The whole dress-buying experience was hampered for me by one small detail -- at no salon I went to was there a bra in my size. I bought my dress wearing a longline bra with a cup one-third the size of my breast. Same problem at my fitting last week. I scheduled a second fitting for this Thursday to give me time to find The Bra and be fitted again wearing it, just to make sure there really were no adjustments needed to the dress.
So, after seeking advice from the Colorado message board on The Knot, Jason and I headed down to Le Soutien, an upscale lingerie store in Cherry Creek, the chic shopping area in Denver. The boutique was one of those that has the bras and panties pinned to wall-mounted frames that you can flip like the pages of a magazine to browse. The saleswoman took me into a dressing room, made me put on a robe, and started handing me things to try on. She decided I was a 38DDD; I had come in wearing an ill-fitting 40DD. But, as luck would have it, 38DDD seemed to be the only size of bustier that she didn't have in stock. She gave me the name and address of another store in town, Treva's, and told me if they didn't have it, Treva's would.
So, we headed out, got lost a couple times, and eventually found Treva's in a strip mall in a shadier area of town. The saleswoman was very helpful, but pulled no punches. She snapped my bra strap and told me if she was able to do that, the band size was too large. She took some measurements, eyeballed me up and down, and settled on a size -- 36FF. I was in shock, so I let the saleswoman guide me around the store, pulling longline bras off the rack for me to try on. And, just as before, there were no bustiers in the store that fit me. She offered to special order something, but I said I would take care of it. I bought a t-shirt bra, anxious to get out of the store, and I broke down in tears as Jason walked me back to the car.
I've always been self-conscious about my chest, but having someone verbalize the excessively large size to which they've ballooned has only forced me further into my cave. As soon as the size was out of the saleswoman's mouth, I began calculating how long it would take me to save up for a breast reduction. It felt completely humiliating to know that two numbers and two letters would forever prevent me from buying clothes off the rack.
In any event, I ordered a merry widow online, paid $20 extra for 2-day shipping, and should have the bra here tomorrow just in time for my dress fitting.
