Time to Say Goodbye, when is the right time to throw away your bras?

This weekend I had to come to a difficult decision, whether or not to retire my trust black Goa bra from Prima Donna. I love this bra, elegant and not too flashy. A smooth cup with a little embroidery on the top half. Perfect for wearing under fitted tops without declaring it’s presence to passers by but pretty enough that if I was run over by a bus my ER doctor would still be suitably impressed. On first inspection there seemed to be absolutely not reason to stop wearing this ensemble, the colour was still true and it still appeared to give enough support. So why on earth send this bra to lingerie heaven? Well for some god forsaken reason I had to run, not a natural activity to for me but I suddenly became rather aware of an increased bounce factor that was a tad uncomfortable. On investigation I notice the elastic between the cups and the fastening on the back had completely lost its stretch. I was forlorn, it doesn’t seem right to toss aside such a faithful friend, especially as I can no longer purchase a another Goa.

So when exactly is it time to say goodbye? At Plums Lingerie we recommend that an every day bra has about an 18 month life span maximum. Elastic is a perishable material and the more you wash and wear your bras the quicker it will loss its stretch. This is why we always recommend hand washing, popping your bras in the machine in a hot wash will only make their life span shorter. If you are wearing bras that you would be embarrassed for someone to see it’s probably time to move on to a new one. You wear a bra every day which if you wear a bra once a week for 12 months that’s 78 wears. At £60 a bra that’s 76p a wear, worth investing in a new one ever so often to make sure you get the fit and support you need 365 days a year!

And yes the Goa did get retired and I have replaced it with the rather more ostentatious Babel but its flirty embroidering and the fact it comes with a suspender belt lured me in. No doubt in a few weeks the Goa will become a dim and distant memory.