Improvability Blog

Another thought-provoking guest article from Susan Carter… Part One of a series.

I would suggest that those of you of a nervous disposition stop reading now; equally those of you whose advice about bras is whispered to your client to save you both embarrassment. If you fall into either category then I suggest you skip to the last paragraph which is interesting but not breast orientated and lets you know what to expect next in this series of blogs. 

The rest of you, let’s talk boobies.  Now this is from my personal view point and may not match your own experiences.  However, you will at some point meet clients with my assets and then you need to know what to suggest for them.

Boobies are big breasts and they need proper support if they are not to hang low and wiggle to and fro to misquote a Rolf Harris song. I’ve chosen the term boobies on purpose because whenever I read or hear the phrase I think of Page Three girls.  Those of you who do not live in the UK need to think of Sports Illustrated or swimwear ads.  You get the idea!

I have boobies.  I am a UK size 36H or 80H in Europe or 14H in Australia.  Yep, my breasts are huge with a narrow back.  And yet until earlier this week you would not have known it.  Despite always getting fitted at a specialist bra shop twice a year my breasts were less than perky, nowhere near as good as those Page Three girls. I used to gaze at them (my breasts) and think it so unfair that I could not get a bra that displayed them to their full potential.  I thought that middle-age sag had torpedoed my chances of true up and at them.  The days of my perky breasts were over.

Well, not any more.  A trip to Cambridge shopping with Suzie Rice has changed all that.  Suzie was not happy with the shape of my bra and yanked up her top to show me hers.  She was wearing one of those strange moulded bras that look great under t-shirts but I had never tried. The bra certainly displayed Suzie’s assets well.  I was not convinced but off we went to the well-known bra shop, Bravissimo for larger breasted ladies.  I tried on one like Suzie’s but the bra and I were not the same shape.  I drooped until the fitter suggested a plunge moulded bra.  I was horrified as I was convinced that I would look like an extra for a soft porn movie.  The fitter and Suzie ignored my protests and I tried the bra on.  OMG I had boobs up round my ears, and perky was my middle name.  I had a figure once again.  Clothes hung properly and there was no doubt that I am a lady. I loved the bra.  I loved it even more when the fitter said that it came in purple leopard print – that bra SO had my name on it. Like a child with new shoes I wore that bra out of the shop and couldn’t stop looking at my newly-discovered shape.

The smaller-sized moulded bras look like ear muffs or a cover for a Star Wars hairstyle. However mine looks more like a baby carrier for new born twins but it doesn’t matter because it does the job superbly.  I don’t have boobies any more. I have breasts with a lovely shape and they are in the right place once again.

Thank you Suzie and the lovely fitter from that bra shop.

Somewhere to put the grandkids…

The moral of this story is that getting measured twice a year isn’t enough.  You also have to think about where you want your breasts to be and how you want to look.  What a magical thing to hand to your large-breasted client; knowledge that could change her attitude to her breasts. I thought I knew what suited me but Suzie showed me that there is another way and I now have somewhere to put the grandkids when they arrive.

This is the last paragraph for those of you who skipped the above. 

Suzie and I have been working together for a few weeks on various parts of our image; colour, style, make up etc.  We both think that image consultants need image consultants to help them with their wardrobe. 

Keep an eye out for the next article which will be about choosing our words and if you haven’t a clue then you need to read the article. I just want to say that the process is life changing and I now understand what happens to our clients as we take them through the process. 

• Do YOU need a style update?
• Are you able to be honest about yourself?
• Could you do with working with another a consultant?

Think long and hard because my guess is that YES is the word!

Susan Carter works with ladies over 50 who have lost their oomph and want it back.  Her own blog can be found at twenty4carat.com and she promises it isn’t all about boobies.

Part Two coming soon

The hourglass figure epitomised by Marilyn Monroe is back in vogue as curvy celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Nigella Lawson boost demand for clothes that show off women’s figures.

After years of catwalks and magazines dominated by the stick thin “waif” look, curves are back in fashion with demand for “shape wear” clothes – which show off a woman’s busts and thighs – more than trebling.

Fuller figured pop stars like Duffy, Hollywood actresses Scarlett Johansson and Salma Hayek and television chef Nigella Lawson have been credited with fuelling the trend back towards the classic hourglass figure.

High Street store Debenhams reported demand for “shape wear” was up 225 per cent last year,

Debenhams spokeswoman Michelle Dowdall said: “It looks like big busts, big hips and narrow waists are on their way back.

“Were returning to an age when all women looked like Jane Russell, Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth.

“It’s bad news for stick-thin models – but great news for ordinary women on the street with healthy, fuller figures.”

Read the full article at
The Daily Telegraph
http://bit.ly/hYw07g