I am very sensitive to concentrated poking-type pressure on my skin (like a too-tight waistband or my cat walking on my chest when I am lying in bed. =) - it's true - she only weighs about 7 pounds, but her little legs feel like hard, poking sticks when she walks on me.)
I am very overweight (5'4" 220 lbs.) and have a high tummy and of course, back fat. Ugh! I have been wearing a fairly comfortable leisure bra (Comfort Choice, 95% cotton, size 42DDD). But it still rides up in the back even though the band feels quite snug. I think this is the closest I can come to finding a comfortable bra. I do not want underwires. I do not want my breasts shoved together or smashed down. I do not want undergarments that don't breathe.
To solve the upward creeping of the back of the bra, I thought a cami that has some support, but does not compress the breast tissue too much might be a good alternative for me. My current bra has some gathering on the inside edge of both cups and a strip of fabric between the cups. it lies against my breast bone and separates the breasts. The underside (inside the cups) of the bra cups have a kind of half cup sling which gives some support. For these reasons, this bra works as well as it does for me.
Do you think this shaping tank will work for me? With my shape I know it's difficult, but I also would like something that doesn't roll up from the bottom if I sit down. I am rather short-waisted, but I don't really have a waist anymore. My "waist" measurement at the belly button is 49" and my hip measurement is also 49" - Ha! - 49,49,49, So much for curves! I measure 44" under bust, 42" above bust, and 49" at bustline. I think the leisure bra works as well as it does because it's band size is 42" and it's stretchy cotton. If I could, I would go braless, but I don't want breasts hanging down as far as they do, neither do I want breast tissue resting on my bare belly. I know that sounds gross, but I'm hoping you will make an honest effort in doing some research for me.
If this tank isn't for me, I think it could be modified a bit by the manufacturer if it has some bra properties built into it, i.e. some gathering between the breast area, fabric in breast area that is stretchier in some areas and more supportive and less stretchy in others to help give some support and a kind of half built-in bra sling like the one I described. No tank-top-with-built-in-shelf-bra thing - those don't work for me - I do not like the horizontally squashed uni-boob look.
Before I got sick 17 years ago, I was a size 12. I remember wearing one piece swim suits that were a lightweight nylon knit and they had a bra shape enough for some support. The ones I wore then did not have padded cups either. I believe that area of the suit had two layers of the same fabric though.
Another possibility would be a long-line bra that fastens in the front, but I haven't come across any that are shaped like I am in the mid-section. From the area beneath my breasts I am shaped like an upside-down V, instead of a V. All longline bras I've seen are V-shaped and look the same as they did 30 or 40 years ago, kind of like a cage. White also seems to be their color. Why do so many bras and undergarments come in white anyway?? The only time I wear a white bra is if I wear a white tank top underneath a blouse. If the tank is a bit low cut and my bra peeks out, it's not noticeable.
I've been professionally measured twice in two different upscale stores and even those people couldn't find a bra for me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Kindest regards,
Janet
