sexy. These belts accentuate the legs and highlight the curves in her body. These belts form the basics of sexy lingerie and stand a rare chance of going wrong. Just make sure you buy complementing stockings, underwear and a bra to complete the set.

If she is voluptuous and well-endowed: Nothing works better to turn a big bust line into a sexy cleavage than a corset. Not just that, it also takes attention away from her fuller tummy by giving it a flattening effect together with highlighting the waistline.

If she is bigger and fulsome: If you think a tight fitting corset or bra will squeeze your fulsome babe into a lesser size, you are heading into trouble. Rather than making her realise she is big, give her something that not only makes her feel comfy, but covers her rounds in the best possible way. A sexy negligee will do the best to hide all the sins. Something like a baby doll that‘s fitted at the bust and flairs down, her bum will not only accentuate her cleavage but will also camouflage her big bottom. Go for dark colours as they have a slimming effect; nets and see-through fabrics are absolute no-no’s.

If she is fit and athletic: Wanna make your tomboyish girl look sexy for a change? Boy shorts in a sexier style are what you must buy. Not only will they make her athel etic bod look curvier, they will also accentuate her well toned butt. Anything from a bra to a corset complements a boy short well. So go ahead and let your sporty babe pose sexy tonight.

If she is shy: Not everyone is blessed with a girl who is confident enough of her body and doesn’t mind sporting even the most daring of lingerie styles. If your girl is not very comfortable flaunting that tiny-miny underwear that you bought for her, just ease her by adding a satin robe. The robe will take away her hesitation and the satiny effect against her body will make her feel sexy and sensual. And you never know what else it does to her mind and you might just get lucky!

Points to ponder

• Make sure what you buy doesn’t accentuate or clings to a body part that she prefers to hide. For example a big tummy or thighs…you know your girl so better pick up something that flows down those areas making her look curvy.
• Your aim should be to gift something that enhances her best assets.
• Darker colours have a slimming look.
• When it comes to fabric, cotton is a big no, as women prefer it for everyday use and as a gift option, looks boring.
• Lace, silk and satin are the safest bets. They look sensuous and feel beautiful on the skin too.
• Go for lycra only if either your girl has a ten-on-ten figure or doesn’t mind showing off those buldges. The fabric has a tendency to cling to the body.
• Same goes for nets and see-through fabrics. Buy only if she is comfy carrying them.

Make the sales woman your friend for a day, tell her your choice and let her help you find the best piece for your princess.

Gifting lingerie: how to avoid a late-gift disaster

God bless lingerie, every man’s trump card when he wakes up, hungover from the office party, to confront the hideous realisation that he hasn’t yet bought his girlfriend a Christmas present.

Help! How could this have happened? And would a medicinal nip of whisky be out of the question at 8am? There was that ring she mentioned from that shop in Mayfair but he can’t remember whether she wanted it in silver or gold. And there were those shoes she wanted from Mulberry but were they called Kitty, Pretty or Titty? Nope: far easier to buy her a bra and pants.

Her bra size? Quite a handful. Probably an E cup. Best rifle through her lingerie drawer and check. 32D? Blimey, is she really that flat-chested Actually, dear boy, the 32 pertains to her back size: don’t make the common mistake of buying a 36, as it’s the letter that determines cup size, not the number. You’d be amazed how many fully sentient grown women don’t even know that fact, but it’s an essential one.

Some other tips: don’t make the mistake of rushing out and buying red. Too Mrs Claus, and too predictable. David Beckham might shop in Agent Provocateur but then his wife is the size of a toothpick, with a body deemed fit enough to be emblazoned across Armani billboards. Lovely store and all that but perhaps not for the shy and retiring girl.

Have you considered white? I know, I know: it’s not as racy, but lingerie can often be viewed by the recipient as a selfish present, particularly if it’s of the crotchless variety. Buy her something white and she’ll be convinced your intentions are honourable. “Heavens!” she’ll cry, her heart racing as she tears apart the pale pink tissue paper. “Underwear that doesn’t make me look like a page three girl! Underwear bought for me and not for you! You really are a metrosexual man!”

Strange as it may seem, you may be on to more of a promise with a white bra than you would be with a peekaboo one in black lace. Women are funny creatures, and never forget it.

For the same reasons, anything with floral sprigs, polka dots or stripes should also go down well, particularly in muted, tasteful colours such as pale pink, navy or grey. And if a bra and pants set feels too clichéd, remember: this is the season of the Body, so feel free to buy her a sexy all-in-one. Silk camisoles and camiknickers should also be a welcome gift, the former cleverly avoiding the vexatious question of her cup size. When in doubt, always buy smaller in the bra department and bigger in the pants department: underestimating her boob size is far less offensive than thinking they are bigger than they are.

The easiest of course, would be to head to http://www.bwitch.in and beat the crowd to take care of all your lingerie shopping needs.

Lingerie gets men’s pulses racing!

Women’s lingerie gets male shoppers’ pulses racing, a new study has revealed.

But, when it comes to women, it’s the sight of sparkly evening dresses or a glamorous pair of shoes that do the trick.

The study,in a bid to establish in which department customers get the most enthusiastic, used monitor devices to track the heart rates of 1,000 shoppers, reports The Daily Express.

And the study of customers aged 20 to 40 revealed stark differences between what gets the pulses racing for the two sexes.

Lingerie topped the list of goods that boosted men’s heart rates, followed by high-tech TVs and sound systems.

Ed Watson said: “It seems men enjoy buying something special for their loved ones.”

Said Watson: “Women appear to embark upon an emotional roller-coaster when they step into a shop, with heart rate peaks throughout the experience. The shopping climax comes late for men – it’s all about closing the deal at the till.”

My Pointy Bra: Fashion, Fetish and Femininity – Essay

I’m wearing a pointy bra, like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and the women on the cover of old pulp fiction novels used to wear, not like Madonna in Truth or Dare. For as long as I could remember I wanted to wear a pointy bra, I couldn’t wait to grow breasts and own an arsenal of those dangerous things.

When I was a little girl growing up in the Dominican Republic I remember seeing my Aunt Alba wearing pointy bras.  In the 70’s the Caribbean was still very much in the late 50’s when it came to women’s roles and how a ‘lady’ should dress; so Tia was always in stockings, tacones (high heels)and ‘foundation’ garments such as corsets-like girdles you’d see in old Sear Roebuck catalogues.  Tia Alba was gorgeous, Rubenesque with a tiny waist and long straight black hair; looking every bit the Taina goddess she would’ve been way back before 1492.

Tia Alba was a seamstress and would make all of her and my fluffy girly dresses (I guess this is where my obsession with always dressing up began.) I was in complete awe of her, her straight hair; her old fashioned Singer® sewing machine with the big pedal that kept her working even during the infamous ‘apagones’ (blackouts) Santo Domingo was known for; and most importantly her pointy bras.  She was a divorced mother of three which gave her license to be more sexual and seductive than her never-been-married-virginal younger sister; even though a lady was never sexual or seductive in those very repressed puritanical Caribbean times. She was the only person I knew that wore pointy bras and I was always amazed and how powerful and sharp her profile looked. I was too young to know who Marilyn or Jayne were, but I knew who Tia Alba was and I wanted to grow up and look, dress and read Vanidades (the Spanish version of Cosmo) just like her.  I wanted THAT power even though I had no idea what that power was.

When I finally started to grow my own breasts, a boy in the 7th grade called me torpedo tits.  He thought he was insulting me but it was the best compliment ever! I thought I had willed my breast to grow like that, like some crazy form of evolution so I wouldn’t need the actual point bra.  As they grew rounder, I became obsessed with them and was always looking for the perfect bra.  I no longer thought of Tia Alba and her pointy bras since I thought they went the way of the Dodo; and I wasn’t blessed with her ebony straight hair.  Yet whenever I’d see old movies with the likes of Ann-Margret, Rita Moreno and Dorothy Dandridge I wished the point bra would resurrect or that my boobies had stayed torpedoed.

I’ve had wonderful relationships with bras throughout the years, bras that made me feel amazing and that turned many heads. On my 18th birthday I wore a blue and black corset to school with garters and stocking under a poka dot skirt and black gap t-shirt.  I also cancelled my subscriptions to Teen and Seventeen and started reading Cosmopolitan; all steps towards being more Tia Alba-like and recreate what I thought were the effects of the pointy bras.  I would sometimes wear bras a few sizes too small hence pushing my breast so far up under my chin I looked like I had the mumps.

When cancer caused my right breast to be amputated (the word ‘mastectomy’ doesn’t really communicate the severity, mourning, pain and finality of the procedure) my relationship with bras obviously changed.  Finding the right bra is an issue for all women, so imagine what it must be like for someone like me with a reconstructed breast.  Now I dream of being able to one day commission custom made bras, bras with two different cups sizes and different support for each breast.

I have found a few bras that make me look like the old ‘breast under the chin me’, but they don’t feel as comfortable so I don’t enjoy wearing them like I used to.  Bras are now practical cotton, and lycra undergarments, something I need, like a bottle of Mr. Clean or light bulbs, not the sexy pieces of wearable art I hid under my sweatshirts or chose to display under a semi sheer top and always matched to my panties even if there wasn’t any chance of someone seeing them.  They made me feel womanly and cancer robbed of some of that.

Then one night, in Syracuse NY after having performed my play about breast cancer at the university I asked where the nearest Wal-Mart was.  I have a secret (ok it’s not a secret) fetish for Wal-Mart.  As a New York City girl I don’t have Wal-Mart’s and I’m fascinated by the low, low prices, the extra wide aisles and the fact that I could go shopping there at 3am.  My cart was filled with flannel sheets for my bed; a 500 count box of Q-Tips; a buy one get one free box of Herbal Essences hair color; $7.99 mascara that would cost $14.99 in NYC; a dish towel with a little monkey on it (I LOVE monkeys) and ten $4.00 knock off Hanky Panky® panties when I saw it…black, lace, extremely pointy and $12.99.

I stared at it for a long time, felt like just like Jeff Goldblum looked when he saw his first dinosaur. It was extremely padded and a work of art. Wow! Would my frankenboobie fit into it?  Would I look and feel like I thought Tia Alba felt?  Why couldn’t I find this bra four years ago?

I took a leap of faith and bought it, there were other colors but I didn’t know if it would, A) be a comfortable fit; and B) look good, Tia Alba good, so I only bought one.  It sat in my drawer for a long time.  I was so afraid of it.   So afraid it wasn’t going to be all I thought it would be; after all, Tia Alba is now over weight and diabetic (the beautiful raven mane is still there, though) and I had to find the right outfit.  I needed to look (or at least feel) like Marilyn, Ann-Margret, Jayne and the pulp fiction girls.

Finally I decided to take it for a test run, I wore a tight pencil skirt, stilettos and a boobielicious top. When I looked down and saw these grand Tetons leading the way into every room I stepped into all I could think of was the old Singer® sewing machine. I had just been recreated, reconstructed for $12.99.  I loved seeing my profile’s reflection and feeling like I should be sitting at the counter of a pharmacy ordering a Coke Float waiting to be discovered by a talent agent with my stocking encased legs crossed.

I felt whole, I don’t know how else to explain it, but I felt whole.  Losing a breast is devastating and no matter how much people tell me I look great, I sometimes feel less than the woman I know I am. Please don’t tell me I shouldn’t feel this way; that I overcame so much; that I’m fine and need to move on, because I know all of this.  And saying that to someone who’s had a loss of ANY kind belittles how they feel and their personal experience. Besides you only say things like that to take the burden of having to worry about me off of yourselves, not to make me feel better.  Feeling and knowing are two very different things, and we need to accept this sometimes. So please don’t read this as a pity party; don’t cry for me because you’ll never cry as much as I have for me and this, believe it or not, is a celebration of my womanhood. It took this pointy bra to give me the boost I need every now and then.

Every woman should have her ‘pointy bra’ whatever that may be.  It may be a pair of shoes, or the right dress or a combination of all of the above to make her feel like the bombshell she knows she is but doesn’t always feel it.

Next time you see me you’ll know if I’m wearing the point bra.  Not just for obvious reasons, but because you’ll hear it in my voice, you’ll see it in my walk, my fermones will be screaming it, and if you stare at them too long, they might poke your eyes out.