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Last night, before hot yoga, I stepped into an Amos Style store. Amos Style (http://www.amostyle.com/) a ubiquitous bra and panty chain here. It wasn't a traumatic experience!
As some of you may know, when I first moved to Japan almost 6 years ago I was a little heavier. Bra wise this put me at a Japanese F cup. Not a lot of Japanese F cups in Japan. When I found bras in my size they were crazy clown-bras, literally. One that I once encountered (and tried on) had ruffles around each cup, not just at the top but around the whole edge and under wire. Other bras seemed to be shaped with American 50's missiles in mind. My breasts may be dangerous in a pulpfiction cover-girl sort of way, but they don't require ballistic restrain systems.
Which led me, my first year, to call America and beg Besh and Gus for a care package of bras in my size. Gulfie got his kind hands on the package, added to it, which resulted in 30 bras, a robe, 2 books on building an earth ship (incidentally the only books of mine that my local used book place has ever rejected), The Ethical Slut, Don't Shoot the Dog, Hemp soap, a variety of alternative radio interviews and more being sent to my apartment... Gulfie is not to be trusted with the Victoria's Secret website. As a result I didn't need to step foot in a Japanese lingerie store for many years. Thank you three.
I still saw an Amos Style store almost every day. And even now I remember my early days in Japan and feel like the cute bras in the window are taunting me. Don't they look happy? I think.
Years have passed. When it comes to building costume I usually use hard-cups ordered from sugarpetals.com but recently I find that I want a slightly different shaped cup. I've also learned about Peach John (http://www.peachjohn.co.jp )for somewhat cute bras a wide range of sizes. When it comes to my daily life I have dropped about a cup size (maybe a cup size and a half) . The last two times in America I shelled out a lot of money at VS.
As I've said, I have grown somewhat disenchanted with Sugar Petals hard cups. I am ready to go back to re-enforcing regular bras cups to make my costumes. And because I am now making a costume for Henna, last night I required more cups.
The bras are not laughing at me. Amos now has many bras in my size (or I now come in a size they cater to). I still look at some of the E and F cup styles and shutter. The staff doesn't look quizzically at my chest.
When it comes to finding stiff bras for costumes bases Japan is WONDERFUL. Why? Well, fellow lj user downrightamazed will be sad to learn that nippleage is very much considered hiiiiiiighly scandalous. Because of this bras here are built extra thick, you'd need drill bits for nips to bust out of them. This means that they structurally sounds and require minimal reinforcement for costume use. Also, because of Japanese desire to be a larger players in Cup market almost every bra is built with padding. Most are built with small padding pockets so you can use or remove pads as you desire. Cups structured to be padded are exactly what I'm looking for
when building a costume.
Amos Style, I forgive you.
As some of you may know, when I first moved to Japan almost 6 years ago I was a little heavier. Bra wise this put me at a Japanese F cup. Not a lot of Japanese F cups in Japan. When I found bras in my size they were crazy clown-bras, literally. One that I once encountered (and tried on) had ruffles around each cup, not just at the top but around the whole edge and under wire. Other bras seemed to be shaped with American 50's missiles in mind. My breasts may be dangerous in a pulpfiction cover-girl sort of way, but they don't require ballistic restrain systems.
Which led me, my first year, to call America and beg Besh and Gus for a care package of bras in my size. Gulfie got his kind hands on the package, added to it, which resulted in 30 bras, a robe, 2 books on building an earth ship (incidentally the only books of mine that my local used book place has ever rejected), The Ethical Slut, Don't Shoot the Dog, Hemp soap, a variety of alternative radio interviews and more being sent to my apartment... Gulfie is not to be trusted with the Victoria's Secret website. As a result I didn't need to step foot in a Japanese lingerie store for many years. Thank you three.
I still saw an Amos Style store almost every day. And even now I remember my early days in Japan and feel like the cute bras in the window are taunting me. Don't they look happy? I think.
Years have passed. When it comes to building costume I usually use hard-cups ordered from sugarpetals.com but recently I find that I want a slightly different shaped cup. I've also learned about Peach John (http://www.peachjohn.co.jp )for somewhat cute bras a wide range of sizes. When it comes to my daily life I have dropped about a cup size (maybe a cup size and a half) . The last two times in America I shelled out a lot of money at VS.
As I've said, I have grown somewhat disenchanted with Sugar Petals hard cups. I am ready to go back to re-enforcing regular bras cups to make my costumes. And because I am now making a costume for Henna, last night I required more cups.
The bras are not laughing at me. Amos now has many bras in my size (or I now come in a size they cater to). I still look at some of the E and F cup styles and shutter. The staff doesn't look quizzically at my chest.
When it comes to finding stiff bras for costumes bases Japan is WONDERFUL. Why? Well, fellow lj user downrightamazed will be sad to learn that nippleage is very much considered hiiiiiiighly scandalous. Because of this bras here are built extra thick, you'd need drill bits for nips to bust out of them. This means that they structurally sounds and require minimal reinforcement for costume use. Also, because of Japanese desire to be a larger players in Cup market almost every bra is built with padding. Most are built with small padding pockets so you can use or remove pads as you desire. Cups structured to be padded are exactly what I'm looking for
when building a costume.
Amos Style, I forgive you.
