Fashion2_files/Conical bras

60 femail MAGAZINE
C1
Page 60
Picture: MICHAEL KIRKHAM
NOW WHAT DO I DO?
I’m terrified my husband will cheat
EXCHANGING confidences at a Pilates class
has opened a door into women’s private
lives for CLARE CAMPBELL. This week, Bridget
confides to the class that when she and her
partner, Simon, met they were both married
to other people. Now he’s been offered a job
M
Y heart sank
when Simon
first
mentioned that he
might have to
go away. My
first thought was not how
good it would be for his
career, but: ‘What if he
meets someone else?’
I never used to be this insecure, but after deciding to give
up my job to concentrate on
starting a family, I feel rather
vulnerable. I keep reminding
myself how Simon and I first fell
in love — after meeting at work,
and both married.
Even though my husband and I
had not been happy for over a
year before I met Simon, I did at
least feel guilty about starting an
affair.
Simon claimed his marriage,
too, was virtually on the rocks
after his wife decided she didn’t
in the U.S. for six months. As they have just
bought a house and are trying to start a
family, Bridget feels anxious about the
women he might meet. She wants to ask him
not to go, but knows this might damage his
career. What should she do?
want children. But he appeared
not to have much conscience
about betraying her.
I remember being worried by
that, especially as Simon had
also admitted to another affair
before me.
But because I loved him so
much I pushed it to the back of
my mind, believing that once we
both got through our divorces,
and could be together properly,
all my doubts would disappear.
Now I keep thinking that if
Simon was serially unfaithful
before, what guarantee do I have
that he won’t do it again?
He’s a very attractive and
charismatic man, and there are
lots of women out there who
would jump at the chance of
being with him.
It wasn’t so bad before I left my
job because I felt more in control
of my life. But now I don’t like
the feeling of being left behind,
not knowing what Simon is
doing while he’s away. And if I do
get pregnant, I’m likely to feel
even more vulnerable. I’m
scared of becoming less sexually
attractive to him and unable to
compete with all the glamorous
women around him in the office.
When I said all this to Simon
he told me not to be silly, swore
that he would never let me down
and that he wants to accept the
job to make us, and our future
family, more secure.
His response felt like a tellingoff and made me feel small and
needy, as if I was trying to hold
him back from being successful
in his career.
If that’s the way he really
thinks about me, he will be even
more likely to fall for some cool,
superconfident businesswoman.
I think if I insisted that I didn’t
want him to go, he would
probably turn the job down. But
might that cause even more
damage to our relationship in
the long run?
What our expert thinks...
SARAH FLETCHER, relationship and
psychosexual therapist
THE fact that you and Simon each had a partner
when you got together means that issues of
trust and betrayal are inextricably woven into
the fabric of your relationship. Fears and
anxieties arising from this will resurface at times
of change.
Until now you have managed to shut away
those feelings, but at this point you need to
begin to face those fears and build a more
trusting relationship with him.
Separation over a long period of time does put
a strain on relationships. It will be important to
keep talking about how you could manage this
together and ways of keeping in contact that
feel right for both of you.
And you are not being silly — giving up a job
and starting a family is a time when many
women feel insecure. All of this coinciding with
Simon’s career opportunity makes it particularly tough for you, Bridget.
Your feeling that he would turn down this job if
you asked him to shows a clear indication of his
commitment, as does the fact that you have
bought a house together.
I’m sure other women will be attracted to him,
but it’s you he wants to start a family with.
Now, you need to begin to believe that more
for yourself! It’s about building the trust and
holding onto the knowledge and belief that you
have something very positive to work at
together.
Don’t let the doubts destroy it.
Next week Torn between my daughter and my lover
LINDSAY, 39, a divorced mother to Flora, 17, is
dating Robin, a 28-year-old colleague. Lindsay
has no problems with the age gap, but Flora
has threatened to go to live with her father if
she doesn’t end the relationship. Lindsay is torn
between her feelings for Robin and her
responsibilities as a mother. What should
she do?
■ IF YOU can help Lindsay, please email
[email protected] where your
responses may be published.
Daily Mail, Thursday, November 5, 2009
What an
Conical bras
are flying off
the shelves.
But would
YOU wear one
–and how do
WITH
they work?
Attention-grabbing: The cone
bra prompted more remarks
W
ELL HELLO,
boys! There’s
no
getting
away from it.
That is exactly
the message
that my attire is sending out
into the world.
In fact, I think the only way I could
make it clearer is if I were holding a
flashing arrow pointing at my chest.
It’s not that I’m striding around the
November streets exposing the sort of
cleavage that made Eva Herzigova so
voluptuous that her Wonderbra ad
stopped traffic. Far from it, I’m in fact
clad in a very demure cashmere
sweater. But it’s what I’m wearing
underneath it that is causing
something of a stir.
Because following the news that
John Lewis has recorded a surge in
sales of pointy bras, I am road-testing
one of the aforementioned garments
and the results are — ahem —
interesting, to say the least.
I suppose I should be grateful that my
modesty has — to some extent — been
preserved. After all, the concept of a
conical bra means one thing and one
thing only to anyone who grew up in the
Nineties: Madonna and THAT outfit.
The infamous cone bra corset that
Jean Paul Gaultier designed for her
Blonde Ambition tour became a
cultural reference point, long before
we realised that, actually, Madonna
wasn’t the first blonde to popularise
this style of lingerie.
Indeed, in the Fifties, Diana Dors
and Marilyn Monroe were infamous
for their unnaturally cone -shaped
bosoms that helped shape that
Fifties icon ‘the sweater girl’.
Flash-forward 50 years and it looks
like this particular silhouette is back
with a bang.
Helen Spencer, John Lewis’s head
buyer of lingerie, says: ‘I think we’re
selling more conical bras as
customers take influence from
designers such as Louise Goldin, Jean
Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana,
who have rediscovered the bra as
outerwear in their spring/summer
2010 collections.
‘Throughout the last century, the
trend for feminine pointy-shaped
bras experienced a renaissance
following times of a toughened
economy, marking a return of
unabashed femininity as women seek
to have more fun with fashion as a
form of escapism.’ I don’t know about
WITHOUT
Preferred look: Most men
agreed this was sexier
escapism. The Triumph Doreen bra
(£23.50, johnlewis.com) that I’m
wearing feels an awful lot more
restrictive than my usual choice.
This ain’t pretty, sexy underwear.
This is the sort of matronly underwear
that is probably referred to as ‘a
foundation garment’; it’s no-nonsense, functional stuff that the empire
was built on.
And while, in my pencil skirt,
rear-seamed stockings and tight
sweater, I’d hoped to be channelling a
sort of breathy, Jessica-Rabbit-meetsMarilyn-Monroe vibe, I actually feel
more like my old history teacher, Mrs
Lewis, who had a bosom so impressive
that it could silence a full assembly hall
in seconds.
(Admittedly, this might have been
down to her position in authority and
her booming baritone, but I still
believe that her formidable bosom,
that she always seemed to wear high,
proud and pointed — like a pair of
attacking bazookas — added in no
small way to the effect.)
I might not feel in the slightest bit
sexy with this pair of oversized bullets
attached to my torso, but there’s no
escaping the fact that I’m garnering
IF YOU HAVE ONLY. . . 5 MINUTES
Make vanilla sugar. As the nights draw in,
of flavoured sugar. Add one vanilla pod to
femail MAGAZINE 61
Daily Mail, Thursday, November 5, 2009
Page 61
uplifting experience!
A WONDER
OF MODERN
ENGINEERING
CUP FRAME
This is the section that
goes all around the
cups and sits flat
against the skin, giving
support. It is what
makes the bra unique,
and perhaps oldfashioned by modern
standards. If you were
wearing a low-cut bra,
you would have some
cleavage at the top
The cone has an astonishing
48 component parts. Here we
reveal some of its secrets. . .
Our pick of the
coolest cones
STRAPS
The straps are
much wider than
many modern
bras, which
spreads the
weight of the
breast more easily
and prevents the
strap cutting into
the shoulder
SLIDE
ADJUSTERS
For ease of adjustment
when fitting
SIDE BONES
Like corsets and
bustiers, the cone bra
is boned down the
sides to keep it against
the body. When the
bras were first made,
manufacturers used
whalebone, then
metal. Nowadays
they’re made from
plastic
FRONT MOTIFF
Signature bow on
this Triumph bra —
hides stitching
OUTER
CRADLE
The lace material
that covers the
cups
Red & black Lulu bullet bra,
£35, whatkatiedid.com
THE prettiest and most
wearable of all the bras,
thanks to a less-extreme
shape and with the lace a
more feminine touch.
THREE-PIECE
OUTER CUP AND
THREE-PIECE CUP
LINING
CRADLE
LINING
Unlike moulded bras,
which only have one
piece of material
over the breast, the
cone has three
pieces of material in
the cup to allow for
better projection,
the word we use for
pointedness. The
pattern allows for
more control over
the shape of the
breasts
The inner
lining of
the
cups
UNDERARM
ELASTIC
Increases comfort
INSIDE THE BRA
POWERMESH WING
BOTTOM CUP SEAM TAPES
CROSS CUP SEAM TAPES
AROUND CUP SEAM TAPES
These are fabric tapes
that cover the seams on
the inside of the bra so
they don’t irritate the
skin. They also strengthen
the bra
The wings, better known as the
straps across the back, are now
made of lycra (compared with the
non-elastic material of the Fifties)
which makes them stronger,
comfortable and more flexible
UNDERBAND ELASTIC
Pink satin bra, £109, Rigby &
Peller, 0845 076 5545
THIS was meant to be inspired
by old-world glamour, but
seemed more reminiscent of
a Madonna video. The points
needed more padding.
Increases comfort
Pictures: NICK HOLT
an awful lot more attention than I
usually would in a prim sweater
and skirt. Walking through the
office, I’m a little bit concerned that
I’ve inadvertently given an entire
desk whiplash, after my twopronged attack prompts a series of
double-takes.
‘Wow, your boobs walked into the
room before you did,’ gasps the
photographer. I pop outside to grab
a sandwich for lunch and the man
serving me seems to have problems
focusing on my face, and on my way
back to the office a passing builder
shouts after me: ‘You’ll have
someone’s eye out with them!’
But when I do a quick straw poll,
almost everyone agrees that while
it’s an eye-catching look, it’s just
not sexy. ‘I think it’s because when
men think about boobs, they think
about something soft and round —
it’s the curves that are sexy,’
ponders one man. ‘But this is a very
aggressive look.’
You can see his point. Who in their
right mind wouldn’t be terrified
with these two instruments of
torture bearing down on them?
And to be honest, that decides me.
If lingerie doesn’t feel good, doesn’t
look good and men don’t find it
sexy, frankly what’s the point of it?
It might have worked for Marilyn
and Jean Paul Gaultier, but despite
John Lewis’s recent figures piquing
my interest, I’ve got to confess that
my interest in these particular twin
peaks has, well, peaked.
liven up warming drinks such as coffee, mocha and hot chocolate with a spoonful
a jar containing 8oz of caster sugar. Leave for 1-2 days for the flavour to develop.
Nude soft non-wired bra,
£9.75, johnlewis.com
THIS is the conical bra for
women who don’t want to
wear a conical bra. It offered
very little support.