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In the early years of, how shall we call it, my bra training(?), my very special bras all had solid, that is, non-stretch straps. Often I found this restricting, especially when sleeping with a bra on, as the range of motion is significantly reduced and controlled by the shoulder orbit allowed by the shoulder straps. I often wished that my favorite 592s had stretch straps, but alas, therey were rigid nylon with only a short stretch part in the backs. It has taken me nearly ten years to realize that rigid straps are the ultimate. I know, I know, you probably think Im crazy, or you at least disagree. But consider these points.

First, you, like most of femininity, chase after the stretchy strap bras out of a misguided idea of comfort. Of course, the thinner the strap, the sexier the bra, and I admit that is true, but is does not necessarily make good bra sense. Just as stretch straps do not necessarily make the best shoulder straps. The shoulder straps provide more or less the lioness's share of the uplift, and a direct offset to gravity as compared to the bra band (as in band size: if you wear a 36-C your band size is 36) in a brassiere. The stretchier it is, the less lift it provides, as the force is taken up by stretching instead of lifting. I know of what I speak here as I am a reformed stretch strap fan. I even modified one of my 592s by sewing on stretch straps that could be converted to halter, crisscross or strapless. It was never as good as the original rigid strapped bras. I still have it and wear it occasionally, it just doesnt cut it, the vertical support is far less, the tactile feedback is limp, and the uplift is simply not there.

Yes, stretch straps are more comfortable, that is a given, but a wider rigid strap, while being less sexy, is phenomally comfortable, and when paired with a properly engineered cup and band, the results are, how shall I say it, excruciatingly feminine.

You see, the bra has evolved to something just a hair short of a modern engineering miracle. It is an integrated support system that relies upon more than just two axes of support, when implemented properly it uses a third rotational axis in concert with the band (horizontal frame) and shoulder straps (vertical frames), utilizing the cradles of the underwires to capture, stabilize and project whatever you have into the far depths of the cups, then rotate their captives up and out, as well as in (towards the center) in some designs, to literally sculpt you into a superior form. If designed and implemented from this engineering perspective, using optimal materials, the results can be extraordinary!

So, half the lesson is that, whether you agree or disagree, rigid straps outperform stretch straps in the physics and engineering departments. And, when properly implemented with the right underwire, band and cups, in the right ergonomic and attractive combination can become something you simply would not believe until you put it on and are captured by it, both physically and femininely. Use your imagination and transpose this into one of my favorite advertising quotes: "If you're full-figured and have never tried an Edith Lances bra, you don't know what you're missing!" Keep in mind that using stretch straps on bras has only evolved over the last two decades in something like 100 years of bras. It wasn't until the 70s that stretch straps began to dominate in bra manufacture. Rigid straps were the ONLY kinds of straps until relatively recently. Now they have fallen into a very small minority, very small indeed.

One last point regarding straps: the adjusters. If you have the choice, and thankfully my stash of 222s all have this feature, go for front adjusting straps. Its simple -- you don't have to keep taking the bra on and off to micro-adjust the uplift moment applied to the cups by the strap. They can also be slightly easier to hide, as even attested to by a chat room I found once (this was a woman's advice, not made up).

The other half of this strap primer concerns the band. I have come to the belief, over time, that there are two factors here: band width and band construction. When I was in early bra training (what else would you call it?), meaning of course, my first in-bra years, I leaned towards thinner is better, meaning that the narrower the band, all the way from the cups to the clasp (in this case, a back clasp), the more attractive the bra, to me anyway, and secondly, the stretchier the band, the better. Recent discoveries (as in the past several years) have led me to conclude the fallacy of these beliefs.

In the first instance, again from a physics perspective, it is the simple old equation of force per unit area, something first year physics students have literally driven in to them. The narrower the strap, the less physical area is available to spread the lateral forces over. Consequently, the less force can be managed depending upon how much tension is available based on your selected band size and how tightly you like your bras to fit, and which set of eyes you lodge your hooks in. Undeniably sexier, the narrower the band, the less structural support you will enjoy, 'nuff said. The wider the band, the more surface area is available to spread the forces across, and a second benefit accrues. The wider the band, the more variable lateral forces can be accommodated, as in tip of underwires to bottom of curve, supported across this width to some point probably less wide where the clasps fit near the center of your back. a narrow band can only deal with a lateral force parallel to its orientation, i.e. horizontal only. The wider the strap, the more non-horizontal the stress (raise one arm over your head to prove this concept) the band can attempt to mitigate and still hold its position, and more importantly, your cup(s) position(s). Less escapees, less adjustment, you know the drill. And because the force is applied over a wider area, you notice the bra less, in some designs so little that you hardly know you are wearing a bra at all until you see your reflection or profile, really! Some bras are actually that good at their jobs.

The next part of the strap lesson relates to construction. Again, I initially gravitated to the all stretch designs, and I admit now that I was wrong. Wrong, wrong wrong! Or at least partly wrong. The Sears and Lady Marlene 592 bras both incorporated a rigid section attached to the distal sides of the cups and extending back to where the shoulder straps hooked in around back. Meaning, of course, that the stretchy part of that band extended between the rear shoulder strap anchors to the clasp halves, not an inconsiderable distance on a wide strapped decollete bra! But that was the only part that stretched. While not exactly excelling in the comfort department, you simply cannot deride the sheer grip such a band provides, and as Pontiac touts, wider is better. I am now a definite convert to that espousal, I'm tellin ya.

After years of experimentation, I am now of the camp that aspires to bras constructed of a cunning compromise, implemented on only a small subset of bras, regardless of other structural design. Again, the band that is attached to the distal lengths of the underwire must be rigid, that is have no stretch in any dimension, narrowed slightly from this maximum (i.e tip to bottom of underwire curvature) beneath the arm, and ending in a raked (or angled) attachment to a still gradually narrowing (the less narrowing the better from a structural perspective, and the more the better from a aesthetic perspective [is this yin and yang?] two-dimensional stretch section which sharply angles up and into a narrow attachment for the shoulder straps (rigid of course!), hopefully at least 1/2 inch in width, continuing on to the back clasp (row of hooks and eyes). From a practical perspective, the recent innovation of Smart Strap design, i.e the movement of the shoulder strap anchors more towards the center of the back, closer to the clasps, goes a long way towards both increasing the appeal of any bra and prevention of the falling strap syndrome. A definite plus I have not yet found in association with my other desirable qualities in any bra (listen up, you precocious bra designers!).

So, lesson two can be summed up as decreeing the rigid strap the winner over the stretch strap, despite recent fashion, and voting strongly in favor of a hybridized and stylish implementation of stretch and rigid sections in the band. All up, this makes the bra more of what it can be, a credible structural support system, which when properly implemented, can make far more of what you may never know you ever had. It has certainly been my case, of that there is no doubt whatsoever.

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