I read that US vs European buying habits and felt quite naked, ha!
Yep, that's me...boring colors and trying to get sleek bras.
Overall I think good-fitting bras, let alone more "lingerie-esque"
ones, are a hard sell in the US. The culture has been changing a bit,
but I think first-bra shopping tends to be a mother etc dragging in a
young girl to pick a bra off the rack or get fitted in a sort of grim
way. At least in my circles, it wasn't "let's go off to a temple of
femininity and get you in the best bra to support your ligaments and
suit your taste! And we'll do this twice a year."
I don't even want to think about how old most of my bras were before
they got tossed. [I think there's probably a direct correlation
between their age, poor fit, and my need for industrial-strength
uplift today, sniff.] It wasn't ever something addressed by my (girly-
girly but anti-sensualist) mother and it's not a habit I developed on
my own.
My much-younger sister came of age when Victoria's Secret was around,
and she bought herself a whole wardrobe of pretty bras and underwear.
My mother was scandalized, especially as my sister had a boyfriend,
but my sister earned the money herself, so.
But I guess for a lot of people "fancy" looking bras still have a
whiff of the bordello, don't they? Or at least the boudoir.
Though honestly, how about a little truth Ruth -- well-made and -
fitting bras *do* tend to be expensive (ok, yes, I was fascinated by
her blog entry about cheaper vs more expensive wires for underwire!).
In the more unusual sizes you'll rarely find a good sale. So I bet
many women cough me cough are going to try to get the most out of the
budget. Hence a limited wardrobe of ~ 1 nude, 1 black, and 1 strapless/
convertible, maybe 1 plunge -- all unadorned so as to wear under
anything.
ps
> I don't find the extra layer really adds "volume" except
psychologically - sort of like the difference between weighing 129 and
130 pounds.