Undercover Arms

So, I've been meaning to get around to this mission for a while - but Friday Frocks has been a shameless attention seeker, and I've been dazzled by its frivolity.

Mission request? As you know I have tattoos on my upper arms, and as much as I love them I don't show them at work (professionalism and keeping work/private life separate). Looking for long or 3/4 sleeve tops and dresses in the summer tends to limit the choice so I sometime buy things that have shorter sleeves and wear cardigans. I hate buying them them so need some suggestions on cardis for covering up my tattoos in the summer and not leave me boiling.

We don't all have fabulous tattoos like Trudi, but many of us feel more comfortable covering up our upper arms. It seems especially true that ladies with big boobs have had the dubious twin blessing of hefty hams to match - but lots of us are sensitive about our 'bingo wings' - the untoned flesh that keeps waving long after we've stopped. It stands to reason then, that Trudi's quest for ink-concealment will come in handy for quite a few others of us.

The most common solution to the problem is an elbow-length cardigan, either cropped or very fitted.  The pink cardigan at the top of the page is versatile enough for day or evening, and won't look dated anytime soon, so it's probably worth the £50 price tag (it's by Phase Eight at House of Fraser - other colours are available here). The orange shrug above, (£49, John Lewis, also available in black) has a little more femininity in its design detail, with the puffed shoulder and gathering at the elbow - and this can make it easier if you are trying to disguise rounded arms. There are two problems with this style of cover-up (and for more in the same kind of mould, see here): firstly, they're quite expensive, and secondly, they're probably a bit much for a really hot day.

So we want pocket-friendly, heat-busting, arm-covering pieces. This white three-quarter sleeved bolero from M&S is a perfect summer cover-up. The colour is light-reflecting and summery, and it's 100% cotton so it will allow air circulation. It would also be ideal to protect yourself when you've had enough sun. Those flared cuffs will help to balance out heavier arms, and the fabric has a pretty, subtle, circular pattern. It's only £19.50 and will work with all kinds of looks.

Not everyone feels comfortable wearing white, but I've rarely met someone who doesn't look great in shades of turquoise. This bolero is also from M&S, also £19.50 and also 100% cotton (it's also another really weird picture with an uncomfortable-looking model - try to see past that). I'd say his bolero is less versatile - unlike the last one, it probably wouldn't be suitable for more casual occasions - but it is a lovely colour and those A line sleeves are going to be cool and flattering.

Lastly, this slouchy shrug is from ASOS. It comes in black, a warm pale beige, and a super-fashionable pale grey, and the loose cut is easy to wear in the heat.  Best of all it's reduced from £18 to £12. This is a less tailored look, but that doesn't mean it's only suitable for casual dressing.  Kept simple with a more tailored dress or skirt in a plain colour, it would look draped, elegant and classy.

You won't get proper jelly...

...If you don't use a proper mould. I'm talking bras, girlies.

It still amazes me when I discover people who are patently wearing the wrong size bra. It infuriates me beyond measure when I come across completely wrong bra-measuring instructions from underwear retailers. When I first started buying bras I remember reading the advice in my mum's catalogue.

"Measure around the underbust in inches. If the figure is even, add four, if it is odd, add five. This is your back measurement."

Absolute tosh!

If you must use a tape measure at all - the advice should be: measure around your underbust. This figure is your back size. Obvious, no? So why all the adding stuff? The story goes that it dates back to when bras were made in rigid fabrics, and so a bra that fitted close to the ribs would prevent you from breathing. But elastane has been around since before I was born, so why can you still find all this nonsense?

Honest - this is from a modern webpage!

There's no great mystery to bra fitting - but a tape measure is mostly useless. There is some variation between manufacturers, but not that much.

Anyway. get a selection of back sizes in the same bra. Try them on - ignore the cup size at this stage (obviously, choose one big enough to fit them in, but you can fine tune the exact cup size later).

Do it up on the middle or loosest row of hooks. your correct back size will fit snugly to your rib cage. If someone cut off the straps, it shouldn't feel like it would go anywhere. If you've been wearing bras that ride up, this will probably feel a bit restrictive at first.

Then, having decided on the band size, choose a selection of cup sizes, in a variety of styles (different styles suit different shaped boobs).

Tighten the shoulder straps. If the underwire isn't sitting snugly into the cleavage, go up a cup size (and keep doing so until it does) - ditto if it digs in under the armpit. If there is loose fabric in the top of the cups, go down a cupsize.

Happy? Think again about the band size... maybe try the next size down with a size up in the cup.

Basically, the snugger the fit on the ribcage, the better the support (up to a point).

Obviously, the width of straps, number of hooks, and coverage of the cup will affect support too, but if you have the right size, you can take some liberties with the style.

Not quite sure of the point of this one!

Nearly everyone who has been through this process has found themselves to be wearing a bra that is too small in the cup and too big in the back. The confusion comes because a 32 DD and a 36 C are superficially the same size bra - in that they will accommodate the same sized boobs - but the back size is massively different.

If you are a retailer that sells a limited range of sizes, of course, it's in your interests to sell people the bra you stock, rather than the one they need. This is how the eighteen year old me ended up being sold a 38D in M&S once, when she actually needed a 30FF. Things have changed a little since the early nineties, but Marks and Spencer still remain notoriously bad for bra fitting.

The best people to go to, if you want 1-2-1 help are Rigby and Peller, who have branches in Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Brent Cross, Bluewater and Westfield, and stock just about every size bra ever made. They are famously the corsetiers to the queen, and my first visit there as at the tender age of 18 was a real revelation, and the beginning of me loving my boobs, and not seeing them as a curse that made me look matronly and frumpy.

But they aren't cheap. Fortunately since then Bravissimo was launched, and the word began to spread about people needing smaller backs and bigger cups. They have twenty stores around the country, and their fitters are lovely and helpful. With both Bravissimo and Rigby and Peller, it's advisable to book a fitting appointment, especially if you plan to visit at the weekend. Bravissimo specialise in bras for women with slimmish backs and bigger boobs. They stock a fabulous range of colours and designs, although this does rather peter out above a G cup.

Lastly, you could also try John Lewis. My own experience, and the anecdotal consensus is that they have a good range of sizes and well-trained fitters, whereas the rest of the high street is patchy to say the least.

If you do have boobs above a C or D cup, expect to pay £20 upwards for a bra. If you've previously been wearing something badly fitting with a smaller cup, and therefore able to pick up your undies in Primark etc, this might come as a shock. But a well fitting bra makes you look younger, thinner and somehow more energetic, as well as helping to protect you from back pain. Treat yourself to good quality, well-fitting bras. It's practically guilt-free clothes shopping!

edit: it seems Rigby and Peller don't have quite the size range that I thought - nothing in a J or above.

Btw - I've started twittering. Not particularly blog-focused, but feel free to add me to your follow lists.