Today’s guest post is by Amanda, a Lingerie Addict reader who lives in Staten Island, NY with two cats and her husband. She writes about books, Doctor Who, and other things she likes at TheKeyLime.tumblr.com. She also enjoys beautiful lingerie and is (slowly) expanding her collection. You can reach Amanda at TheKeyLime1@gmail.com.
True & Co.
I don’t remember where I first heard of True & Co., but I was definitely intrigued by their concept. By answering a few questions on their website, they claim to be able to match you with perfectly fitting bras. You pick three, they pick two, and a few days later, there are five new bras on your doorstep. Keep what fits, send back what doesn’t. You’re only charged for the bras you keep (which are mostly around $45 each).
Sounds good, right?
I have been in the market for new bras for a while. Well, rather, I should say I’ve been in the market for a different bra for a while. I have a lot of bras, but they are all pretty much the same. Every single bra that I own has a molded “T-shirt” demi cup. Six of them (the four on the left and two not pictured) are the same style and size bra from Victoria’s Secret.
Current Bras
When I find something I like, I tend to get multiple of it because what if I can’t replace it? For instance, that red bra on the right is the last of a brigade. I once had five of that style bra in various colors. One day I went to replace my dying black one and alas, I could not find that style. I’ve worn them to shreds. Old Red is all that remains. The Victoria’s Secret bras are an OK replacement, but they’re just not the same.
But as my birthday approached I kept thinking more and more about True & Co., which would force me to bust out of my molded cup. On Tuesday, September 25th, I took the plunge and put in an order.
I picked three bras: Juna by Panache in black (normal band size, one cup up), Cool Cotton by Claudette in white (normal band and cup size), and the pretty floral Enchanted Bloom by Blush (normal band and cup size). True & Co. picked two more, but I wouldn’t know which ones until they arrived. Three days later, it’s Friday and there’s a box from True & Co. on my doorstep. Yipee! Let the games begin!
Inside the Box
Hello, Ladies!
True & Co picked out the Christelle (a band size down, cup size up) and Marielle (normal band & cup size), both by Felina. I tried everything on. I adjusted straps. I pushed and pulled. I put on shirts. And I’m keeping…
One bra.
What happened?
Juna
Juna from Panache (which you can see got a little squished in the box) was the only molded cup bra. It fit well enough, except the gore was DIGGING into my sternum. I’m pretty sure bras aren’t supposed to make you go “ouch”.
Enchanted Bloom
Enchanted Bloom from Blush looked pretty, but it didn’t really shape me in any way and was kinda itchy.
Marielle
This is the Marielle from Felina and one of True & Co.’s picks. Meh. It fit alright but not great. And at $45, I want something I really love.
Cool Cotton
Cool Cotton from Claudette fit fine, and I thought about keeping it but, again, it just doesn’t really wow me. It kind of reminds me of a sports bra – it feels very functional.
Christelle
And here is Christelle from Felina. Fits great, feels great, and looks super duper sexy! This is definitely not something I would normally pick out for myself (and I didn’t – it’s one of True & Co.’s picks), and it’s a band size smaller/cup size larger than my normal bras.
The four other bras are back in the box and ready to go. There is a return shipping label so no worries there. I rated the bras on their website and have been charged for the Christelle.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this experience. However, I cannot really attest to their magical fitting matrix. I’ve been measured before and am fairly confident that I am in the correct bra size. And True & Co. must have agreed because three of the five bras were the size I normally wear.
But for me, True & Co. wasn’t about solving the mystery of “Am I wearing the wrong size bra?” It was to answer the question “Are there other style bras out there I should be wearing?”
And the answer is yes – I now own a beautiful bra that is totally unlike anything I have owned before. Thus concludes the True & Co. experiment.
Has anyone else shopped with True & Co.? How was your experience?
Cora
Founder and Chief Editor of The Lingerie Addict. Sugar Junkie. Lace Lover. Sci-Fi Geek.
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I so wanted true and co to work out for me. There are only two shops in my town that carry my size, and when I found true and co, only one of them was open for buisness. The boutique I had been to once and it wasn’t inviting. You can’t browse, they just bring items to you based on what you’re looking for, not my kinda environment. I thought true and co would be the answer. I thought it would save me time trying to look for a bra online and making endless returns until I find the perfect size, boy was I wrong. Once I had gone through everything they landed me with a 34 dd sister size to the 32 e I have been wearing. My breasts are falling out of my bra and they suggest that my band is to tight? I hoped that I could at least browse to find some sizes that might work, but no all I could potentially get we’re the 34 dd and 32 e. I didn’t bite, why would I. The concept sounds great but it doesn’t seem to work, at least that’s been my experience.
Every time I log on to True & Co just to see what it would suggest for me, it never loads :-(
Interesting experience though!
I have never heard of them but and now intrigued by the idea. I know I’m wearing the wrong size bra but am wearing the largest cup that stores around me carry. Thanks for the info!
Tried it, but they don’t have my cup size. Bummer.
Yup same for me. The reccommendation was several bamd sizes too big, and several cups to small. I think it recommended a size like 38DD for me, and I am around a 34H-HH (occasionally 32s).
Doesn’t work at all, their “magical” algorithms don’t do anything and the exact same pieces can be found at other sites for far less money. Also it’s kind of icky to be thinking about all the other people who tried on that same bra before you. :(
Hello Lingerie Addicts,
As an addict myself, I am interested in trying this project. I was also wondering if anyone knew the brand of the first and third bra in the True & Co image. They seem to be the same one but different colors. Also, when I tried to change some things on my quiz, it took me to the same bras. I was testing to see if the same bras would be available for different answers. I’ll let you know if anything changes, but so far they seem to be the same.
Thanks!
It’s an interesting concept…. unfortunately not available overseas yet. The quiz determined I am wearing the right size, and most of the bras i’m shown are 32B (correct), apart from Charlotte by Parfait at a 32D! I’d be intrigued to try that and see how it fits – as much as I’d like to be, I’m most definitely not a 32D.
I received my box of 5 and ended up keeping 2. The other 3 fit, I suppose, but I wasn’t thrilled with the shape they gave me, and one of them had a manufacturing defect (some pulled stitches in the cup). I will say that I am disappointed that when I mentioned the defect upon returning the bra, I never got a response asking if I was interested in getting a replacement sent to me – they just disappeared into the ether with no further communication. The other thing that frustrates me about them so far is their email campaigns. Several times now I’ve gotten emails with super cute bras pictured, but when I click through to the site, that bra isn’t given to me as an option. I wish they wouldn’t show it to me, then! Or would at least give me a message telling me that it’s not available in my size.
I have been in this business for many years and worked with many qualified bra fitters in bra fitting boutiques. A true bra fitter does not even have to use a tape measure and many eschew the idea all together. Bra fitting requires understanding of the customers shape, depth and width of the breast and a fitter knows their stock so well they can suggest the correct brand for that individual shape. Unless you are a very average cup size, it is difficult to purchase your first fitting bra on line. Even if you know your size, you need to factor in the shape and I guarantee that is not in the algorithm. I tried True & Co and was also told that they did not have my size. I asked 5 people to do the same and 3 were told the same thing. One person had bra brands suggested to them that she would never wear. I am unclear if this concept is merely based on the brands they carry or if they carry brands that have been proven to be excellent fits.
I just tried their quiz and it only offered me one bra in a 30F, and that was the Claudette one rejected above as dull.
I am very disappointed with True & Co. I am a very busy single mom and my life is chaos so I thought it was a great idea that I can try bras on and take time to find the right fit. They sent me their picks and it took almost 10 days to get them. After 5 days I began to get emails asking if I had received my box and what I thought. I received my box on Friday night and thought I would have a full 7 days to review my purchases. It took me the full week with how busy I was and I got online the following Friday and printed the return label. Since I work Saturday I put the box in the mail Saturday night-well, there is no postal service on Sunday so I guess Monday was the next day. On Tuesday I received a phone call saying they were charging me for the entire box. So now, I am out $251.00 and I only have 2 of the bras. They said they were going to refund me the money but I sure haven’t seen it yet.
I don’t feel that they made it clear that I had to send the bras back within 7 days. I thought I had the full 7 days to try them on. Also, I didn’t get the bras until Friday night so I though Saturday was day 1 when really Friday was day 1. And, even though there is no postal service on Sundays, that day still counts.
It sure didn’t make my life easier, but instead just gave me one more thing to stress about. And the prices are certainly premium. I think Victoria’s Secret is looking better and better.
I had and am having a horrible experience with this company. I returned my items but 1 on the 7th day of the trail period and they still charged me $200 for the bras I returned and won’t give me my money back. I’ve emailed them several times the tracking code wich shows it arrived and was signed for! Not only did I pay $245 for a $50 Spanks bra I didn’t even receive my order for almost a months and a half by then I had bought new bras and wasn’t able to cancel the order. And to top it off all of the bras but the one I kept fit terribly! The quiz did not help at all!
I sent my measurements, and waited for the result, full of hope – my problem is that my breasts are a little wider than what seems to be the norm, so a B cup fits, but the wires are always pinching on the sides.
A 36 band fits best.
So after I got my first shipment of same old pinching bras I emailed to find out if they have any with wider wires. The answer was : get a bigger cup size and a smaller band. WHAT? I actually tried that at a store, and, no, that’s not the solution. Too bad…