Written by Joanne Jarrett, MD

As glad as I am that I have breasts, they are often a problem for me. They get in my way. They are subject to gravity, they often make me or others uncomfortable when they aren’t adequately clothed, and there aren’t many comfortable solutions. Am I alone here?

I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t want to rip off her bra the minute she walks through her door. But I also don’t know many who are totally comfortable hanging around flapping in the breeze with NO support and coverage. I had discovered shelf-bra camis and began wearing them as loungewear and pajamas. I could never figure out why this concept wasn’t expanded into other pieces like tees, sweatshirts, and pajamas. I envisioned something that feels and looks great to wear at home, but is also fit for public consumption should the need arise. After years of googling “shelf bra pajamas” and “shelf bra lounge-wear” and coming up with nothing but slinky lingerie (please!!! Who wants to do dishes and laundry in lingerie? Ridiculous!), I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands.

In 2017, I designed and made my first prototype of shelf bra pajamas in my home sewing room. I took cues from my favorite shelf bra cami (perfectly soft but flattering shelf that has just enough thickness for coverage and separation to avoid that loaf-of-bread look) and looked at the fabric contents of my coziest clothes to help find the ideal fabric. It occurred to me that if this was something I wanted and couldn’t find, maybe others would like them too. I decided to try to manufacture and sell them, and Shelfies were born! I drew up the six pieces I wanted in my at-home wardrobe and then set about to learn how to make my vision come to life. Inspired by a story I heard on the podcast Side Hustle School, I took several online and in-person classes to learn the business of fashion design, manufacturing, and marketing.

Product development is a slow and expensive process. Moving from my drawings and homemade prototype to technical drawings to patterns to samples took about a year. And none of the first samples were spot on. Perfecting the patterns requires sample fittings and then fit and pattern corrections, followed by new samples. Once my patterns were perfected (and the pattern maker and sample sewist had been paid for umpteen expensive hours of work), we had used all of the money my husband and I had designated for this endeavor. And we hadn’t yet purchased fabric, cups, elastic, tags, etc. So, in May of 2018, Shelfie Shoppe launched a Kickstarter campaign to collect pre-orders that would finance the first actual factory run of Shelfies. The Kickstarter campaign was successful, and we moved on to the manufacturing phase. It was so exciting! Raw materials were collected, and the first batch of Shelfies was handmade in a sewing shop in the Bay Area of California. They are now sold at http://www.shelfieshoppe.com and at local markets, and new pieces are being developed.0

In case you aren’t quite convinced that shelf bras are life-changing, here are ten considerations to help drive home the point:

10 REASONS “LADY-DOCS” NEED SHELFIES

•The doorbell.

Sometimes, it rings. Don’t you hate it when you’re just milling about at home in your cozy clothes and no bra, minding your own business, and someone has the GAUL to ring your doorbell? You look down and think, “Well, someone is about to get an eyeful!” If your pajamas had shelf bras, doorbell dread could be less of a thing!

•School drop-off.

I KNOW I’m not the only one who sometimes thinks,” Well, if we leave now, we may actually not be late. But I’m still in my pajamas. Oh, I’m sure I won’t have to get out of the car…” Eventually, you get caught.

•Ice cream.

Sometimes we have a sudden need for ice cream and have already ditched the bra for the day. Just because you want ice cream doesn’t mean you have the spark to re-don your real clothes.

•Hormonal breast tenderness.

When I was pregnant, my breasts HURT! Especially when I rolled over in bed. I would have slept SO much better with a shelf bra! I wore an actual bra to bed. It was a bummer.

•Sleepovers/House guests.

I LOVE when my kids have friends sleep over. They have so much fun! The laughter. The SNACKS! But I used to dread not being able to change into my cozy clothes until they went to bed. I wanted to ditch the jeans and underwire bra, but I didn’t want to make the kids feel uncomfortable. Now that my pajamas have shelf bras, I can RELAX even with guests in the house.

•Sons.

I don’t have any, but many do. I have a girlfriend who tells me that at a certain stage, they stare.

•Mirrors.

I just look better with a little coverage, support, and separation. And I do catch a glimpse of myself from time to time. Because mirrors.

•Containment.

I’m just going to say it. Bra-free, sometimes a boob finds its way into my armpit in the night. It pinches! Shelf bras prevent that awkward phenomenon.

•The mailbox.

It’s waaaaay out there on the street. And chances are, you have a few neighbors.

•The step goal.

Sometimes I look at my Fitbit and realize that, despite the fact that I’ve changed into my pajamas, there’s no way the step goal is getting reached without going for a walk. The shelf bra takes away one of my 67 excuses.

The process of going from idea to product has been so enriching to my life. If you have something you need and can’t find, consider trying to make it come to life! ☤

Use the code “PO15” for 15%
off your Shelfie Shop order!
www.shelfieshoppe.com