Get A Better Lift From Your Bra

The right bra can be a woman's best friend. The wrong one can be a fashion disaster — and if you ask the experts, they'll tell you most women have the wrong ones.

So The Early Show went

That's where co-anchor Julie Chen met Danny Koch, owner of the Town Shop. Koch's family opened their first shop in 1888 — so, as a fourth-generation owner, Koch knows a thing or two about bras.

"The problem is that if a woman has a pair of shoes that doesn't fit right, she'll never wear them again," he says. "But when a bra doesn't fit right, women for some reason manage to wear it for four or five years."

According to Koch, 80 to 85 percent of women are wearing the wrong bra — mainly because they don't know their true size.

"If you're taking off your bra at the end of the day and you have very bad marks on your skin, you're wearing the wrong size," Koch says.

The experts who work at the Town Shop can spot a bad bra the moment it comes through the door.

Eyvette Manigault has been a professional bra fitter for over 35 years. She says most women start bad bra habits young. "They start out with their mother giving them a bra that she feels will fit her child," Manigault says. "There's a tendency to stick to that size."

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There are no shortcuts when it comes to buying a bra, Manigault says — take it straight to the fitting room.

"You can't look at a bra and say it's too big or too small. You have to try it on," she says.

And while Manigault finds that lots of women need to learn what bra is best for them, she's happy, at least, that women today are actually wearing bras.

"They don't want to walk out and have their stuff down to their stomach," she says. "They want to be up and perky and looking young and swift."

The editors at Shop, Etc. are staying ahead of the curve on this pressing matter.

They recently conducted a search for the best bras in America. And Editor in Chief Mandi Norwood visited The Early Show with some of her favorites.

For Small Sizes
Gap Body Tulip: A demi cup is the perfect size for small breasts to fill, and the underwire and reinforced lining at the outer edges comfortably make the most of what you've got.
www.gapbody.com $32

Enhancer
Many women buy enhancer bras that don't really help with lift or cleavage. But Victoria's Secret's "Angel's Secret Embrace" has gel pads on the outside of each cup. These push breasts inward for maximum cleavage.
www.victoriassecret.com $45

For large sizes
Large-busted women often have a hard time finding an attractive bra that provides good support. Bali's "Live It Up" bra delivers supports with stitch-free construction and pretty petal embellishments on the cups.
www.balicompany.com $29

Under T-shirts
Finding the right bra to wear for a smooth look under t-shirts can be difficult. Norwood selected the Playtex "Thank Goodness It Fits" bra. It has seamless stretch foam cups with a spandex cover that stays smooth under even the tightest tees. The curved strap placement in the back prevents strap slippage. This bra also comes in half-sizes.
Kohl's 1-800-564-5740, $25