Some girls won’t leave the house without makeup. I can’t leave the house without a bra. As a busty buxom beauty at a 40DDD, my boobs are hard to handle, but I always make sure that my girls have all the support they need.

When I had my first go-see as a fit model, my agent said my bust was about 2″ too big for what the designer needed for their line. She said, “go to Macy’s and get a minimizer bra.” I ventured into Macy’s Herald Square in NYC, up six escalators, until I finally found the lingerie section. When I stepped off the escalator, I nearly had an anxiety attack seeing how much there was to choose from. Being from Jersey, I’m used to the limited selection at Caciquè in the mall. For the first time in my lifetime of being a self-proclaimed “bra expert,” I had to ask the saleswoman for help! Once I found some hideous looking soft cup minimizer bras, I high-tailed it to Vicki’s office to get re-measured. As ugly as the bra looked, I’d never felt so supported, and my boobs had never looked so good.

Lesson learned: always have the right bra for the right occasion. Depending on what you’re wearing over your intimates, the style may change. Here are my staples, straight from my closet (click the pics to shop):

• Everyday / Casual:    Minimizer / Full Coverage / Side Smoothing

Bali Full Figure Comfort-U Satin Tracings Minimizer Bra

Cacique Cushion Comfort Full Coverage Bra

• Date Night / Gettin’ Some 😉     I love the look and feel of a Balconette, and they come in so many cute patterns and styles.

Cicique Lace Overlay Balconette Bra

Cacique Full Figured Smoothing Balonette Bra

• Strapless (and Bridal)     This category took me years to figure out. Regular strapless bras just wouldn’t give me the lift I needed, so I took a tip from Lifetime’s super-awesome show Double Divas and bought a full on corset bridal bra (It did the trick) This works great for strapless and halter tops:

Carnival Womens Full Figure Satin Torselette Bra

Strapless (from the side)

• Lazy Day / Sleep Bra     I don’t usually wear a bra to bed, but when I do I go with something simple with no underwire:

Cacique Cotton No-Wire Bra

**AVOID THE PLUNGE if you have big boobs, or if you have any extra or loose skin on your breasts** I can’t wear them because it turns out something like this:

I am still searching for a solution to wearing a backless dress. Embarrassingly enough, I even tried using duct tape as pasties! (Didn’t work, BTW). Recently, I bought the most ahhhhmazing dress, perfect fit, perfect length, edgy green with black lace overlay, and (uh oh) a cutout back. My back is the favorite part of my body, and I would love to spread my wings and fly! I want to show these babies off:

Us plus size girls are so often held back from wearing what we love because of our “tig ol’ bitties,” but let that be no longer! I hope this helped you figure out the right bra for you too. Stay tuned to Curvy and Curious for how to find the perfect fit.

Keep Curvy and Stay Curious