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I was looking for a Bay Area, probably East Bay, shop doing custom bras (or at least having a wide variety of sizes). I promised a couple of people that I'd post a summary of the results. (I note that of this list, a grand total of TWO and MAYBE A THIRD have any possibility of having something to fit me.)
OK, I'm not adding any more shops at this point. I have work to do :)
1. Roselyn Dress shop, 4252 Broadway (510) 444-7472. "These bras are not pretty and they are expensive, but they get the job done!" An article about them. I strongly suspect Roselyn Dress Shop is the one I had been thinking of. Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mactavish for asking in local communities and forwarding me the replies! (Turns out this place does big, not weird. They would laugh at both me -- small ribs, big boobs -- and my out-of-town guest -- small boobs, big ribs.)
2. Bras for Body and Soul in Fremont. They "carry bras in over 200 sizes (band sizes 26-52; cup sizes AA-N in full and half sizes--AA, A, B, C, CC, D, DD, E, EE, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, I, II, J, JJ, K, KK, L, LL, M, MM, N). The fitters are very nice, know the shop's stock well, and will work patiently with you to get you into a bra that fits. Make an appointment if you go, as they can't always accommodate walk-ins." (Now this has possibilities.)
3. A La Folie, 6395 Telegraph Avenue (At Alcatraz). This seems to be much more on the "lingerie" side of things than the others. Some of their stuff looks stunningly gorgeous. Warning to nonstandard folks: I have found nothing on their web site mentioning what sizes they carry. You know as well as I do what that probably means. :-)
Ranging farther afield:
4. "In San Jose there's Chicki Downs @ 1209 Park Ave 408-286-2772 I've been here. Its okay, but they did have a decent nursing bra in my size. although her stock seem limited in styles, but lots of sizes (you get ugly with functional)."
5. "Out in Pittsburg is Under it all @ 4571 Century Blvd 925-778-7272 I love this store. I ended up buying some very nice, very comfy bras for me there. In fact this is where I went shopping for a bra to wear under my wedding dress. I highly reccommend this store. [...] If I remember their yellow pages ad they go up to something like a J cup."
6. "Gitti's in Palo Alto has the owner do (Gitti herself) fittings. She gave me a great fitting for a new bra before my wedding. I'm not sure what sizes she has, but it wasn't just a froo froo lingerie place, for sure."
Even farther afield:
7. Creative Woman -- "The Wizard of Bras" -- 626/358-6216 or 888/564-9754. 1530 S. Myrtle Ave (Myrtle exit from 210), Monrovia, CA 91016 (nearish to Pasadena). "They'll also alter bras to improve or resize a fit if you need it. See their Bra Size Cup Chart for converting sizes between brands -- shows quite the confusion of sizes!"
And then there's the web. This isn't what I was looking for, of course, but lots of people swear by 'em, so I'll add the information for those who might be interested. (Note to people with my particular body type: most of these don't go below a 30" ribcage, and some don't even get that far.)
8. Fig Leaves in the UK. "They have an excellent selection, excellent size-search tool, and easy returns. Their stuff tends to be high-end and expensive. [...] The UK bras seem to have very bullet shaped cups, i.e. made for breasts with a smaller diameter base on the chest wall and greater depth from chest to nipple for equivalent breast volume." (This site carries a 28" band size.)
9. Road Runner Sports "have their own brands of many types of activewear that are cheaper than the major name brands and very high quality."
10. Bare Necessities "make it easy to search for specific sizes and carry most of the major brands. [...] If you are like me and have already zeroed in on the make, model and size you like, Bare Necessities is great way to go."
11. Bravissimo, in the UK, "caters to women with large breasts, but who are not otherwise 'plus size'."
12. Decent Exposures "do sports bras in all sizes, made to measure." (Also non-sports, everyday-wear bras. I know multiple people who are pleased with Decent Exposures bras.)
OK, I'm not adding any more shops at this point. I have work to do :)
1. Roselyn Dress shop, 4252 Broadway (510) 444-7472. "These bras are not pretty and they are expensive, but they get the job done!" An article about them. I strongly suspect Roselyn Dress Shop is the one I had been thinking of. Many thanks to
mactavish for asking in local communities and forwarding me the replies! (Turns out this place does big, not weird. They would laugh at both me -- small ribs, big boobs -- and my out-of-town guest -- small boobs, big ribs.)2. Bras for Body and Soul in Fremont. They "carry bras in over 200 sizes (band sizes 26-52; cup sizes AA-N in full and half sizes--AA, A, B, C, CC, D, DD, E, EE, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, I, II, J, JJ, K, KK, L, LL, M, MM, N). The fitters are very nice, know the shop's stock well, and will work patiently with you to get you into a bra that fits. Make an appointment if you go, as they can't always accommodate walk-ins." (Now this has possibilities.)
3. A La Folie, 6395 Telegraph Avenue (At Alcatraz). This seems to be much more on the "lingerie" side of things than the others. Some of their stuff looks stunningly gorgeous. Warning to nonstandard folks: I have found nothing on their web site mentioning what sizes they carry. You know as well as I do what that probably means. :-)
Ranging farther afield:
4. "In San Jose there's Chicki Downs @ 1209 Park Ave 408-286-2772 I've been here. Its okay, but they did have a decent nursing bra in my size. although her stock seem limited in styles, but lots of sizes (you get ugly with functional)."
5. "Out in Pittsburg is Under it all @ 4571 Century Blvd 925-778-7272 I love this store. I ended up buying some very nice, very comfy bras for me there. In fact this is where I went shopping for a bra to wear under my wedding dress. I highly reccommend this store. [...] If I remember their yellow pages ad they go up to something like a J cup."
6. "Gitti's in Palo Alto has the owner do (Gitti herself) fittings. She gave me a great fitting for a new bra before my wedding. I'm not sure what sizes she has, but it wasn't just a froo froo lingerie place, for sure."
Even farther afield:
7. Creative Woman -- "The Wizard of Bras" -- 626/358-6216 or 888/564-9754. 1530 S. Myrtle Ave (Myrtle exit from 210), Monrovia, CA 91016 (nearish to Pasadena). "They'll also alter bras to improve or resize a fit if you need it. See their Bra Size Cup Chart for converting sizes between brands -- shows quite the confusion of sizes!"
And then there's the web. This isn't what I was looking for, of course, but lots of people swear by 'em, so I'll add the information for those who might be interested. (Note to people with my particular body type: most of these don't go below a 30" ribcage, and some don't even get that far.)
8. Fig Leaves in the UK. "They have an excellent selection, excellent size-search tool, and easy returns. Their stuff tends to be high-end and expensive. [...] The UK bras seem to have very bullet shaped cups, i.e. made for breasts with a smaller diameter base on the chest wall and greater depth from chest to nipple for equivalent breast volume." (This site carries a 28" band size.)
9. Road Runner Sports "have their own brands of many types of activewear that are cheaper than the major name brands and very high quality."
10. Bare Necessities "make it easy to search for specific sizes and carry most of the major brands. [...] If you are like me and have already zeroed in on the make, model and size you like, Bare Necessities is great way to go."
11. Bravissimo, in the UK, "caters to women with large breasts, but who are not otherwise 'plus size'."
12. Decent Exposures "do sports bras in all sizes, made to measure." (Also non-sports, everyday-wear bras. I know multiple people who are pleased with Decent Exposures bras.)
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