Underwire or Plain Elastic?

I HAVE to wear a under-wire, otherwise my breasts get smooshed and look like they are a weird shape and they look saggy, LOL
I wear a DDD though...
My dream would be to have little ones that I could go outside with out a bra if I wanted to, it would be so freeing and nice.
But even to be able to wear a soft, little, lacy one would be an improvement.

I am in the process of loosing weight and I hope that my chest will shrink a little,
but, even when I was in the Navy and in GREAT shape, and had a flat stomach, I still wore a DD :(

I want a breast reduction and lift, someday...

I have found when the underwire pokes out it is a good indication the bra has outlived its usefulness. Sort of like blue bristles on the tooth brushes, ya know?

I have big boobs, they need everything possible to keep them in their place. An underwire keeps it shape, doesn't stretch, plain elastic will stretch and give. Unless you are small they will not last in a useful state as long as a wire. :)

I have no choice but to wear underwire. I'm a 32DDDD/G. I obviously need a lot of support and I'd never get it with elastic. I wear my bras as long as I can because they run about $80 each. If you're tempted to try elastic, I'd just get one to make sure you're happy with the support it provides before investing in too many of them.

I wear sports bras so that would be elastic. I gave up normal bras because the straps always fell off my shoulders. Lovin' life in the sportsies!

Underwire keeps the girls (FF) in their cage! And off my chest/stomach. UGH. Up! Up! Where you belong!!!

The 'impalement bras' have a super easy fix:

Small patches. I use denim w/satin lining. It reinforces the pokey out places so they can't gut me.

I didn't used to have to do this, but my uber expensive bras that used to go 7-8 years acting brand new are starting to cheap out in construction. Thwibbt. So the wire sleeves are no linger double lined. Meaning I see the little patches on. About 4 stitches per side.

Even the 'sewn' cups don't work, I uniboob, double boob, mash, sweat... And then they start sagging. Underwire I cants even feel. It's better than anything except skinny dipping. I also wear underwire sports brad and swimsuits.

I have both and wear what I feel like.
Somewhere I read where bras should last about 6 months with regular wear and washing (and then be replaced), but I wear them till they fall apart and I've had some last about 2 years.
When they get on the older side, the wires can poke out out or break (this varies with brand) - toss it when that happens.

I wear an underwire, my breast tissue is extremely soft, and I need the support, or they actually start working their way out of the bottom of the bra.

I wear both. I have underwire for days when I'm going to a party or to work, and elastic for days when I'm kicking around the house. It's nice to get a break from the underwire regularly.

I like my underwire. I am natural perky 34DD and I wear Wacoal racer back bras. I love them.

I get new bras about every 4 months on average.

The best thing for you to do is get professionally fitted. Neimans and Nordstrom are great for this but Dillard's can be good too.

Good luck

I hate underwire bras. I usually wear the ones that clip in the front and are very wide in the back to smoosh in my back flab. I am not a big girl, but I do have some rolls.

I wear underwires. When I was young and tried the non underwires I felt like I was falling out of my bra no matter what I did or how much I hoisted them up. I have had breast cancer and some surgery so now it is more important that I wear a wired bra so that I say level.

Someday I may begin to go braless when I don't work and join the women with the saggers -- not!. But wear something that is close in comfort. By the time my wires come through it is time to buy new ones as the support is gone and they don't look so good. I wash my bras but hand them on a hanger to dry this saves a lot on the elastic.

The other S.

I like some structure, but no underwires.

Underwire more support for the girls.

If your wire is poking you ---- you are wearing the wrong size bra. Get a fitting and try on every bra BEFORE you buy it. They all fit a little differently.

I used to do fittings at a Penney's store.

This is a 2 part answer, because of my "weird" size. (Companies think it's an oddd size...trust me, I've already contacted them....I think it's more common than they realize) I take a 34C and it's a pain in the neck to find. Worst part is I really have to watch my weight closely or I go up cup sizes, but never go up chest sizes. (It was "fun" finding a bra when I was pregnant...34D and growing.)

The bra I really liked was a "Warner's" bra, that they don't make. Found a "Hanes" bra that's ok, but not as good and guess what? They stopped making that one. I like the lightly lined, so the embarassing gumdrops don't show through causing every guy in town to stop and stare. It was a really good support bra that had heavy elastic and comfortable adjustable straps. I could shorten the straps to lift them up and keep from sagging.

Can't find my size in a decent bra. Don't like the padded, because I don't want to look any bigger and get more stares. I wound up sucombing to a pull on sports bra. :( Can't see paying over $20 for a bra you know isn't going to last that long.

I wear underwire for work or dress-up. Wacoal is my favorite brand. They are more expensive, but comfy and fit well. I have stretch camisole or sports bra types for casual, Title 9 has good options. And whenever I can get away with it I go without. I am a small B cup, and don't have any sagging, so no big deal.

Underwire. Even before I reached H/I size, my boobs were super heavy. The underwire holds them up better.

I'm a 38 DD so if I want to look good when I go out I use an underwire, ususally Bali, Olga or Wacoal that have good bras for full figure and can find good deals at Kohls. The lift very well but make sure they're not to make them look smaller because they just make the boobs look big and flat (not a nice shape).
For the house and sometimes to sleep I use the ones with just elastic to be more confortable, Bali has some good sport type brass that are very confortable without the underwire.
Good luck!

I wear sportsbras and have for a couple of years now because of pregnancy and breastfeeding. I'm small chested (only a B while nursing). So I plan on sticking with sportsbras even after I wean DD later this year.

I'd love to not wear underwire, but since I've worn C and D cups, I haven't been able to wear any without the underwire. Though I can't remember what my nursing bras were like... hmmm.

Anyway, a regular bra without underwire will end up halfway on top of my breasts.

Don't know if that helps you or not... LOL!

Dawn

Being full-figured I always wore underwire to support the girls. But when I developed fibromyalgia one of the first changes I had to make was going to non-underwire, the wire just hurt too much, even if it wasn't poking out :(

I love my Push-Up Bras from LaSenza. I've gained about 25 lbs over the past five years, and actually have boobs, so I like to show them off! They have an underwire, but it has never poked me, and they are super comfy.