When we were children, my grandmother would travel east from Ohio to visit us in NY staying several weeks in my brother’s bedroom. He moved in with me next door and both of us shared the bathroom with Sylvia. One of our favorite pastimes was to peak into the shower where her lingerie was hanging to dry. We would count the rows of hooks on her bra; 16 if I recall. This was very funny to us at the time; perhaps because we were under the age of 10. Her “bra” was huge, a “corset” that functioned like an ace bandage. Perhaps had I known I would inherit some of her genes, I would have been more forgiving. A selection of fit choices for women sized outside the fashion mold was not an option in her day.
Thankfully the Lingerie industry has come a long way, but only in recent years have they recognized that very large breasted women have a right to feel completely supported in their bras. One company that takes this mission to a whole new level is Elila. I first recognized this brand last spring, fascinated by the bra design pedigree of its founder, Ellen Jacobson. Flying under the radar for the past 10 years, Ellen’s expertise in fit for a fuller woman has placed Elila front and center of this critical category. Dedicated to the brand niche, styles range in sizes 34-54 bands and B-N cups. This time it’s the new no wire Leopard Lace Jacquard soft cup style (1203) that caught my attention. No wire construction for 34-50, DD-K cups? How? It is engineered with every requisite technical detail and yet, it is not my grandmother’s bra. It only has 3 rows of hooks.
“Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out” ~Dr. Seuss
