Fasten the Furious

Ever wondered why, tradionally, most bras fasten at the back? It's because lingerie was originally only something the wealthy could afford, and if you were wealthy, you were usually dressed by a maid.

It is archaic features like this that still somewhat endear me to the bra. Sure, lingerie design has evolved incredibly over the last century by leaps and bounds; strappless, multi-way, push up, pump-up, moulded cups, minimisers, control bras, to name but a few, but quite often they still rely on this rather quaint, outdated fastener layout. In my opinion, though, it adds a sense of interest and drama to the garment that other items of clothing don't tend to have.

Of course, you can get 'front-loaders' - bras that fasten at the front, but they aren't as commonplace as you'd imagine. Perhaps it's because they tend to be associated with more 'frumpy', practical styles of bra, or maybe it is seen to detract from the most appealing vantage point of the bra - the front! Personally speaking, I tend to prefer practical and traditional styles of bra, but the rear fastening still holds more appeal.

There are workarounds, to some degree. Many women will put their bras on back to front, so they can see the fastening infront of them, and then spin them around their torso 180 degrees, pulling the straps up last. However, this method works only to a point, as if your breasts are extremely large, the fastening will still be obscured beneath the breasts!

The other issue, and one that Belle is facing right here, is that as bras get larger, they need more hooks and loops. With most modest size bras, you have maybe two or three pairs of hooks and loops - sometimes even only one pair on more dainty lingerie. In this case, it isn't hard to line up which hook goes with which loop, simply by feel. Add more hooks and loops, however, and it is quite often possible to end up mismatching them, or skipping a hook or loop on only one side, causing the fabric to crease uncomfortably, or giving the other fasteners more chance to fail under load.

With a dozen rows to contend with, not to mention a continous battle with almost 50 pounds of heaving, swaying breasts, it is no wonder that Belle finds herself so frustrated at times. If only there were more kind souls in the world, willing to help a well-endowed girl...