Come check out Lula Lu's exclusive collection of corsets that are available in 32AA, 34AA and 36AA! These are not only beautiful, but sexy, and will give you another fun lingerie option that was impossible to find up until now. We have two lace colours, one in a vibrant purple and the other in a sizzling red.
Enjoy!
Your concept could inspire a new bra design for Lula Lu
2/5/2008
We know many of you have all kinds of great ideas about what your perfect push-up bra might look like and we've teamed up with Brickfish for a contest to get those creative juices flowing! The winning entrant will inspire one of our upcoming designs (not to mention some great prizes!). So, put your ideas into a drawing, enter the contest and get everyone you know to vote for your design!
When it can already be difficult to find small sizes bras, it takes a big leap of the imagination to think there might be pretty, sexy bras out in the universe for AA and A cups. But, we're here to tell you that there really, really are quite a number of pretty bras that work well on small busts!
The A cup fits both AA and A cups (for example, if you're a 36AA, you would fit the 36A) and the cups lay so nicely across the body that nearly everyone who tries this on at the store buys one! Unfortunately, this will be the last time we carry this style as the manufacturer has discontinued it so we highly recommend you try this if you haven't already.
Another pretty number for smaller busts is the Spank Push-up, which is made with silk and also provides a terrific fit with the A cup fitting both AA and A cups (don't worry, we don't decide by just eyeballing the bra cup but we find out through customer testing in our stores).
So, if you're done with shopping for basic bras and want to add some more frilly, pretty items to your bra collection, have a look around the different bra categories, as you might find yourself pleasantly surprised with what you find.
To Bralette or Not to Bralette
10/17/2007
First of all, we have no idea why there are two spellings for "bralette" (the other is "bralet") but either works for what we're talking about! And, we include soft cup bras in this discussion as well as we categorize bralettes as the type that have no hook/eye and must be be pulled over your head vs soft cup bras that do have hook/eye closures in the back but, many times, they serve one and the same function when worn.
We often have women asking us why would anyone bother to wear bralettes because usually they are see through, lacey, flattening or a combination of all these and they just seem impractical for daily wear. Well, from talking to customers who are bralette fans (and from our own personal experience), there is definitely some truth to the fact that bralettes don't offer as much coverage or shaping as molded cup bras BUT they do offer their own set of benefits.
One such benefit is comfort. Most bralettes have no underwire, usually have stretch bands and can do double time as a camisole top if you don't feel like wearing one (or don't feel like wearing a bra)! For example, the Fleur't Lulu Bralette or Tabitha Lace Bralette would make good companions to any V-neck top or sweater any time or if you just feel like layering!
Then, there's the pretty factor. It's true when you're smaller busted it's harder to find pretty, lacey pieces that look good but, if you're okay with a bit of sheer lace or sheer mesh (the boys love it!), then bralettes are so much fun to explore! Just check out the Lavit Rio Halter Bra and tell us if that doesn't have fun written all over it (we're getting a teal color in this style soon so keep your eyes peeled)! Or, one of our bestselling bralettes/soft cup bra is the Eberjey Delirious Triangle Bra with its flattering triangle cups and super comfortable lace.
Whether you're a bralette fan or not, we think there's usually a time or place where one can be worn and we wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun and comfort!
I have nothing to push up so why do I need a push-up bra?
9/11/2007
We hear this often, "Why would I bother with a push-up bra when I've got nothing to push up?" Good question, not to mention a good point, depending on your size.
From our point of view, the push-up bra can serve different purposes, depending on your cup size. If you are an A cup or above, a push-up bra, especially a good one, can do wonders. For example, the Ethel Push-up Bra from The Little Bra Company has put a big smile on many a store customer who tried it and found they now had cleavage and also a slightly bigger bust. And, for the most part, these customers were A cups.
Now, what if you're an AA cup? Well, then the push-ups, really aren't meant to give you cleavage so much as volume, meaning increasing your cup size from an AA to an A, A+ or more, depending on the level of padding. And, AA cup women can sometimes wear the A cup push-ups if they are padded enough and the cups are not too deep or they should look for push-ups that feature AA cups, such as the Wacoal Push-up. Yes, it's definitely confusing but every woman has their preferences as to whether they even like push-ups and padding versus a more natural look. And, sometimes it's handy to own various bra styles for different outfits, which is what we find most of our customers tell us.
Remember, if you have any bra questions, please feel free to email us!
Lula Lu Introduces Bras Designed by Petites for Petites
8/9/2007
After hearing from many of you, both online and in the store, we got tired of waiting for someone to make the bras that WE all wanted and decided to take matters into our own hands and launch a line of bras to fill the gaps in what we perceived to be the missing "bra links" in the market.
To start, we're introducing 3 styles, two of which are T-shirt bra styles and a pretty, lace style. All, of course, fit AA cups and are sized through a B cup. We used store customers to help us get the AA cups just so so thanks to everyone who helped shape, and we do mean that literally, our new bra line. And, during this process, we started to wonder about the mysterious AAA cup size that gets mentioned at times but which hasn't become a common size. Does the AAA cup size exist only because the AA cups on the market aren't quite right so people want something smaller so they coined the AAA cup term? It's hard to say what the answer to that is but we've worked hard to get the AA cups as close to right as possible so hopefully nobody needs to ask for an AAA cup (okay, you now know where we stand on that question)!
So you finally found that perfect small bra and then comes the time when you need to wash it. Should you hand or machine wash? Well, they say American women own more bras than European women because American women don't like to hand wash their bras. Whether this is true or not, hand washing can help extend the life of your favorite bra but, if you're like a lot us here at Lula Lu, you may be feeling lazy and would rather machine wash your bras. You can get away with using the washing machine as long as you observe a few rules.
First of all, use a lingerie bag to avoid getting your bra snagged and stretched out by whatever else is in the laundry that day. And, only use warm or cold water, never hot.
Now this is the most important part -- do NOT put your bra in the dryer. The dryer is what wrecks your bra the fastest. Instead, hand dry your bra and reshape your cups so they'll look perfect when it's all dry and ready to wear again.
Hopefully, your husband, boyfriend, kids don't forget the above rules and toss your bras in the dryer!!
Do I really need an Underwire Bra?
5/31/2007
Generally speaking, for AA and A cups, you do not need an underwire. In fact, sometimes wearing an underwire bra with a tight fitting top when you're small causes those "smiley faces" under your bust. So, there are definite instances when it's good to have an non-underwire bra.
What we tell our store customers is that, yes, it's true you don't need the underwire, but what you get from purchasing an underwire bra is the selection that you have versus non-underwire.
If you've ever wondered where to find cute fashion in petite sizes, check out Lisa Connelly's blog.
Serafina is a fashion reference blog devoted to helping the petite young professional find designer clothing that fits -- the first time around. Lisa is a size petite and often test drives the clothing that she is writing about. She locates the websites, designers and shops that cater to petite sizes.
And, best of all, you can find all kinds of great shopping tips, sales and discounts.
Why aren't all 34AA cups created equal?
5/19/2007
Bra shopping can be such a trying and tiring experience sometimes that we often wish, along with our customers, that an AA cup is an AA cup is an AA cup. But, alas, it's not so. We liken bra shopping to jean shopping where you might be a size 27 in some jeans but then a 26 in another and possibly a 28 in another (yes, it's enough to make you run screaming out of the dressing room!).
Like other types of clothing, bra sizing varies by brand and, even within one brand, an AA bra cup will vary depending on the fabric used, the cut of the bra and what sizing scale was used for the bra. Too many moving parts and it seems the AA cup is one of the more difficult cups to get right. A 34AA bra style in a T-shirt bra by one brand may fit you perfectly but then the same brand's push-upmay not.
What to do? We wish we could offer a one size fit all solution to this AA cup dilemma but, as with jeans, a bra, no matter what size, fits each individual differently and the best thing to do is to try it on. As much as possible, we do try to offer Fit Tips on the product pages to provide customers with sizing information that is not apparent from just looking at the photo.
Feel free to contact us if you ever have any questions about how a bra might fit before you buy it. You can even call us toll free at 1 800 798 8354.
Why Band Size Matters
5/8/2007
We know you've heard that you should get measured in order to find out your correct bra size and we wanted to explain why the band size can be particularly important. As the band size goes up, so does the cup size, which can make a big difference, especially for AA cups. For example, a 34AA cup is smaller than a 36AA cup. Bra cups are graded in relation to each other and the band size so not all cup sizes are created equal!
And, although while measuring your band size you should round up to the next even number since the bra bands come only in even numbers (32, 34 etc), there are definitely women who measure more accurately as an "odd" size, meaning a 35 instead of a 36. What does this mean if you fall into this category? Well, for example, if you measure 35 around and are an AA cup, depending on the bra and how it is cut, you might be able to go down to a 34AA bra in some styles while having to wear a 36AA bra in others.
The most important thing is to examine the fit. Like jeans, you may have to try on many different bras in order to find one with a good fit. And, sometimes, you may have to try a different size than you normally wear because of the way the bra is cut or sized so don't feel like this is unusual or that you are one size and only that one size in a bra.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!
What's so great about Organic Cotton?
4/14/2007
If you care about the environment and what's in the fabrics that touch your skin, then you should appreciate organic cotton. Apparently, regular cotton requires a lot of pesticides and other chemicals to process (who knew? we just learned that the other day) and organic cotton is made sans all those bad things for the environment and for you. Of course, we've got a cute bralette made of Swiss Organic Cotton for you that fits AA, A and B cups.
When will Lula Lu carry bathing suits?
4/13/2007
For the moment, we don't have any plans to carry bathing suits as we want to keep working on improving our bra selection for our customers and bathing suits will most likely come down the road.
We have talked to some bathing suit experts though and they recommend triangle shaped bathing suit tops as a shape that is flattering to smaller busts. And, a lot of these triangle shaped bikini tops these days come with "pockets" (we recently checked out some bikini tops at Target and they all had these pockets) so you can add some padding, like the Braza Triangle Swim Shaper for more shape.
In the event your bikini doesn't have a built-in pocket already, you can easily have a seamstress make a small incision so you can tuck a Swim Shaper in there (the incision, from what we have been told, does not have to be large in order to get the Swim Shaper in).
Petite Lingerie and Height
4/12/2007
Hello everyone! We regularly receive emails from customers about various bra fitting questions and we thought we would start blogging about them to help everyone who might have similar questions.
Recently, we have had customers enquiring about the fit of the bras we carry in relation to the customers' height. These customers were over 5' 4" tall, some were 5' 6" or 5' 9." Understandably, they were concerned about the length of the straps or how the cups were cut and about what was meant by "petite lingerie."
As you may already know, the fashion industry's definition of "petite" is 5' 4" and under. However, for lingerie, we have adopted the term "petite lingerie" and then created our own definition. Lula Lu uses "petite" as more of a broad term for a woman who is small-framed and/or small-busted so height has no bearing on our definition.
Does this mean someone who is 5' 6" cannot wear the Wacoal Petite line? Of course they can! We have fit a lot of customers of varying heights in the Wacoal Petite. The strap length has never seemed to be a problem with the Wacoal Petite line.
But, what some taller customers have written to ask about is the width of the cups as they felt some petite bra lines cut in more on the sides or the cup placement was too close (this fit issue isn't really limited to anyone who is taller than 5' 4" though as it is more how the bra is designed). What we suggest is that customers who have this problem avoid triangle shaped cups as they do tend to cut in more on the sides and to look for bras that have cups that are wider across. Two such bras that we carry are the Lula Lu Petites Lightly Padded Push-up and the Bodas Microfiber Padded Bra.
We'd love to hear from you so please send questions/comments through our Contact Us page.