Forgive me if you’ve already read a lot about the 24/7 T shirt bra by ThirdLove.  My first one came in the mail this week and after a few days with it on, I’m ready to share my thoughts.  It’s relatively expensive at over $70.  Probably the most I’ve spent on a bra.  Was it worth it?  Yes! … Is it perfect?  No.

Their fit test taught me that I was wearing the wrong bra size my whole life.  I believed I was wider around the ribs and smaller at the bust.  Was I always wearing the wrong size or had my body changed?  Either way, I’m shocked I had never tried on a 32 band size before even though 34 bands had always rode up my back.  That voice in the back of my mind was convinced I could never be that size.  (Body image!)

The 32 feels a little tight, but maybe that’s what a properly fitted bra feels like?  How would I know, lol.  I keep thinking I’d feel better somewhere in between a 32 and 34, ie. a 33!  ThirdLove offers half cup sizes, so why not offer odd numbered band sizes too? [edit:  after a few days the band loosened up slightly and now it feels perfect, so if it feels tight in the beginning just give it some time!]

With ThirdLove, I found the perfect cup size and shape. If you’re having issues with spill over or gaping bra lines, maybe you’re between cup sizes, like me.  The best thing about this bra:  there is absolutely no visible bra line!  None!  I never thought that was possible.  The foam padding is minimal for a natural look but just enough to prevent visible nipplage (not that anything is wrong with that).

The only con is that hideous decorative pleating on the front straps.  It’s completely unnecessary and is just one more part that could get damaged in the future.  Gah!  I just hate it when one little thing messes up an otherwise perfect design.  It’s clearly a decision made solely to boost product recognition.  And I guess it worked.  But ok, we get it, now make a better bra, remove those tacky pleats please!

Every review I’ve read emphasized the bra’s comfort factor.  It is comfortable for an underwired bra, but it still feels like an underwired bra which means it’s not all that comfortable.  I noticed one small detail in the underwire that sets it apart from other bras: it doesn’t run through the entire length of the cup.  It ends about an inch before the lateral edge, with a soft filler in its place, so you’re not going to get wire digging into your side boobage.

I wrote about the Pansy bralette before… in the end, it didn’t work out for my shape and size.  I tried shortening the elastic by sewing them but I still had issues with the band riding up.  They sort of flattened and widened my bust area too which was very unflattering. Wished it had worked out.  They looked so adorable in all those instagram photos, but sadly not for me.  I couldn’t re-sell them online because I had butchered the elastic band when I tried to shorten them, so in the garbage they went.  One in, one out.

In other wardrobe news, I posted my New Balance walking shoes for sale if anyone is interested.  Although I loved those shoes, they became redundant after I bought lightweight running shoes for hiking trips in Montana…  Again:  one in, one out.

In non-wardrobe news, we are making plans to either move to Los Angeles or Portland in about a year, depending on where our career paths bring us.  I’m hoping for LA to be near family and friends, but would be OK with Portland; it’s an amazing city, but we’d have to start all over in a new place without a built in social network like school.

Aside from being generally stressed out about not knowing where my future is going, we are also more conscious about what we are willing to keep in a year, knowing that whatever we keep, we’re going to have to pay for its cross country transportation, and keep it in the home we ultimately settle into.

And finally, I’m reading Brain on Fire and Zero Waste Home right now.  Bea Johnson who writes Zero Waste home is extreme, I gotta say, and I would never have the time or will power to do what she does, but my undercover-mom side is loving the tips on how to DIY everything in life.  I watched Martha Stewart’s Living show with my sister religiously from age 8 onward (my shameful secret / dark past), so I’m up to my ears in homemaking knowledge.  It’s been hard to find new ideas, but this book is full of them; highly recommend if you’re into that stuff.