Feeling challenged by clothes shopping?

I'd like to reach out to other women who find it hard to buy clothes because of changes to their bodies brought about by breast cancer. I'm almost 60 now and have lived with a mastectomy for over 20 years, with a handful of those years as a younger woman dressing around a reconstruction that I had removed back in 2006. I have felt quite frustrated over this entire period with how hard it has been to find clothes with high necklines that don't gape and that also disguise the imbalance I have in my breast shape and nipple outline. I've never regretted having the mastectomy - but have been really surprised at how down I would get with clothes shopping, for I consider myself to be a fairly strong and resilient person. Over a decade ago now I surveyed 423 affected Australian women about difficulties they experience - and realised some of us live with quite a significant and silent problem.

About two years ago I approached the fashion industry to see what could be done for us generally, after struggling for months to find an outfit for my daughter's wedding. I met with some very supportive retailers and from there sourced a web developer to build a fashion site tailored to our needs. It includes a filter that enables browsing by selecting for a whole range of design features that women after breast cancer seem to look for but struggle to find - e.g. loose sleeves for lymphoedema management, high necklines and disguising patterns to name a few. The site is called Pink Collective Styling and it's listed within the BCNA Service Directory which is found under the Menu Tab "Understanding Breast Cancer", then selecting for "Find Services & Support Near You" and then "Physical Appearance Support".

This has just been a subject that has got under my skin over the years because I feel it's an unnecessary burden to have layered on top of all the tough decisions that go with breast cancer and getting on with life. I am keen to hear from anyone who can recommend a fashion label or retailer that you've found offers a great range that 'works' for your needs so I can continue to grow the site and make it as broadly useful to the breast cancer community as possible. I'd also be very keen to hear where the site doesn't quite cover your particular needs if you too find clothes shopping a struggle. Julie

breast-reconstruction

PinkCollective
Member
6 years ago
Morrison and Alpha 60 look fabulous! I'll make contact and see how things go. That loose high neck organic look can also be found at dogstar(Brisbane) and Thought (UK but founded by Aussies) and Lee Mathews (Sydney - direct and through David Jones) who currently support Pink Collective Styling. Thank you kmakm. Regards
PinkCollective
Member
6 years ago
Thank you Afraser for getting back to me with the insights into sleeves etc. Appreciate it. Regards
kmakm
Member
6 years ago
At the pricier end of the range, I've often noticed Alpha60 and Morrison have high necklines. I've just flicked through their websites and there are quite a lot. K xox

:)
Afraser
Member
6 years ago
I tend to buy what I like but slippery fabrics (silk, polyesters) slip
better over the elasticised fabric than cotton. Extremely light fabrics, even very light silk, tend to get ‘caught’ and don’t sit so well. Very tailored shirts are most likely to have tighter sleeves that tend to twist round when you put them on and don’t sit that well even when straightened out. Wool is fine as long as the sleeves aren’t really tight.
PinkCollective
Member
6 years ago
Hi Afraser, thank you for that insight. Can I ask if there is a material type that works better in relation to the 'drag' - synthetic or non-synthetic? Do you tend to only look at clothing made from a certain fabric? I'll take a look at Breast Care Victoria over the next few days. Regards
Afraser
Member
6 years ago
I recently discovered Breast Care Victoria (Port MELBOURNE) and the selection (underwear and swimmers) was good. I find most general outlets claiming to have mastectomy swimwear have obviously never tried to put them on!! While I have a lymphoedemic arm I can fit most tops as long as they are not super tight - the problem is not so much the fat arm (it’s not that fat!) but the drag of the fabric of the compression sleeve. Many thanks.
PinkCollective
Member
6 years ago
Hi Scaredycat, Thank you for telling me about Wendy Watts Swimwear! I have been in touch with her today and have posted an advertisement of her service in the Lingerie section. She has quite an extensive range of swimwear and makes compression garments as well. The more options women have the more likely they are to find what they need. I remember when I was first diagnosed many moons back (in the pre-internet era), I though David Jones was the only place I could get a bra or pair of swimmers. The range was incredibly small back then. Regards

Hi Summerhill, I like the resilience in your humour! I personally experience the colour problem too and how it shows the imbalance in my breast size and presence of one nipple, but only understand lymphoedema as a nurse. I appreciate that mix of constraints must be really tough and I thought a lot about the needs of women with lymphoedema when I built the site. For the type of issues you describe the site is designed to help by allowing the content to be filtered by 'loose sleeve', 'multicoloured' (either dark or light), 'high neckline' and also select for 'design features' which will bring up anything with 'work' across the front that can help disguise a few imbalances. Would appreciate feedback if you do take a look. Regards
June1952
Member
6 years ago
Thanks for your post @PinkCollective
The fatter arm and the wandering fakie are joined by the no cleavage look to be my issue with clothes. 'They' say not to use stripes as that highlights any difference in boob size and shape but the plain colours highlight the wandering Miss Rightie as she fights to sit close to Miss Leftie !
All I can say it that on some days I am glad I have a naughty sense of humour !
Scaredycat
Member
6 years ago
Thanks pinkcollective, that’s a very impressive site.
There is also a lady in Ballarat, Victoria who makes swimsuits made to measure including for those who have had mastectomies. I didn’t see her listed on your website.
I haven’t gotten around to getting a swimsuit yet but I did have her recommended to me & will see her when I’m ready to start swimming. I didn’t have a mastectomy but I do have trouble with buying clothes re height/weight etc. The website is Wendy watts swimwear.
PinkCollective
Member
6 years ago
Hi jackie and kmackm, I'm keen to understand more about this problem if you could help me out please? Can I ask if you have found success buying the type of pant style you need from anywhere? Is there a label or retailer that seems to work best for you? Or is it a case of trying pants on and seeing how 'baggy' they are in the front?? Can you describe the features you look for in a pant? Is it a stretch pant you go for? Or a hipster style? Do summer shorts pose the same problem? Can you only wear pants that are belted? Does being either a larger size fit in clothing or smaller seem to make the problem harder to shop for? Would appreciate knowing more about this as I imagine there are a few more women facing the same contstraint. Regards.