BiuBiu "Amargos" Review

I ordered this lovely BiuBiu top over a month ago and somehow neglected to write a review. This is the 36BB/BBB.

I love the pattern of this top. It’s somewhat unusual but not quite as out-there as some of the BiuBiu patterns (as Fuller Figure Fuller Bust points out here).

The fit definitely runs a little smaller than most of the BiuBiu tops. I’m actually okay with this because I feel the Amargos is well suited to being a little tighter and sexier. It’s low-cut in the front, which worried me at first because I don’t like showing cleavage. But it works well with my Thea plunge bra (second to last bra in this post), which doesn’t show too much cleavage. I still wouldn’t wear it to a babysitting job, a church picnic, or a luncheon with my senator, but I think it’s fine for most other casual situations.

Due to the tightness, it does ride up a bit when I move around, not to the point where I have to constantly readjust, but to the point where I’d probably be annoyed if I was still living in Edinburgh and walking four miles a day just to get around.

My favorite thing about the Amargos is the back detail.

Isn’t that cute? A little mini V-neck in the back!

The more I wear BiuBiu tops the more I do like them and the more I see their value as a clothing company. I used to think that there was really no difference between their clothes and the high street, other than the tailored shirts, because I never struggled to find clothes that fit me in normal stores. But every time I wear something from BiuBiu, I get so many compliments that it sends me right back to their website to see what else they have to offer. I guess maybe others can see the crucial differences in fit where I wasn’t able to. But I’m definitely starting to appreciate it now. 

Cleo "Rihanna" Review

I’m not really in the market to buy anymore bras right now because I already have so many—in fact, I’m probably going to be looking to sell the ones I don’t often wear. But there was one bra that, when I saw it was finally available, I wasn’t going to miss out on. That’s the Cleo Rihanna.

This mystery bra has popped up in a few places (like Undercover Lingerista's post here) but I never heard much about it and I was beginning to think that it wasn’t going to be produced at all. Then I saw it was available at Breakout Bras, although apparently nowhere else, but unfortunately the price was way beyond my price range. More recently, the Rihanna has finally started appearing for sale in a few more places, including Amazon.co.uk and eBay, where I found mine. They all seem to be on sale now so I’m not sure where/when/if the Rihanna was posted for normal sale.

Because this bra is the same as the Sadie (reviewed here)and Jude (sixth bra down in this post), I got my normal size for this brand and cut—30H. (I wear 30HH in Curvy Kate and either 30HH or 30H in most Freya and Panache, though I fit a 30GG Deco, and a 30H in most Cleo bras.)

I just love this bra. It’s such an unusual color combination and pattern. I’d wanted a bra from the Jude family for ages but I was holding out for something I was really in love with. I wasn’t a fan of the orange color of the Sadie…

...I don't like the combination of blue and pink, found in the Ellie...

…and I’m sick to death of floral patterns as found in the Poppy, etc.

But the Rihanna has this weird, awesome pattern that isn’t like anything else I’ve seen. It’s somewhere in between a 'tribal' pattern, a geometric pattern, and a watercolor design. It’s definitely eye-catching, and I like the refreshing color combination.

The shape from the side is the same shape you saw in my Sadie and Jude reviews. Round but a bit low, relaxed and casual. It’s definitely not the best shape out there but it’s the furthest you can get from pointy. In some clothes this bra makes my boobs look bigger, but in most, it makes them look smaller because the apex of the cup is close to the chest (it doesn’t have much depth). This is bad for people who need a lot of depth in the cup, great for people who want a round shape without much forward projection.

You can also see that the underwires are pretty narrow and are coming close to sitting on my breast tissue. I actually wish they were wider, but I know I’m firmly in the minority on this point and most people prefer narrower underwires.

The center gore sits SUPER FLAT on my chest. What a relief! I’ve found a lot of vertical-seam bras, especially Curvy Kate’s Showgirl bras that I wrote about here, just never really sit flat in the gore, so they feel as though they are constantly floating around and slipping. This bra sits firmly in the same place for hours.

This bra has the same vertical seam pattern I was talking about in my post about the Masquerade Delphi. As usual, this seam pattern brings with it a lot of open space in the top of the cup. This is great for those with full-on-top boobs and can be awkward for those without a lot of volume in the top because there can be some gaping or a “collapsed” shape above where the cup ends.

All these points add up to a bra that’s perfect for some shapes and best avoided for others. But if you do fall into this bra’s target shape, I’d recommend the Rihanna. It’s so weird and cute that it really gives my mood a boost every time I put it on. It’s a much better fit for me than the Curvy Kate Showgirl bras that I have to constantly keep readjusting and so, in a lot of ways, the Rihanna accomplishes what the Showgirl bras can’t.

Masquerade "Delphi" Review

You might remember the photos from my last trip toBravissimo, when I tried on the Masquerade Rhea in a 30H and fell in love. The shape was absolutely stellar but unfortunately I couldn’t stomach the high price. So I scoured the internet for a 30H Rhea at a lower price. I guess I was asking for a miracle because I couldn’t find any lower-price Rheas in that size. So I broadened my scope and looked for other Masquerade bras with a similar construction, and I happened upon the Delphi in 30H on Amazon.co.uk on sale for about half price.

I don’t think the Delphi is even close to as cute as the Rhea—I mean, why would you take a satin bra and then cover it with mesh on the cups?—but the shape and support are the same.

 The most interesting feature of this bra is the straps. They are very thick in all directions. I knew they widened at the top, but I had always pictured it being a thin layer of fabric that was sort of gathered at the cups and spread out at the top of the shoulders. Instead, these straps are made of a very thick foam. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it’s impossible to wear this bra with a sleeveless or strappy top, as I do with most of my other bras. But on the other hand, the wide foamy straps are a miracle when it comes to comfort. I wore this bra for 48 hours straight on an assortment of delayed international flights and it didn’t hurt me at all. I don’t know if Masquerade designed the Delphi with air travel in mind, but it certainly works for that.

The cups on the Delphi, like the cups on the Rhea, have a three-section vertical-seam construction.

This construction is awesome for giving a super-lifted, rounded shape. It also gives lots of openness at the top of the cup which is great for full-on-top boobs. It’s the same construction used in the Curvy Kate Showgirl bras, but the Rhea and Delphi have more openness at the bottom of the cups whereas the Showgirl bras are very flat there. That’s the reason a lot of people need to size up in the Showgirl range. I perfectly fit a 30H in the Rhea/Delphi but a 30HH is a tiny bit small on me in the Showgirl bras. So I would say that Masquerade definitely runs a little bigger in the cups than Showgirl. (I wear a 30GG Freya Deco, but that is a completely different cup shape so not as useful in comparison.)

Although the three-section vertical-seam construction leads to a really round shape, it also has one pitfall that I have noticed—it tends to make my boobs really center-heavy in a way that they usually aren’t. This makes sense if you think about where the lift is coming from. In a 3-piece balconette construction, the strap connects to the section that starts in the middle of the cup, so the pull comes across the cups and pulls the boobs both up and out.

But in the vertical-seam construction, the lift comes more from the outer section which pulls straight up, so the boobs are pressed more towards the center.

I suppose this would be great if you are looking for increased cleavage, but I personally find it annoying because it’s not just the cleavage, but the whole boob that ends up in the middle. It makes otherwise modest clothing a lot more showy and so I always have to be aware of what clothes I wear with the Delphi (as I do with the Showgirl bras). It is a minor annoyance in an otherwise great bra and seam construction. There is no such thing as a perfect bra and every bra comes with compromises. With the Delphi, the compromises are relatively minor.

Urkye, At Last, With Some Very Blurry Photos

You might remember from my last post that I mailed my Urkye order to my parents’ house and wasn’t sure when I’d be able to get it. Well, I asked my mom to send it to me and it arrived yesterday.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a camera right now—my old one broke and a new one is in the mail on the way to me—so all I have is my webcam. And I’m basically living in the woods right now so in addition to the lack of internet, there is also a severe lack of indoor light. So these photos are inexcusably horrible. But I thought maybe you guys would like to see a blurry first view and at least hear my thoughts. Hopefully it will be helpful if you’re trying to make an order yourself!

I ordered the Urkye dress (I’m not clear on the name of the dress from the website, but it’s currently the only dress they have) in a 36ooo. Here it is!

Overall a rousing success! The quality of the dress is really nice. The jersey fabric is thick and forgiving and the pockets in front give it a really satisfying heaviness.

I found that it was also extremely flattering to my shape from the back…

…and especially the side.

I am becoming more and more convinced that the pockets on this dress are utter genius. The location and construction means that they completely solve the problem a lot of other jersey dresses have—the awkward thing where they cling back in under one’s little chubby belly and end up highlighting it. The pockets on Urkye’s dress completely smooth and camouflage this section, so it looks like I don’t have a little chubby belly at all, but trust me, I do. So if you usually skip jersey dresses because you’re afraid they won’t flatter, try this one! I bet you’ll be impressed!

One thing I didn’t like was the puff on the shoulder of the sleeve. I felt like it sort of distracted attention from the rest of the dress, which is so simple and adorable. It also made my shoulders seem wider, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself, but I can’t say it is something I seek out. I do wonder, though, if perhaps the puff sleeves were added to draw the eyes to various places other than the boobs and thus balance the figure?

The only other small problem I had with the dress was that the princess seams that come down over the boobs didn’t lie flat—the seam binding switched sides halfway through which created a bump. But this would be solved with a simple ironing so I can’t say I’m too bothered by it.

On to the sizing. The 36ooo is a pretty good fit, just about perfect in the body. I do wonder if I could have maybe downsized to an oo for my boobs. In this photo, you can see that there is a very faint line where the fabric is hanging down slightly over my boobs:

I take this as a cue that there is a little bit of extra fabric in that area. I think this is good news. In the BiuBiu items I’ve tried, I definitely needed a BBB, which means that women with bigger boobs than me wouldn’t have a bigger size to wear. For at least this one item, it does seem that Urkye has a little more wiggle room and could fit those with bigger boobs than me. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend sizing down, however. I think it comes down to shape more than anything. I figure that Urkye’s clothes are designed for Polish bras, like Ewa Michalak or Comexim, which tend to give a more upfront/uplifted shape. I tend to wear Panache and Cleo bras, which give a more minimized, rounded shape. (You can read more about that here.) So I think I would have the ability to size down to the oo while someone else who wears an H/HH/J cup in different bra styles might prefer the ooo.

My biggest piece of advice on sizing is to email Urkye if you are confused about which size to order! I didn’t do that myself, but she suggested it in a comment on my last post, and I’ve heard from several people that she is very helpful and speaks English.

Overall, I would highly recommend this dress! I love it lots and lots.

P.S. I don’t mean to sound as though I am insulting/abandoning BiuBiu. I also recently received a BiuBiu order and those photos/reviews will be up next week.  

Freya Siren Bikini Review

I recently become aware that the site Large Cup Lingeriealways has free international shipping, plus they have a great outlet section.They mostly just sell Freya and Fantasie items, but I was on the lookout for another bikini, and I was thrilled to see how low their prices were for Freya’s Siren bikini.

I’d had my eye on this bikini for awhile, having tried it on in a shop once and loved it. I am also pretty picky when it comes to swimwear designs, and this is one of the rare patterns that catches my eye.

The bikini top has a plunge shape and is constructed with two sections and a vertical seam—similar to Cleo’s Juna bra and several other Freya bikinis with the same plunge shape, including the Fusion, Fontana, Waves, etc.

Freya Fusion Bikini Top

Freya Fontana Bikini Top

Freya Waves Bikini Top

I think vertical seams are one of the best ways to construct a bra, especially for giving a round shape. I got the bikini top in a 32GG. It only goes up to GG, but as the equivalent of a 30H (the smaller of the two cup sizes I normally wear) I hoped this size would fit fine. You might remember that I don’t worry as much about a tight band when it comes to swimwear since I usually just lie out and read a book in my bikinis.

Don't make my mistakes--remember to reapply your sunscreen.

The 32GG ended up being perfect in the cup, which means it runs a little bigger than I was expecting. If you're sized out by just a half size or a single size, you might be able to squeeze into this one. It was big for me in the band, but I guess that’s no surprise since I cheated and got a 32. This one runs true to size in the band, unlike many swimsuits which run smaller because of all the Lycra. I will need to take in the band to feel more stable in it. I think the band runs a little bigger than the band on the Fantasie Ibiza bikini I reviewed earlier, since I felt that the 32 was an okay fit in that one.

The shape from the side is really great—very round.

I also like the fact that it is a bit lower-cut. Since it’s a bright white shade with sassy animal print, I was always intending this to be a flirtier, sexier bikini than my Fantasie Ibiza, and the extra cleavage plays into that. The gore also sits flat, which is a pleasant surprise considering the band is too big.

The biggest annoyance I have with the Siren top is that the seams are pretty bulky. It's not padded at all, but there seems to be a lot of stuff going on in that seam. It shows under tops and I noticed the seam became very prominent when I was lying down on the beach. I wonder if the cups were even too big for me and that's why the seam was taking on a mind of its own because it wasn't being pulled against my body. However, the cups are spot on when I'm standing so I wouldn't want to try a smaller cup size--although I find myself tempted by the notion that I MIGHT fit into a 30GG in this style of Freya plunge bikini, as I do in the Deco. I think the 30GG bikini would be about a half size too small, though. 

As for the bottoms, I was a little unsure what size to order. I normally need a medium for my hips, but a small for my butt. I didn’t want any cutting in on the sides, so I chose the medium. 

I think either size would have had some problems. If I got the small I would have had visible love handles. But with the medium, it is definitely too big on my butt. Swimwear also gets even bigger when it gets wet, so I’m going to have to work some magic to ensure I won’t find myself pantsless after a wave washes over me. The trick I usually use when I have this problem is to take in the crotch section a bit. This pulls down the back of the briefs so they sit where my diminutive butt is and won’t get baggy. Doing that also makes the briefs sit a bit lower on the hips, which I like. I think for people with a more average sized butt in relation to their hips, going with your normal bottoms size should be fine.

It’s hard to tell in photos, but the leopard print on the Siren actually has a border of silver glitter on each spot. 

I hadn’t realized that when I ordered it, but honestly, I’m down with it. I’d recommend this bikini if you want a bit of shimmer and glitz this summer. It really makes me feel gorgeous, which is pretty important when you’re half-naked on a beach, if you ask me!

Shock Absorber Sports Bra Top Review

In case you’ve wondered why posts have been a bit thinner on the ground lately, it’s because I’ve just moved from the UK back to the US. I’m home for two weeks, in which time I have to go through all the boxes of my old clothes and papers from high school to sort everything and get rid of everything I don’t need anymore. I’ve also been seeing old friends and generally going a million miles an hour. But I’m hoping that after this week, posts should pick up the pace and I’ll hopefully get back to posting around twice a week. So thank you for your patience.

As promised in my last post, here is my review of the sports bra I found that works really well for me. You may remember that I found the Panache Sports bra didn’t work for me in a 30H because I needed a 28 band to match my underbust measurement. But I had heard that Shock Absorbers run really tight, so I decided to try a 30H again. These bras are commonly available on eBay and usually at very low prices and in loads of colors. Just make sure you know which you’re getting--I am still a bit confused as to which Shock Absorber is which. There are sometimes references to "Level 4" or "Max Support". The one I have usually seems to be referred to as the "Max Support" bra, but in many of the eBay listings it was also referred to as the Sports Bra Top, and looks like this in photos:

I like the term Sports Bra Top to refer to this version because it looks more like a top than the other version, which looks more like a bra. That one has more formed cups, and looks like this:

When I got my Shock Absorber I immediately knew it was going to be a success. The support was really top-notch. This bra relies on compression (basically smashing your boobs to your body) rather than encapsulation (holding your boobs tightly in a boob-shaped structure) and I’ve found I really prefer compression, so I’m happy with the Shock Absorber compared to the Panache encapsulation bra.

Here is the bra on its own:

You can see that I have some side-boob where I spill out from the bra. But, because the Shock Absorber spots top is wire-free, I had always planned to wear it with a balconette bra. I just really prefer an underwear to separate my boobs so they aren’t touching in the middle. Here it is with a Panache Harmony Balconette underneath.

With the balconette underneath, the Shock Absorber is stellar and amazing! I have absolutely no motion whatsoever when I run. It is the same level of amazing support that I get in the Title Nine Frog Bra I used to wear. I could definitely run in this Shock Absorber and feel very comfortable. I wore it for an intense horseback riding lesson this morning and the support was perfect and I didn't have any bouncing at all--quite a feat when you're cantering!

The Shock Absorber is much tighter in the band than the Panache. The 30 fit me perfectly. I needed a 28 in the Panache, but I definitely wouldn’t have been able to fasten a 28 in the Shock Absorber. Even with the 30, it is pretty hard to do up. It fastens with two sets of two hooks in back with a circle in between, like this:

 I found the easiest way to do it up is to first fasten the bottom hooks, then push the straps closer to my neck and do up the top set of hooks. And, importantly, it is really easy to take off. I don’t mind struggling to do up a sports bra, but I HATE struggling to take it off when I’m all sweaty after exercise, which is why I wanted to upgrade from the Frog Bra, which has to go off over your head. Undoing the hooks after exercise is super easy and a big relief compared to wrestling something off over my head.

I would highly recommend the Shock Absorber sports top, especially with a wired bra underneath. The support is better than anything else I’ve tried on, and best of all, it is available at great prices on eBay. For me, having something that works and is accessible at low prices is really the push I need to exercise more. So if you’re hoping for a similar push, give this bra a shot!

Panache Sports Bra (30H) Review

Having been won over by all the hype about the new Panache Sports Bra, I really wanted to try it for myself. Panache bras often work best for me, and I had really high hopes for this one. It ended up failing on me, but only because of sizing.

For the past few years, I’ve been wearing an ungainly combination of two underwire bras (one too small, covered with one that is too big) with another too-small non-wired compression bra on top when I run or exercise. As annoying as it is to wear three bras, the results are stellar—I get absolutely no boob motion at all. This is thanks to the legendary compression of the “Frog bra” from Title Nine. I think for women with smaller boobs, the Frog bra might be the ultimate end of the search for a great sports bra. It’s not being made any more, but if you check out the product page youcan see how beloved it was! And for those with medium-sized boobs (D-G) the Frog bra would still work great with an underwired bra underneath. But I was hoping to break free from the necessity of wearing multiple bras to exercise, so I thought the Panache might be the best option because it’s underwired but doesn’t have the pointy shape of the underwired Freya Active.

The Panache Sports bra is available on many sites (Amazon, Figleaves, Nordstrom, Bare Necessities, HerRoom, etc) but is pretty expensive and doesn’t seem likely to go on sale anytime soon. So I waited around for when Figleaves had a promotion code and used that to get 20% off. For anyone on a budget, I would recommend keeping an eye out for a similar voucher code to make the price a LITTLE more reasonable.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the appearance or shape. I got the bra in a 30H (the largest cup size available) and the shape was really amazing. I would have no problem wearing this bra out in public, even to do things other than exercising, since my boobs looked so rounded in it. Since I am usually very embarrassed by the thought of people seeing me exercise, having a bra that gives a good shape is a really big help to get me out there.

The bra itself is also really cute—it doesn’t look at all like a boulder-holder and the construction isn’t visible from the front, but covered with fabric so it looks more like a sports top than the D+ engineering marvel that it is.

Unfortunately, despite how good it looked, the bra didn’t deliver. I didn’t get any more support than I do in a normal bra and there was loads of bounce going on even just jumping up and down in my bathroom.

The bra includes clips on the backs of the straps to connect them into a racerback shape. When I clipped them together, it did help eliminate a little more bounce, but there was still far too much motion for me to be able to run in the bra. I also found it was extremely difficult to clip and un-clip the racerback attachment. One of the things I look for in a sports bra is ease of removal—when I’ve just arrived home all sweaty after a run, the last thing I want to do is wrestle with my bra to get myself out of it. So the racerback clips just didn’t do it for me.  

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that this bra doesn’t work. You might remember that although my underbust measures 28”around, I choose to wear a 30 band rather than a 28 for greater comfort andequal support. Unfortunately, the Panache Sports Bra doesn’t allow for me to size up in this way. When I pulled the band tighter behind me and then jumped, the bounce was completely gone. So if this bra came in a 28HH, it would be amazing and ideal! Unfortunately the cups don’t go up that high, but for those who do fit in the size range, I think this bra could do the job. Just keep in mind that if your underbust measures 28”, you’ll NEED a 28 band in this bra to get the proper support and encapsulation to stop the bounce. I hope to see Panache expand the size range of this bra because it has so much potential, and is not really a bra that you can wear in a “sister size”--it is perfect only in a band size that matches your underbust measurement. You don't need to size down, as it doesn't run big--you just need to wear the exact right size. 

My next post will talk about the success I had with a different sports bra! 

Cleo "Molly" and "Sally" Reviews

I’m not the world’s hugest fan of plunge bras. I don’t have extremely close-set boobs (those who do often find they need plunge bras, because a higher gore can’t sit on their chest without sitting on breast tissue) but I do tend to get a lot of cleavage even in styles that are meant to be modest. So plunge bras can leave me feeling a bit exposed—I hardly ever wear my Freya Deco.

But I do love polka dots! So I became interested in the Cleo Molly when I started wearing 30 bands and noticed that it went up to H cup.

I found this bra on Figleaves in the outlet section for a good price so I decided to try it in 30H. I was taking a bit of a risk because I couldn’t find any reviews online other than one review on Bratabase where the reviewer said it was a horrible fit on her bottom-heavy boobs but would be better on top-heavy boobs. That’s me, so I went for it.

I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised by the fit of the Molly. The center gore sits against my chest and the cups are perfect for me. They are very open on top, so it did end up being good for my shape—it gave good support from the bottom and didn’t cover me where I don’t want coverage.

The band feels pretty average to me for a 30. (The bratabase reviewer felt that it was loose.) It is comparable to my other Panache and Cleo bras in the same size. It only has two hooks though, and has a slight angle that makes it sit as though it was riding up rather than horizontal or low, so these factors lessen the stability of the band.

As for the shape—well, from a direct side-on view the shape is quite strange.

But then, from a half-profile, it looks pretty normal.

I think the odd shape in the side-on view comes from the fact that it’s a foam bra but also a seamed one made in three sections. So the foam makes a slight corner at the seams and it ends up looking very “bra-shaped” as opposed to “boob-shaped”. Fortunately, I found that this disappears under tight, stretchy clothes (especially if you wear two layers, as I always do)—the stretchy fabric sort of evens out the shape all over and it ends up being a pretty good shape.

I don’t have a huge amount of experience with plunge bras—this is my only one—so I’m not sure how much support they typically give. But I can say I definitely would not wear the Molly to go on a brisk walk. It is fine for a day of going to class, sitting at a desk, grocery shopping, going to a party, etc. It just isn’t very good at supporting the boobs from all angles because, hey, it’s really only supporting them from the bottom. So although it gives great lift, it doesn’t give perfect support and there is that weird feeling of bouncing inside your bra if you try to walk fast or climb a mountain or engage in energetic dancing (the non-fully-adjustable straps also don’t help with this). I’m guessing this is pretty normal for a plunge bra, though.

Encouraged by my success with the Molly, I decided to try another Cleo plunge bra that looked like it had similar construction, the Sally.

I had always found the Cleo Sally to be fascinating—I liked the colors and there are not that many plunges that go up to H cup, but the only reviews it had gotten were terrible, and there were not many reviews. I finally accepted the fact that I was going to wonder about it forever unless I tried it (sometimes you just have to accept that this is true). I found it for sale on eBay from a company that has an eBay store. It is also available on Brastop and Bravissimo at sale prices.

I got the Sally in a 30H, the same size I fit perfectly in the Molly. As you can see, it was a dismal failure:

The Sally was simply smaller than the Molly, at least a cup size smaller. The center gore actually did still sit on my chest, but the cups were hardly covering my boobs and forcing them down and smashing them. I think it has more to do with size than shape, although the shape is somewhat different. The Sally has a lower center gore and lacks the extra band under the cups in front. It is also less friendly to full-on-top boobs--the upper section seemed a bit tighter than I would have wanted relative to the rest of the bra, even in a bigger size. I think this bra would be a better fit on someone with an even shape that doesn't have a big difference in fullness between the top and the bottom, or for someone with full-on-bottom boobs if they sized up. I also think it would probably work better on wider-set boobs. 

I did find the bra attractive, though. Here are a few closer-up shots:

A lot of the negative reviews I had read basically just said “meh” or that people found the bra looked and felt cheap and tacky. I didn’t really find this to be true, it was comparable quality to many other bras I have tried and I think it’s quite cute. I just would have needed a 30HH or 30J in this bra, neither of which exists. I knew there wasn’t going to be any way to salvage a bra that was this small on me, so I simply returned it.