A question to GUEST: a member. Why do you want to know?

Well, because I want to know. What got me wondering was jock straps. I'm pretty sure the guys don't wear them once and then wash them, either.

At one lingerie-care site, I read that we should let a day pass before re-wearing a bra, to let the elastic rest-- that this extends the life of the elastic. Till then, I'd always washed them after one wearing, and assumed everyone did.

For me, it's the wear and tear on the elastic that becomes an issue. This is because I wear mine extra snug and-- since they are all front-hooks-- once the elastic starts to go, my headlights start pointing off center. On a front hook, the cup spacing tends to be a bit wide, to allow for several sets of hooks. My size is such that if I get the right cup size, I tend to get a looser band than desired- and there go the headlights, sideways. (I'm already at the max cup size available for the right band length.) Right now, my favorite bra has only one set of hooks, and I get a nice cleavage-- I'm not into lift and separate. (Just the lift, please.) But the straps are too short on that style, so they aren't the ones I chose to have lots of, and they only came in hot pink.

For me, the ideal bra would be 3/4 longline, front hook, proportioned with a longer back band section and a shorter front section of band-- I'd move the cups forward on the band, to keep my headlights pointing where they belong, but that is not a reasonable alteration to attempt and custom bras are VERY expensive!

So I wear them twice, with a day between; on sweaty days I add a thin cotton liner in front. To do this, I suspect I have more bras on the shelf than others: I have 3 VERY expensive ones for special occasions, 2 of the hot pink with straps altered to wear with sweaters, and 6 everyday whities bought on extreme sale that are like sports bras but hook in front instead of going over the head. And all these are rotated-- after the first wearing they are hung to air dry. The everyday whities are washed weekly (gentle, cold), in a lingerie bag, and hung to dry. ($30 bras for about $7 each.)

Someday I will have the custom bras. I'm getting closer to knowing exactly what I want-- how to describe it-- and I know who I want to produce them. I don't know how many I will need, yet, but wearing them twice per wash is what will make it work.