Everything you'll ever need to know about bras...

{via Refinery29}

Bras are getting a lot of attention on the blogosphere lately. Timely, because I just cleaned out my bra drawer last week as part of my New Year's resolution to purge. I kept the three that I recently purchased at Nordstom after a proper fitting (of course), and trashed the rest. Then I ordered three more of the same brands.

This project was long overdue. Who knows how long some of them had been in my stash. Turns out I'm not alone. According to True&Co founder Michelle Lam, 60% of women haven't changed their bras out in three years. This raised some questions in my mind about bras, so I did some research.

Here's what I found out:

How often should I get fitted for a bra?
Most lingerie experts recommend at least once a year. Also get fitted if you've had a child (obviously) or gained or lost five-seven pounds.

How long do bras last?
According to Bobbie Smith of Freshpair (via Huffington Post), if worn and cared for correctly a good bra will last eight months. After that, the band gets stretched out and doesn't  provide good support. That's why she recommends having six or seven in your wardrobe and rotate them to make them last longer. Avoid wearing a bra for two days in a row. The elastic needs to rest to regain its shape. Check out Bobbie's other bra mistakes and fixes.

How should I care for my bras?
By washing them in Woolite like Ive been doing for forever? Wrong. According to Bobbie, Woolite was designed to soften wool. You don't want to soften elastic. You want it to stay firm. Nordstom recommends hand washing with a special lingerie detergent in warm water or in the washer on the delicate cycle. Gently reshape and hang to dry. Never put them in the dryer.

How often should I wash my bras?
WhoWhatWear recently asked the bra experts at True&Co for advice. Generally, a bra can go four or five wears between washes subject to climate, sweating and odor. Over washing can lead to faster wear and tear. Bottom line: "If it smells good, it's all good," they said.

What bra styles should I have in my repertoire?
Refinery29 recently reported which styles their experts recommend and why. Don't know your breast type? Take a good long look in the mirror and check out Refinery21's informative No-Bullsh*t Guide to Bra Shopping. 

How should I store my bras?
You can store your bras flat in drawers, in shoe boxes or hangers. While its okay to fold a non-molded bra (bras with no padding), never fold or invert molded cups. Why? Because they can dent and pucker. This advice comes from Linda Unhooked. Same goes for packing your bras when traveling. Check out this video on bra packing. Filling molded cups with socks -- something I never would have thought to do -- is a genius.

Hope this helpful and prompts you to investigate what's in your lingerie drawer. You may be as shocked as I was.

2015 Golden Globes Best Dressed...

I'm sorry to report that I have only seen three movies this year, which is very unusual for me. Good thing I have plenty of time to catch up before the Oscars.

George Clooney got it right when he said during his Cecil B. DeMille acceptance speech  --- 20% of actors here tonight are winners. The other 80% are obviously losers. That ratio applied to fashion as well IMO. After watching the entire awards ceremony, I struggled with my picks for best dressed. Nothing wowed me. Did anyone else notice that the lighting was terrible? That, or most of the women used self tanners with liberal abandon. Many of their complexions looked orange with a very dewy (aka sweaty) glow. Maybe the HVAC was out of whack too.

With less is more in mind, here are my picks by color.

Let's start with yellow -- a hard color to pull off. Naomi Watts looked lovely in her yellow Gucci gown. Loved the clutch. Didn't love the snake statement necklace.

{via eonline}

Leslie Mann pulled it off better in her simple, strapless sheath accented with emerald green accessories. Way to go Leslie.

{via New York Times}

Of the many pretty red gowns worn, Girls Allison William's was my fave.

{via}

Not as daring, black is always a safe bet for most women. Amal Clooney's Dior gown with white gloves and clutch was a winner. She looked stunning.

{via stylenews}

Once again, metallics, especially silver, littered the red carpet. I'm open to other's opinions here, but I liked Reese Witherspoon's simple, but elegant gown with minimalist accessories. Did anyone notice Cheryl Strayed sitting next to her? I didn't catch what she was wearing.

{via US Magazine}

Camila Alves looked pretty in her simple pink satin gown.

{via eonline}

I didn't care for any of the white gowns worn, especially this…

{via eonline}

Even worse, this…

{via dailymail}

That's all I've got. What do you all have?

My 2015 resolutions...

Happy New Year! Kids are back in school. Yay! I finally have some time to blog again. At least I hope so.

Last year I resolved to do four things: keep abreast of current events, write more correspondence in cursive, send a holiday card and swim.

Keeping in mind that of the 40% of people who make new year's resolutions, only 8% keep them (according to some estimates), let's see how I did.

No 1:  I faithfully read The Skimm everyday. I do feel like I'm well versed in current affairs, pop culture and major sporting events, and that I could confidently comment on such topics during social occasions. If you haven't subscribed, do it. You'll thank me later.

No 2:  I successfully completed and enjoyed my calligraphy class. Did I write any correspondence in cursive? No. Had I planned to address my holiday cards with my new found skill? Yes. Unfortunately, I couldn't because I broke my finger playing football with my son -- one of the three curses I was inflicted with during the Jewish high holiday season. While we're on the subject of broken fingers, a few words of advice: hand specialist. If you or anyone you know has a finger injury -- swelling and bent finger joints are tell tale signs -- head to an orthopedist for an exam and X-ray. Do whatever it takes -- lie, beg, plead -- to get an appointment asap. If the injury results in a fracture or damaged tendon: run, don't walk to a hand specialist. I'm still in a splint, and probably will be for a long time. Hands are very complicated. You'll thank me for this advice later.

No 3: I did not send a holiday card this year for a couple of reasons. My kids won't let me take photos of them. They either cover their faces or make silly faces. I'm so busy trying to get pics of them that a family shot is virtually impossible. See number two for my other excuse.

No 4:  I did an aquatics boot camp throughout most the winter into spring. Then, I enrolled in the masters swim program at my club this summer. Made it there several times in spite of the 6:00 am start time. I paid my son $10 an hour to coach me. My speed and technique improved dramatically. I planned to go back to boot camp before the holidays, but I couldn't get my finger splint wet. I consider this goal achieved even though I still can't do the butterfly stroke.

In summary, my broken finger precluded me from keeping two out of four resolutions. So unfortunate.

This year, I'm being less ambitious:

No 1: Cook more family dinners. Eat out less. This is going to be somewhat of a challenge. My children are very picky eaters. Nevertheless, I resolve to make four homemade family dinners per week.  I also plan to model how Europeans food shop. I will shop daily and select what is freshest and seasonal. I go to the grocery store almost everyday anyway. I hope this will prevent me from wasting food.

No 2: Pilates, yoga swim. In her coming of age book I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron laments: "I want to be in shape. Every time I get into shape, something breaks." This is becoming the case for me too. I've never injured myself swimming or doing yoga or pilates. I think I'll stick with those activities, and avoid organized sports and front yard football.

No 3: Clear clutter one drawer, cabinet and closet at a time. This may sound familiar to those of you who read The Happiness Project.  I started with my closet over the holiday break. It's still a work in progress, but it does make me happy to know that soon it will look kind of like this…

{image Container Store}

Speaking of Gretchen, she offers these 5 tips when considering resolutions. I also like this list from Hitha On The Go. Maybe I'll use it next year.

I'll be back soon.