Small bust, big heart

With thanks to The Lingerie Diet creator, Margaret Shrum, for this guest post:

Sometimes a step outside your comfort zone is all that's required to feel good about yourself

Embracing your body at any age, any stage, no matter what its size and shape — that is what The Lingerie Diet is all about. Its mission is to empower women to love their bodies and celebrate their unique beauty gracefully.

After fitting and styling thousands of women and celebrities in NYC over the past two decades, when it comes to lingerie, I have seen it all. My belief has always been to love what you are born with, take exquisite care of yourself and play up your assets. Whether your best feature is a gorgeous smile that lights up the room, elegant fingers, silky hair, or a small-but-perfectly-formed-bust, what counts is how you own the unique beauty that you possess — and flaunt it!

Many of my personal shopping clients complain that they can’t find any pretty lingerie in their size. About a quarter of my clients wear an A, AA or AAA-cup bra. When they come shopping with me in NYC, they can’t believe the goldmine of delicious lingerie we find together. Today, there seems to be a much wider selection of fashionable lingerie for small-busted women — including a variety of colours, fabrics and styles in both underwire and soft-cup bras. Some of my favourite A-cup lingerie lines include:  Jean-Yu, Mimi Holiday, Marni, Philip Lim, Stella McCartney and Myla. You can find all of these lines online at Net a Porter.

You can also find a nice selection of beautiful A-cup lingerie, sleepwear and loungewear at boutiques like Agent Provocateur, Kiki de Montparnasse, Journelle and Kaori’s Closet. I find that some A-cup styles also fit AA-cup sizes, so I always ask my clients to keep an open mind and try on everything.

No matter what size a woman wears, I like to encourage her to stretch outside of her comfort zone. Frequently, the bra that has no “hanger appeal” may be the perfect one for her shape. Of course, when you find a style and brand that you love, be sure to buy it in multiple colours and go back each season to try on the new collections.

To sign up for a free chapter of the Margaret’s EBook, Secrets of the Lingerie Diet — and a series of free coaching emails — visit The Lingerie Diet website.

Tags: A-cup, AA-cup, AAA-cup, small bust, The Lingerie Diet

An SBBH reader asks: “I’ve had a double mastectomy and reconstruction. My consultant told me I could wear a bra, but not one with an underwire. I have a couple of non-wired bras that are okay, but I can usually only find black or white. I would like to know if you could suggest any nice designs in other colours ideally.”

The reader in question is a 34B cup size, which you’d think would mean she had access to a wide range of bra styles (well, more than those of us who are A-cup and less anyway). But, as she’s experienced, many of the more glamorous bra styles on the market are underwired. And she’s totally right to seek out something that makes her feel as special as she deserves.

Luckily, SBBH is well-connected — I’ve asked some of my favourite lingerie experts to suggest the bras they recommend for my reader:

Saxaphone bra, $139, A Little Something Fit

A Little Something Fit: The Wundervoll Keta bra, $125, and Saxaphone bra, $139, are non-traditional designs with formed cups and a very stylish look, which smacks of strong and self-confident femininity. We stock these in A-cup sizes (but B-cups can be found at other Wundervoll retailers).

We also offer a couple of soft cup, non-structured and sexy halter style bras from Wundervoll: the Overtone bra, $109, and the Tambourine bra, $125, which are available in small, medium and large.

Firebird bra, $68, Lailides

Lailides: I recommend our La Sylphide bra, $72, which certainly fits the bill for this reader.  It’s wireless, comes in some beautiful colors and our size 3 (or possibly size 4) should fit a 34B cup.

For a little fun, I also suggest our Firebird bra, $68. It has the same fit and styling as the La Sylphide, but with a gorgeous peacock pattern. Both bras are designed to be very comfortable — like a second skin.

Rosa bra, £29.99, Dainty Lady

Dainty Lady: We are pleased to say that we make a lot of bras without wires. And, like all our customers, your reader is very welcome to try any of our styles with no obligation to buy.

May we suggest our Fleur non-wired bra, £13, which is made in soft stretch lace and comes in a variety of pretty colours including ivory/pale blue, ivory/mint and ivory/peach. Our Rosa non-wired bra, £29.99, is another great option. Made from stretch satin, colours include aqua/cream and peach/cream. We offer AAA-cup, AA-cup, A-cup and B-cup sizes in all our designs.

Biatta bralette, $28, Lula Lu

Lula Lu Petite Lingerie: I suggest the Biatta Molded Cup Bralette , $28, as it has no underwire and has light foam cups, which offer some coverage. Plus, it comes in some fun colour combinations. This is a great T-shirt bra or, because it comes with pretty lace trim, you can also wear it to be seen as it looks like the top of a camisole. Each size — small, medium and large — fits AA, A and B cups as there is a lot of stretch.

Bralette, $42, Itty Bitty Bra

Itty Bitty Bra: We have many customers who are in the same situation as your reader. I recommend our bralette, $42, available in small, medium and large in nude and black. It’s a simple, lace-trimmed style — with no underwire, no padding and no hooks. It looks really great under sheer tops.

Tags: 34B, A-cup, AA-cup, AAA-cup, B-cup, bralette, mastectomy bra, non-wired bra, T-shirt bra