BACK
I arrived on schedule experiencing excitement, anxiety, fear and probably a lot of other emotions. Once in the door of the shop, I was in heaven! I looked at every garment in the store that I thought was even close to my size. I think that I selected about 15 outfits to try on. I then went to the dressing room.
Getting into and out of new type clothes (dresses, gowns, etc.) in a small dressing room was another new, but exasperating, experience. The first dress I tried on was a floor length blue chiffon gown. Getting it on over my head without pulling my wig off, getting it down over my shoulders and finally getting all of its layers adjusted was an experience.
I finally departed the dressing room (cubicle) to gaze into the full length mirror and hear what Pat (the saleslady) had to say. As I remember, her first comment was, "Who fitted you for your bra!" It felt to me like it was not said very kindly and I felt hurt and put down. I asked why and she told me that the bra was too high on my chest and the cups were too close together giving me a deformed appearance.
Since that time, I have tried many bras and have not found one that has shoulder straps that are long enough or cups that are far enough apart. The result of poorly fitted bras is that dresses or blouses never fit correctly. At the very least, the darts are always in the wrong place.
To get an idea of what I mean, take off your shirt and stand in front of a mirror. Now, take a yardstick and place it at your "breastpoint". Now make a mark on each bicep where the yardstick crosses it. Now put on your bra and breast form and repeat the exercise. If the second line is higher than the first, your bra is up too high. If the breast point of your bra is not directly over your natural breastpoint, most likely the cups are too close together.
I have recently began to study dress pattern-making. I have learned several things about how ladies clothes should fit. I have learned that American ready-made clothes are made to fit the mythical "average" lady and as a result don't really fit anyone. The darts end up in the wrong places and the seams don't hang correctly.
Given all of the above, I have decided to try to alter a bra. As a first step, I have decided that I would like to gather some data on physical male measurements and physical female measurements. The purpose is to see if the relationship of various measurements for males is different than the relationship of the same measurements for females.
I would appreciate it if you would help me in collecting this data. I would actually like to have three categories - crossdressers, genetic women, transsexuals (who have developed breasts via hormones). I do not want names and if names are inadvertently included, they will be discarded when the data is recorded in a data base. The information that I would like is:
CD: __ GG: __ TS: __
Height: _____ Weight: _____
Rib Cage (measurement around rib cage just below breast tissue):_____
Breast Spacing (the distance between nipples when nude): _____
Strap length (measure from breast point up over shoulder down to center of bra band in back. If you put on a bra without putting the shoulder straps up, this would give you a guide to where to end the measurement. The reason for measuring to the breast point is to compensate for the different styles of bras and how high the cup is cut. The reason for measuring to the center of the band in back is to compensate for various band widths. _____
Current bra size: _____
Breast spacing (measured from cup point to cup point in your typical bra): _____
Strap length (measure from center of band below where strap attaches in back to point of cup in front: _____
It would be easier, and maybe fun, if the cd and his spouse or SO would measure each other. I envision I will have difficulty getting measurements of GG's and this might help.
After I have analyzed the data, I will publish the results for your information. Having a bra that places your breast forms where they should be is one more thing you can do to help you look better.
If you are willing to provide this information, please e-mail it to
BACK