DU women: why are bras so expensive? $80 for my old favorite Mary of Sweden bras!

[CTyankee]

Are they difficult to make? What's the story?

[hlthe2b]

1. Depends on what you are looking for in terms of style, features, fit...

I no longer pay a lot because all I care about nowadays is comfort and you can find that outside the major $$$ brands. But, I suppose I am lacking a lot of useful or attractive features as a result, so there is that...

[CTyankee]

3. I require a D cup so that is a bit more fabric, I guess. I just want a smooth look under clothes. I wear size 18 now.

[hlthe2b]

5. True. More supportive styles are more costly, I've found as well...

Can you buy it for less from a retailer online?

[Ocelot II]

2. Women's clothes are always more expensive than men's.

But bras are kind of complicated and need to come in a lot of different sizes, so I suppose that's part of it. I get the cheap ones at Target because nobody pays any attention to my saggy old boobs anyhow.

[Polly Hennessey]

7. You are singing my song, ladies. I have often wondered

why so expensive. We are a captive audience though, right. Suppose we could all go braless. Would that be frowned upon. 🫣

[wnylib]

25. Not to mention a bit uncomfortable if you're running braless.

[pandr32]

4. Not only expensive, but most are made from fossil fuels.

Not an ideal situation for our health.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I know! When Macys offers a sale on "lingerie",

I swoop in the first day and buy $70 bras for $25 or less. I'm also a large size and recognize a bargain.

[SheltieLover]

8. Try Kohls - they have great sales

New brand?

[NJCher]

9. I buy my bras at Aldi

They are terrific. $5 each and crazy colors like black, white, coral, neon green. What more could you ask? So comfy and very supportive, too!

[hlthe2b]

10. We don't have Aldi stores out here... I thought they were grocery stores...

Go figure...

[3catwoman3]

13. They are mostly a grocery store, but they do have a couple of aisles of...

...assorted odd items. I once got a 15 lb exercise thing know as a deadball there.

I had no idea they carried bras.

[3catwoman3]

11. I had no idea Aldi carries bras. Do they usually, or is it...

...one of those random odd items that show up unexpectedly?

[NJCher]

15. yes

they don't "carry them," per se. They pop up whenever. So what I do is buy all I can. First I buy one, see if I'm comfortable with it, and then I go back and buy all I want.

In my experience, they offer them often enough to keep you well stocked at home.

[milestogo]

21. I make mine from kale and asparagus.

That's all I can get at my local Aldi.

[3catwoman3]

27. Slightly off topic, but your post reminds me...

...that putting cabbage leaves in one's bra is a recommended remedy for nursing mothers who are suffering from breast engorgement.

Gotta wonder who first thought of this.

[milestogo]

31. Yeah I saw that being discussed on Facebook by some young mothers

who thought it was crazy... until they found out it wasn't.

[True Dough]

12. Non-female contributor here. Sticking my neck out...

[Diamond_Dog]

16. Women's underwear is insanely expensive.

Especially if you want something that lasts and doesn’t fall apart or stretch out of shape after one year of washing.

Men have no idea! They can walk into Walmart and buy a 6-pack of briefs for $18 and they’re good to go.

Ain’t fair!

[dem4decades]

29. I've never bought briefs at Walmart, but I have bought bras for my wife at Victoria Secret. They weren't

cheap and my wife liked them, and in all honesty, I found them as attractive as my wife found them comfortable.

[LeftInTX]

40. It's about the same price for women. Basic cotton bikinis.

I don't buy fancy underwear.

[SharonClark]

17. For years, I used to buy a Bali minimizer bra

when it was on sale at Kohl’s. Then the construction became shoddy and my breasts decreased in size so I can now buy a very comfortable bra on Amazon for $16.

You may want to rethink your loyalty to one brand.

[Clouds Passing]

19. Those were my fave! I was so bummed when they phased out! It's so difficult to find

a nice minimizer now.

[SharonClark]

18. I never heard of Mary of Sweden bras so I googled it.

They look very similar to what Bali bras used to be like, I can see why you like them.

They are available on Amazon, so you may want to check out the prices there, or buy them directly from Sweden.

[Aristus]

20. The price isn't important.

You get out of them what you put into them.

[CTyankee]

22. Mine are precious. Really.

And in my early 20s they nourished 3 itty bitty kids.

[Aristus]

23. ...

( . ) ( . )

[CTyankee]

24. Well, that's so corny I had to laugh! Never saw that one before...

[Jacson6]

26. Good news for Men! Jock straps & cups are still low priced!!

Sorry if I offended any one.

[magicarpet]

28. You have a nerve to complain,...

.... you should see the price of jock straps recently.



Of course djt promised to bring the prices back down.

[KansasFreeState]

30. No underwire for me after I had breast cancer

No underwire for me after I had breast cancer. I also need a larger size since I’m post menopausal so I can’t wear the ones from Target and similar places. So it is difficult for me to find bras that fit properly.

[CTyankee]

33. I'm so sorry that you have endured breast cancer. I hope you are recovering and you have a good prognosis going forward.

[fierywoman]

32. Costco has cheap bras (no underwire) and they're cute.

[CTyankee]

34. I wish I could find one near me. That would help a lot!

[Groundhawg]

35. The same reason everything is expensive now.

[drmeow]

36. Why are they so expensive

I've sewn quite a bit in my day - I've never tried to make a bra. Making a fancier bra (underwire, seamless, that doesn't show through your clothes) at home and getting it to fit well, right, and be supportive seems like it would be a lot of work. I don't know of any patterns for bras (although there used to be). However, once you got it right, making the additional ones probably would not be that hard. But that would only be one style. It is not something I'd want to try as a realistic practical way of supplying myself with bras. It might be interesting as a "I wonder if I could do this?" exercise.

That being said, what makes them so expensive is simply that companies can get away with making them so expensive.

[CTyankee]

37. Thanks, that's helpful. Actually, I can get quite a bit of wear from my bras since I am retired and not too active...

and I only need to wash them every other week. Maybe I should just hang them to dry and skip the hot dryer...

[jmowreader]

38. Because there are a whole lot of sizes of bras, and they sell at different velocities

In your typical store you'll find nine "band sizes" - the measurement below your breasts - and...say, five cup sizes in adult bras. (Which, incidentally, is way less than the number of sizes that they COULD make.) That's 45 different sizes of bras, you've gotta have 'em all to meet your customers' needs, and not all of them are going to sell equally well - but the manufacturer has to make them all and the store has to stock them all. So, basically, the price of your bra includes interest and floorspace payments on bras they can't get rid of.

[Niagara]

39. I've discovered that bra's are expensive due to several reasons

1. Bras are made from a lot of pieces

2. It takes specialty knowledge to build the bra

3. You pay for the fit of the bra

4. Material matters less than you think

Here's the exact link from Today on why bras are expensive.

https://www.today.com/tmrw/why-are-bras-so-expensive-learn-why-bras-cost-so-t208686

I looked up Mary of Sweden and I would never pay that much for a bra.

My preferred brand is Vanity Fair sans the underwire. I generally pay $21 to $25 for a bra, sometimes less if they're on sale.

[LeftInTX]

41. That seems about right for a good bra. I tend to buy a few dollars cheaper, but I buy mine at Walmart or Target.

I hate shopping for bras!!! You really gotta try them on! And then when they discontinue your favorite...ugh.....

I am willing to pay about $30 for a decent bra. I just don't like going all the way to the mall to buy one...

For a time period, it seemed that everything was underwire...ugh....