Want to know more about organic cotton and natural fiber bras and which styles might work best for you? Join us for our 10-week long organic bra video series.
This week we’re covering Triangle Bras. Triangle Bras are very lightweight, minimal coverage bras without a lot of support. They are generally sized as S, M, L instead of 34B, 36B and are best fit for cup sizes AA – C. Triangles are definitely not for everyone. These bras work well for women who prefer not to wear a bra, but may require one for modesty. They are so lightweight and comfortable, you may forget you’re wearing a triangle bra at all. But don’t expect a lot of shaping or push up. These cute little “slip of a bra” triangle styles are just for covering your natural shape, not changing or enhancing it any way.
When choosing a triangle bra, find one that looks pretty to you. A touch of lace or detail that speaks to you will enhance your enjoyment of this simple style.
We discussed bamboo fabric a little. Several years back we wrote a piece on Tencel, Rayon and Bamboo that you might find interesting. For more eco-fabric information, checkout our Most Eco-Friendly Fabric roundup.
You can also get whole life wellness information from community nonprofit Moon Cycle Medicine, Inc.
Want to know more about organic cotton and natural fiber bras and which styles might work best for you? Join us for our 10-week long organic bra video series.
Today’s episode focuses on Cami Bras. Cami Bras are a subset of the “Bralette” family. They are always sized as S, M, L instead of 34B, 36B, etc. and they pull-on over the head as opposed to having back closures. It’s a very simple style that tends to be flattering for A-D cups. Because they are easy to make, a lot of clothing companies that don’t specialize in bras make them. So you need to watch out for sizing! Cami Bra Tops, also sometimes referred to as Yoga Bras, tend to come in a wide variety of colors and prints, which definitely adds to the fun of this particular style.
Bras highlighted in this video:
• Soy Lace Cami Bra (XS – 2XL) This one runs small, Kayla is wearing an L.
• Grace Bra Top (S – L) This one runs large, Kayla is wearing a S.
• Cami Bra Top (S-L) This one runs true-to-size, Kayla is wearing a M.
• Eve Panty – the panties that match the Grace Bra Top.
• Sri Yantra Yoga Bra (only L left), orange bra shown on hanger.
You can also get whole life wellness information from community nonprofit Moon Cycle Medicine, Inc.
Want to know more about organic cotton and natural fiber bras and which styles might work best for you? This second episode of our bra video series, discusses easy-wear, natural fiber “bralettes.” I forgot to mention in the video, but bralettes are generally sized S, M, L instead of 34B, 36C, etc. We do our best to convert the sizes so you have the numbered size equivalent in the product description. We measured Kayla last time as a 34B, which in most bralettes will be a medium.
For years I’ve been meaning to put together a video series on organic and natural fiber bras. Camera shyness, more than procrastination, has delayed it. The series was originally envisioned as showing some bras on hangers and going over the different types of bras, sizing, best fit, fabrics, features, etc. Well, thanks to Dr. Kayla Luhrs of Moon Cycle Medicine, this is finally happening! Kayla offered to act as a model for the series, and since I didn’t have to do it on my own, the camera seemed less intimidating.
We’ve mapped out a series of 10 different videos, which we will launch once per week both here and on our (as yet underutilized) YouTube channel. Each one will highlight one specific bra style and provide tips for things to look for when deciding on an organic or natural fiber bra purchase.
Our first episode covers No Wire Support Bras and our tip shows you how to measuring yourself to determine your approximate bra size. This was our first one, so hopefully they’ll get better over time. 🙂
Using a tape measure, measure directly under your bust around your ribcage (Kayla measured 30.5″)
Add 3″ – 4″ to get to an even number (We added 3.5″)
This number is your BAND size (So, Kayla is a 34″ band)
Now measure across the widest part of your bust (Kayla measured 35″)
Subtract your underbust measurement (30.5″) from your band measurement (35″) to get the difference (Kayla’s difference is 4.5″)
Now lookup that number on the list below to get your approximate CUP size. Since many manufacturers size their cups differently, this is only approximate, but should get you started near the right size. (In our example, Kayla measures a 34B.)
After 8 years of university, Kayla finally completed her M.D. in family medicine and started working at a major hospital in 2012. She was excited to meet and help patients. Unfortunately, the US health-care system is focused more on profit than on care, and within a few years, Kayla was burnt out and discouraged. Often with just 15 minutes scheduled per patient, she was not making the deep connections and serving the community in the way she had hoped to. She finally realized that to provide the type of care she wanted to give, she would need to start her own non-profit clinic. She spent another 2 years getting formally trained in Ayurvedic medicine. Armed with both science-based and holistic health training, she manifested Moon Cycle Medicine, Inc. from a dream into reality in 2017.
A fun selfie sporting the English Bay Polo
Kayla and I met through a women’s networking group, Women Entrepreneurs of Portland (WE PDX) that I cofounded with a realtor friend. She was so excited to find a reliable source for organic cotton intimates! She and her mom have become regular customers, and I have joined the board of her non-profit. Unlike Ann from our last customer spotlight story, Kayla has no known allergies or skin rashes. This led me to ask her at a meeting recently why she wore organic cotton intimates. She responded, “Wearing organic cotton bras and panties is part of my self-care. I get peace of mind knowing there are no chemicals on my intimate areas.”
She also told me she occasionally prescribes organic intimates to her patients. “I had a patient who had a severe rash in her private area. I prescribed her organic cotton underwear along with more conventional creams and antibiotics. When she came back for her follow-up, she had gotten all the conventional items, but still hadn’t purchased the underwear. I had to explain, that the organic underwear was the most important prescription I’d given her and sent her off to go find some.”
Kayla’s secret? She’s rocking the Alba Padded Underwire Bra beneath those eco-fashion tops.
Kayla appreciates that FaeriesDance.com gives her a specific place to recommend patients to. “It’s easier for my patients to follow my guidance if I know where to refer them.”
With so much synergy between our respective businesses, Kayla and I will be working on a few joint projects over the spring and summer. She’s going to be offering a free workshop on breast cancer awareness at our warehouse and we’re also collaborating on a series of bra videos that have been on my to do list for several years.
As I mentioned in my last customer spotlight, my personal motivation for starting Faerie’s Dance was wholly environmental. Twelve years into the business, I have to agree with Kayla that wearing organic clothing, and intimates in particular, is part of my self-care. I just hadn’t thought of it in those terms. Wearing lacy soy panties, or a sensuous pine-tree bra feels luxurious to me. It’s become part of my everyday armor.
Organic Cotton bras are the most popular selling item on FaeriesDance.com, and for good reason. We carry the largest selection of organic cotton, natural fiber and eco-friendly bras in the USA! We do it by sourcing most of our bras from Europe. Amazing companies like Swegmark of Sweden, Peau-Ethique and Do You Green from France and our newest addition Comazo|Earth (maker of the Yvonne Bra shown left) in Germany are making natural, organic, fair trade bras far superior to anything we can get in the USA. And even our best-selling USA-made brand, Blue Canoe, gets their GOTS-certified organic cotton fabric from overseas. Like our in-house brand, Green Tree Organic, Blue Canoe designs, patterns, cuts and sews in the USA from imported fabric.
What that means, is that your modest organic cotton bra price is affected by global economics. Unfortunately, while the stock market may be skyrocketing, the dollar is not. The dollar just reached a 3-year low against the Euro.
The Price of the Euro Rose Steadily Throughout 2017.Blue Canoe’s Cami Bra
As a rule, we try to price European goods at a 2-year running average so the price of the bras don’t change for our customers every single time we restock. But the cost has just kept going up and up. Since customs fees are paid on the converted price of goods, higher Euro prices also mean higher customs fees.
The bottom line is that many of our bra prices will be going up soon. As a courtesy, we’re going to keep prices steady until Valentine’s Day since most styles and sizes will be restocked before then. That means right now, you can get Blue Canoe bras at 15-20% off their website prices! For example, the Blue Canoe Cami Bra (shown right) currently retails for $47. It will be available for the bargain price of just $40 on FaeriesDance.com until February 14, 2018. Come February 15th, the Cami Bra will be $42 and most other bras will be going up $1-4 per bra. So definitely stock up now if you can.
Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you a Safe, Health and very Happy New Year!
It’s true! Win your favorite Fair Trade, Organic Cotton Bra from Swegmark of Sweden. Since we brought this collection in last year, these bras have become our customers favorites. There are now 10 styles to choose from including 8 of Swegmark’s signature full-coverage, wire free, organic bras plus an organic cotton sports bra and now a lightly padded, underwire bra.
All of these organic bras have wide, adjustable comfort straps and 3-position hook-and-eye back closures for the perfect fit. They are well-constructed with wide underbust bands for great support and coverage. Sizes range from 34B – 46DDD. Not all bras come in all sizes, but the winner will have the option of choosing any of our in-stock options. We have Swegmark bras in white, nude, pink, blue, grey and black.
If you don’t get your perfect size on the first go, you can even send it back and we’ll do an exchange for you. Once you’ve tried this brand of comfort, stylish, sustainable bras, we don’t think you’ll ever choose anything else. So go ahead and enter below. The winner will be announced Monday, November 27.
The Xylem Sports Bra in Organic Cotton is being discontinued.
Over the years we’ve had a number of natural fiber sports bras. I wrote about running my first half marathon in the Bamboo Sports Bra (shown below) back in 2011. I still use that bra in my workouts today. However, the Xylem Sports Bra (shown left) is the first organic cotton sports bra we’ve had that has enough support to stand completely on its own. There’s no need to double up with a shelf-bra tank or anything else. The fabric is thick and supportive, and at 92% Organic Cotton with just 8% spandex, it’s high on the eco-friendly scale. It has sold so well that many customers have found a size or color sold out at least once.
So you can imagine my dismay when Xylem told me they had decided to discontinue this style. What(!) Turns out they are experimenting with a bamboo version that they’d like to try out. We’ve also got a recycled sports bra coming this summer for those who prefer the more traditional polyester in their sportswear, but still want something eco-friendly. But if you prefer organic cotton to other fabrics, and you really want support, the Xylem Sports Bra is the one. We just got in the last 53 pieces yesterday. (While that might sound like a lot, it averages to a little over a dozen per size.) If this is a favorite for you, get them while they’re still available.
The Bamboo Sports Bra has been a staple in our store for 8 years.
For those of you who have been wanting a sports bra for larger breast sizes, have no fear… we’ve been working with Swegmark of Sweden and hope to have an option for you near the end of summer.
Green Tree Organic’s Trista Cami and Eat Organic Panty
Green Tree Organic Clothing has been in business for 2 years now and we’ve put out a total of 8 designs. Our goal was to offer inexpensive organic cotton panties and intimates that are made in the USA. If you followed along with us that first year, you’ll know the process was much more trying than I had ever imagined. Fortunately, our process is now fairly stable and our small line is doing quite well.
Unfortunately, rising prices of everything from fabric to elastic to sewing has kept us from expanding into more colors, more designs and men’s items. We have been reluctant to raise prices because we really wanted to offer an economical, Made in the USA option. If you look at the PACT model, they started off sewing exclusively in the USA. Prices continued to rise until most of their panties were in the high $20 to low $30 range. Eventually, they gave up on manufacturing in the USA and started manufacturing in India. It brought their costs way down and their panty prices are now all under $15. On the flip side, Blue Canoe has continued to manufacture in the USA and their price is now $34 for a single panty (though we sell Blue Canoe panties at a small discount everyday for $30 each).
PACT’s Boy Short
So what’s a small business to do? Here’s our plan.
• We will continue to manufacture in the USA and keep as much of our processes local.
• We will be raising prices in January both to reflect our higher cost and to offer wholesale so we can get USA-made panties in brick and mortar stores.
• We will expand the line of PACT underwear that we carry to offer a less expensive organic cotton panty alternative for those who really want organic and just can’t afford the Made in USA prices.
Green Tree Organic panty prices will go up between $3 – $5 each starting in the new year. This is early warning for you to stock up now. There are a few sizes/colors currently sold out, but our seamstress is working on them and we should have everything back in stock before Christmas with at least a couple of weeks left at the old pricing.
What are your thoughts on this? Manufacturing in the USA has certainly been in the news a lot lately. Is price more important than local jobs?
We just completed an overhaul of our FAQ. In addition to updating previous answers with new products, links and more detailed information, we’ve also added some new questions that we’ve received quite a lot recently. The question that’s come up most often is Why don’t bras and panties ever seem to go on sale?” So, here’s why.
We have a very hard time keeping bras and panties in stock. Bra and panty manufacturers seem to go out of business on us every few months. Because of that, we end up taking bigger risks with intimates, buying and stocking more than we normally would on other items and then having to warehouse them.
We put twice as much time and effort into getting the bras and panties in and keeping them stocked than anything else in the store. In addition, most Europeans are used to paying a lot more for bras than we are here in the US. So an $80 or $90 bra is common as is a $40 or $50 pair of underwear. (We’ve tried a few of those, but they just don’t really sell here). So to keep prices reasonable everyday, we take a smaller profit on bras and panties. This is even true of the panties we manufacture in-house. We wanted to keep the price range to $12-$18 per pair regardless of the cost of production.
Please take a look at some of the other US companies selling organic cotton panties – like Blue Canoe or PACT. You’ll find we’re the only company that has a very large selection of organic panties for less than $20 each. And the few brands we carry that are more readily available in the USA are offered at 10% off every single day. (For example, all of our Blue Canoe products are at least 10% off every day without a sale.)
If you’ve made it this far, we can tell you that our Anniversary is in July. We premiered our webstore July 22, 2005. Each July we do a one-week sale that includes every single item in the store – including bras, panties and clearance items – as a celebration of our anniversary. So this is the one time of year to stock up and save.
Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter so you don’t miss the announcement. It’s mailed only once per month, so it’s not an overwhelming amount of e-mail.
