The Amazing Angela & Other TLBC Bras

After my last post about how to find your correct bra size, I've been on the lookout for bras that fit right, and on the top of my list to try was The Little Bra Company (TLBC).  They specialize in making bras specifically designed for women with smaller band (28-36) and smaller cup (A-B) sizes.  They've been featured and loved by great petite bloggers like ExtraPetite and AlterationsNeeded.  So imagine my surprise when TLBC recently contacted me and offered to send me some sample bras to try!  I was more than delighted to take them up on their offer, since I had failed in my last attempt to find them at a local store. 

When I received their package, it was literally like Christmas in July... and boy, they did not disappoint!  Now keep in mind, I'm definitely not as genetically blessed with great proportions like PAG and others.  But for what I've got to work with, trust me when I say that this is as good as it gets! :)

My absolute favorite in terms of push-up potential is definitely Angela, which is one of their bestsellers:

I don't know how they figured out the perfect cup placement, but I was pretty surprised at the difference it made:

Left: Lily of France True Match in 32A

Right: TLBC Angela in 30A

AE dress in size 00

Having cleavage was never one of my aspirations, but I do like how this makes me look less, well, bony in front.  And to date, no other department store or Victoria Secret bra has managed this feat!  But the best part about Angela (other than the push-up of course) is absolutely NO GAPS.  Not even I tried to make it gap by hunching my shoulders and leaning forward, it doesn't!  I think it was AN who once said that putting on a well-fitting (and flattering) bra for the first time is almost like a religious experience, and I couldn't agree more!  As soon as I put this on, I seriously wanted to throw out all my other bras and start over.

In addition to a good push-up bra, another essential undergarment that was missing in my wardrobe was a good strapless.  Like many other petites, I don't own a single one that doesn't slip and slide like it's nobody's business.  This is another area that I think TLBC shines in.  Their strapless Sascha comes in band sizes that go down to a tiny 28, which may even be equivalent to a 26 in regular non-petite bra sizing.  It feels super tight and secure on, no silicone strips needed!

But in addition to staying up, it's also important that a strapless doesn't flatten me out like many that I've tried.  Although it doesn't have as much push-up as Angela, the Sascha is still padded enough to give me a nice shape under clothes:

Left: Lily of France True Match in 32A

Right: TLBC Sascha in 28A

TLBC had also sent me the Lucia to try, but I'd already ordered my own during the recent ideeli 50% off sale.  I think it's such a gorgeous bra, and I love that they make not just functional push-ups but pretty lingerie-worthy styles as well.

The Lucia in 30A fits me pretty well with no gaps, but in comparison to Angela in the same size, I'd say that the band is not as tight (I could probably go down a band size).  The cups are also not as angled and close-set, therefore the amount of push-up is not as impressive.  But it looks very pretty on, and comes in ivory which I think would be great as bridal or honeymoon lingerie.

Their price point is a little higher than I'm used to, but comparable to Victoria Secret bras at retail and definitely worth it to me because they fit so well.  If possible, I really recommend trying on their bras in different sizes to find what fits you.  Even special petite bras won't fit if you don't try the right size... and once you do, I think you'll be amazed too!  If you're not sure where to start, try this bra size calculator (measure in cm).  And since TLBC offers free shipping for orders $100+, it's easy to order the style(s) you want in different sizes, and returns shouldn't be too bad since bras are light.  Alternatively, they're also sold by other online retailers and carried in select stores - the full listing can be found here.

They have an ongoing 15% off promotion with the code ANBRIDE15, which expires on 10/10/10.  But that's not all!  TLBC has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway for readers... so stay tuned to see how you can win a free TLBC bra of your own!!

Last but not least, don't forget to scoop! :)

Disclosure: Sample bras were provided for review purposes only and they will be sent back.  TLBC has offered for me to keep one as a courtesy.

Children's Slimline Hangers Review

For years, I used to use these nylon-coated wire hangers from Walmart which were ridiculously cheap ($1 per dozen).  Their only good feature was that they had an uber slim profile so I can smoosh all my clothes together and fit 5x as many as regular plastic hangers.  Other than that, they were flimsy and always getting bent, clothes were forever falling off (especially strappy items), and I hated getting hanger indentations in delicates and knits.

When I first started blogging, I decided to do a closet purge where I cleared out all the items that didn't really fit or that I haven't worn in years, which didn't leave me with a whole lot of clothes left.  Soon after that, we moved to our new place, and I realized that it was time to invest in better hangers!

Initially I was really excited about the potential of these petite wooden hangers that DiaryOfAShopper found, but unfortunately they were almost just as big as the regular size.  So instead, I went to good old Bed Bath & Beyond for the ubiquitous Slimline Huggable Hangers.  They have a slim profile which maximizes closet space and a velvety texture that holds on to straps and delicates/knits to prevent them from slipping off.

But instead of getting the regular size, which looked rather big and wide to me, I took a chance and got the children's size instead, along with some hanger clips that will allow me to hang skirts and pants:

At first when I opened the box, I was dismayed to find out how TINY they looked.  Here's a comparison to my husband's regular wooden hangers:

The width of his hanger measures 17.25" and mine measures a mere 11.75".  But when I went to hang some actual clothes on them, I realized that they work pretty well!

(J.Crew Grand Ruffle Shell & LOFT blazer)

(BR silk skirt & Tailor-made dress pants)

Granted, the hangers are not as wide as my actual shoulders, but they're really only about an inch off.  The velvety texture holds things on even when the the neckline is wide, and the fact that they're wide enough for skirts and pants made them keepers for me.  And the bonus is that they're especially good for sweaters because narrow shoulders leave no annoying hanger indentations!

They retail at $20 for a 24-pack, but BB&B always has various coupons.  I ended up spending about $60 total to replace all my hangers, with plenty of extras to spare for new clothes :)  Here's a peek at my completed closet:

 

Top: Dress Shirts & Pants

Bottom: Skirts & Outerwear

Left: Dresses

Hanging: Tops

Open Shelves Below: Jeans, Sweaters, Accessories & Purses

I also keep my special occasion dresses and heavier outerwear in a separate coat closet.  As you can see, most of my "tops" are just basic tees and tanks, organized by sleeve length.  I'm still working on re-building my wardrobe after the last purge, but despite lots of buying there hasn't really been that many keepers.

I'm pretty happy with how the hangers turned out, and I love how uniform and organized they make my closet look (especially compared to before!).  I think children's size hangers work only if they're the huggable (velvety) type, and only if your clothes are a similar size to mine.  Even a size bigger and I think they would probably be too big, and you would be better off buying the regular-sized hangers.

My First Sewing Project: DIY Skirt Step-By-Step

After spending 3 hours at Joann's last weekend (yes, seriously!), I came home fully-equiped to start sewing!  For my first project, I thought about what would be the easiest to make, and chose a simple skirt with an elastic waist.  I didn't want to spend too much on fabric because based on my past experience, this was more likely than not going to end up un-wearable.  I'm also terribly indecisive and can never tell if fabric that looks good on the bolt will look good on a person.  I scoured the store (twice) and settled on a white cotton with a red & pink floral embroidery pattern.  It was on sale for 70% off, so only ended up costing $4!  It was rather sheer though, but stubborn me decided to go ahead anyway and thought I could figure out how to line it with some white muslin I already have, even though I've never tried such a thing.

It took me about two weeknights from start to finish (with lots of mistakes in between), but here's how it turned out!

Please ignore the loose threads hanging from the hem, I was so excited to try it on I hadn't bothered to snip them off.  This was based on a pattern-less and simple A-line skirt from the book Sew What! Skirts, and here's a quick pictorial recap of what I did:

Fold fabric in half vertically, draw a curved line for the waist and a similar line for the hem at desired length.

Cut two (for front and back).  Repeat for lining fabric.

Unfold and sew side seams on both.

Sew the two layers together at the waist (wrong side so raw edges will be hidden)

Turn right side out and sew another line at the waist to make a casing for the elastic.  Insert elastic.

Redistribute fabric evenly and voila!

It initially did not turn out very well.  I'd envisioned a flowy drapy skirt so I'd cut it extra wide, but with limited experience I did not realize that two voluminous layers of cotton (one of which being muslin) would not drape well!  It was so stiff and even after much rearranging, the best I could get it to look was like this:

As soon as I make any movement, the folds get really funky and droopy because of the heaviness.  I decided that it wasn't going to work - it was too big and too long!  Back to the sewing machine I went, and after chopping off about half a yard of fabric, I came up with this:

Still a slightly flared silhouette, but much simpler and more suitable for my frame.  All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with this first project.  I managed to successfully line it and it's actually wearable (I think!  Please let me know if I'm delusional lol).  I'm still considering taking in the bottom some more for a fitted pencil-skirt look, but I'm not sure I should since the waist would still be elastic.  Here's how it would hypothetically look:

A-line                                                       Pencil

What do you think?  Is the fabric more suited for a sweet A-line or a more sophisticated pencil skirt?  Of course since I'm just experimentally cutting away fabric, there's no guarantee it's going to end up looking like that.  I could potentially end up with a misshapened and unwearable garment on my hands, so maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead :)

BR Belt Review & DIY Belt Alterations

Shopping online for belts is so hit-or-miss for me, because despite what the size chart says I never really know where the tightest hole will lie, and more often than not it's nowhere near my waist.  And while braided belts are always a fail-safe, they don't always go with everything and of course we all need some classic leather belts in our wardrobe.

My one and only belt from BR was a skinny leather one purchased several years ago, which only fits because I was desperate enough to punch a hole in it myself with some extra-pointy scissors.  And while it serves the purpose, it's not exactly pretty looking if anyone cares to examine it closely.  I was hoping that BR has somehow improved their sizing in the last few years, so I decided to order several belts that were available in XXS to see how they fit.

Unfortunately, none of them are small enough to fit my true waist, but these first two are somewhat passable:

                                   

       Classic Leather Belt                                Snake-Embossed Belt

    

They sit on my low waist, about a couple inches below my natural waist.  The black classic leather is just a tad smaller than the grey snake-embossed belt.  They would probably be fine for belting pants, but would not work for belting high-waisted skirts.  The leather is okay but nothing to marvel at.

The other two that I got were so loose they would be a joke unless they were meant to be hip belts (and if so, that should've been stated in their description):

                                     

Metallic Leather Belt                              Leather Woven Belt

As you can see, they sit on my high hip, even on the tightest hole.  The metallic one feels very soft which I liked.  The woven one feels very cheap though, and for some reason it squeaks like you wouldn't believe.

I don't think I'll be keeping any of these.  To date, I still haven't found a belt that truly fits off the rack except for braided or stretch ones.  I wish belt manufacturers would just punch a few more holes in their smallest sizes, I'm sure it doesn't cost them any extra and they would gain a number of customers who would then find them to fit.

I've heard that belts can be taken to shoe repair shops to be resized, but I'm not sure how much it costs and it's a little bit of a hassle to be honest.  Alternatively, I've seen some inexpensive leather punching tools that can punch holes in a variety of sizes... which sounds like a great idea:

 

Leather Hole Punch Tool ($7)

It's so cheap that I'm thinking about just getting it to try.  It definitely would solve my belt sizing problems, but I'm afraid it might ruin a nice belt (which is also then not returnable!).  Do you have any experience with these tools or have gone to get it professionally done?

Review: BR Two Dresses & A Blazer

In general, Banana Republic has been a little bit of a disappointment to me lately.  I haven't found any pieces that I'm super excited about, and their "classics" are still too big on me even in 00P or XXSP, and usually require alterations.  But they keep sending me coupons and I keep ordering for some reason!  Too bad they don't offer free mail-in returns on petite items like they used to when they first came out with the line.

So on to the review, probably the most successful item I got was the In Plain Sight Dress in 00P:

There's smocking along the sides and back and it makes for a very fitted waist silhouette, which I really like.  The material is a soft crinkly silk, color is pretty although pattern is slightly camouflage-y.  The armholes are a little too low... but the biggest problem is that there's an odd extra pooch of fabric in the upper back:

There's enough extra fabric that it's definitely noticeable and I can even grab a fistful of it.  I'm sure it's alterable somehow but I have no idea how.  And I guess it can probably be covered up with a cardigan or blazer.  But I want things to be perfect darn it! :P

Speaking of blazers, I also ordered the Stretch Cotton Patterned Belted Blazer in 00P:

I like the built-in belt for waist definition and the word "stretch" in the name made me hope that it would run small.

Well it didn't run small that's for sure.  I do like the belt, which adds a lot of shape and looks especially good from the side.  But the belt lies a bit lower than my true waist.   And although it looks almost passable in some pics, it feels very sloppy on, especially when I try to raise my arms... which I can't because the armholes are too big:

The whole jacket slides up when I do and the "waist" ends up right below my bustline!  Very awkward and uncomfortable feeling.  Definitely a return for me unless I want to invest in extensive alterations.  I can see how it would look great on someone who's taller than me though with a longer torso.

The most disappointing in terms of fit was the Sleeveless Gathered Sheath in 00P:

Again, there's supposed to be "stretch" in the item description, so I was hoping to pick up another lighter-colored classic sheath that might fit.  But unfortunately, it was another shapeless potato sack:

I do like that it's lined, and I love the interesting side ruching detail, which emphasizes womanly curves (if it actually fits!)  But for a 00P dress made in a material with stretch, it was surprisingly huge:

Again, much alterations would be needed, which may be more expensive because of the side pleats.  Unless I can get this with a much deeper discount, I don't see my self spending at least $175 total to get this dress to fit.

I also got a bunch of BR belts in XXS... will post review next time! :)