Soma

Soma is one of my favorite stores ever. I love the place. I wish there were more of them in the Pittsburgh area, and let me tell you why.

I discovered Soma the first time I went to Ross Park Mall. I was pretty horribly dissatisfied with Victoria's Secret at the time (they had just reduced their sizes in the stores local to me, which made me unable to buy bras from them, and some bad experiences with some customers there left me a little bitter), so I was interested to see what they had.

I should note that the Soma store in Ross Park Mall is TINY. It's super small. That's my only real complaint, because it can make it difficult to shop on busy days and it makes me super anxious. I wish they had a larger store, so hopefully someday that will be the case.

The first thing I found out about Soma is that they have a great range of sizes. I wear a 36DD or 38D, and have no trouble finding my size in almost any of their bras. That is super awesome. It makes it easy to find bras that I like that fit, and that look really nice! The charts below are from the Soma website, but don't include all of the DDD sizes.

Continued under the cut!

They also have reasonable sizes in their clothing, pajamas, and panties. They unfortunately don't have much for plus size clothing, but their sizes are larger than many stores, so I can wear a L or XL in a lot of their items. 

Their Vanishing Edge panties are the bomb. No, seriously, these things erase panty lines, and they're thin and super comfortable, plus they come in tons of different colors and styles. I personally love the hipster and high-leg ones, because they look great under dress pants. 

Their bamboo panties are soooo great. They feel like you're wearing nothing, and they are rayon-bamboo so they have a bit of stretch, but not too much, and since they're more natural fabric than a lot of the other panties, they are more breathable. I didn't buy them at first, but now that I bought them, they're hard to stop wearing! I love wearing them for working out. I have replaced nearly all of my panties with the bamboo-rayon panties and the Vanishing Edge panties, thanks to their Panty Raids, where you can get a bunch of panties for a really nice price. 

One of my favorite products they have right now is the Vanishing Back bra. I know a lot of women who have troubles with "bra bumps" on their back, where the seams on the edge of the bras sits. It's uncomfortable and looks kind of weird, so when I saw the new Vanishing Back bras when they came out, I was ecstatic. They really work, too, and are SO comfortable. I have slept in them and it didn't even feel uncomfortable at all. They also look pretty good - very standard full-coverage styles, but they have both front and back-close bras, in a bunch of colors. The only real complaints I have with them are that the front-clasp metal plating tends to wear off, and the backs of the bras (especially the front-close) will stretch out pretty easily. However, it's worth it to get such a comfortable, flattering bra in multiple styles. I own four of them.

They also have what they call "cami-bras". These bras are really cool. They have mesh or lace over the bra that makes them look like a camisole. It is great for summer when you want to wear something to cover up cleavage, but don't want to wear a full layer. They're also really nice under dresses! One issue with them is that they feel like they are sized smaller and tighter - they can create a bit of a bump in the back and are really not for all-day, all-night wear. 

Their pajamas and workout clothes are some of the comfiest things I've ever worn. I love their workout clothes - the sizing is reasonable and not as rough with the vanity sizing. The fabrics are also really nice. One of the workout jackets I have is a nice, stretchy fabric, and also has zippers on the wrists and up the side of the jacket that goes the whole way to the bust! 

I really love the products at Soma. I think their prices are comparable to Victoria's Secret, and that the quality is as good or better. They may not have as big a variety of products as Victoria's Secret or other bra and clothing stores, but it makes a difference in what you get! 

One of the BEST things about Soma is their customer service and their Passport program. I have never had any issue with Soma. In some cases, I've had returns or lost coupons, and both times the customer service was excellent. Replacing lost coupons (including loading them onto my Passport account so I don't have to pick them up or wait for them in the mail), allowing quick and easy returns, and just generally being super-nice is all standard for Soma. I love that.

Their Passport program is great because any coupons you earn are typically loaded directly into your account, plus you get 5% off each purchase! You don't get as many free products as you do with Victoria's Secret, but I don't mind. The ease of use with the Passport program is what matters to me. I don't have to worry about whether I forgot a coupon, most of the time, and it makes the checkout process much faster. 

Next time you need to buy a new bra, I suggest you check out Soma. They do bra fittings, and it's best to get one every six months, so go out and get a new bra that fits! Check out their Panty Raids when you want to get something comfortable that looks great under your dress pants or formal clothes. If you work out a lot, pick up some of their workout clothes - or get some pajamas for your rest days! Soma is one of my favorite stores, and I hope that you can check them out and fall in love with their products, too!

http://www.soma.com Images borrowed from their website or newsletters.