Life expectancy of a bra

[starburst]

I would think that an $80 bra would last longer than 9 months. I buy cheap ones from Target and they last longer than that, plus I throw them in the washing machine.

[explorer2001]

My first round of suggestions:

Try Nordstrom Rack, get the same bra for 1/3 the price so if it fails its easier to take and its more MM overall

Make note off the brand that did this.some bras are just higher quality than others. I had a Fantasie bra that I wore all the time (at least weekly) for 5 years before it gave out. I've had others that don't make it a year.

Lots of other things can impact the life of a bra. Does it fit you properly or is to torqued or straining to hold you? Machine vs hand wash? Dryer vs air dry? How often do you wear it? Do you give it a day off between wears to allow the material to regain their shape?

Consider wash, first wear, day to air out and rest the bra, second wear, before washing if you can.

The elastic in bras wears out. There is only so much you can do about that sometimes in relation to wear frequency and intensity. I have strapless special occasion bras that I've had for years because they are rarely worn. My daily wear ones rotate out much faster.

[persa]

You need to wash them more frequently. The oils and sweat break down the elastics. Bra people say bras last 6 mons but i get much longer life out of them if I take care of them. I use Eucalan on the recommendation of a local nestle who is a bra fitting specialist. you don't have to wash or rinse, you just soak for 15 mins

www.thefittingcloset.com/mobile/product.aspx?ProductCode=eucalan-delicate-wash

[Deleted]

That is disappointing. I've gotten longer than 9 months out of all of my pricey bras.

Now that you have the specific bras/sizes that fit well, I would keep an eye out for them elsewhere. I've ordered several bras from bare necessities during their sales for half of the cost.

[Deleted]

I've been buying nice bras for about 8 years and I can usually get 2 years or more out of them. I have had a couple that had wires pop. I can usually stuff them back in and sew it shut and get another few months.

But I would take this back to Nordstroms.

[mich1]

I have been getting $40+ bras on sale from Kohl's. Normally, they last me about 2 years and the most common failure is a wire poking through.

I was wearing Body by Victoria from VS. they changed the bras, hated them so had to go looking again. The ones I get now are Bali, and very similar to the old BBV style.

[meltoine]

Make sure it really fits right. If the band is slightly too big and it moves around even a little the friction can cause the wire to pop out.

[sillygoosegirl]

That seems ridiculous to me. I tend to rotate through about 2 bras at any given time (according to what is feeling most comfortable at the time), so wearing each almost 50% of the time, washing weekly in the washing maching... And typically they'll hold up to at least a year of that, sometimes two years of it. And I buy my bras used (I'm sick of spending $30-$60 on a single bra and then often not finding the fit that comfortable after a week or so, when that happens with a $2 used bra, it's no biggie to donate it back and try something else until I get one I really love). Speaking of... I need to go bra shopping this weekend, yay pregnancy hormones.

I'm not a big fan of underwire though... That is the part that typically goes first when the bra has it, which may be why I've come to dislike it. I'm always so sad when a bra I love needs to be retired. The girls hate change.

[yentl]

I usually wear mine for about 1 or 2 years, but the underwire doesn't usually pop out. I just feel like they stretch out eventually and stop being as supportive. Almost all mine are Fantasie. I would be really annoyed if the wire came out of a $80 bra.

[10nille]

I'd call them and see if they will send you a new one without going to the store.

[ellipses84]

I have the same story as you. I got fitted at Nordstrom 15 months ago and bought 3 bras. The wire just popped thru on the one I wear second most often, but the one I wear all the time is fine. Maybe it is brand dependent? Natori is my favorite brand and they have held up great but the busted one is Calvin Klein. I've often found great Natori bras at the Rack for 1/3rd the regular price.