that formaldehyde was a rather common preservative used in fabric and pre-made clothing. It's also why I almost always wash all my new clothes before I wear them (especially underwear) and always used to wash fabric before I cut and sewed it.

Since I'm pretty sure that most of the crap that VS sells is made in China, it's highly likely that there is some other ingredient in there that causes hives, or maybe it is an unusually high level.

And good for you, Tracey, for getting a fitting. I know I went all through high school wearing a B when I was really a D. I'm not sure why that happens, but even now when I see a woman with a poorly fitting bra I want to run over and help her - it changes your life. Especially if your breasts are on the medium to large size. :)

Actually this is not surprising. Formaldahyde is used in most textiles, including clothing, to prevent moisture damage during shipping and to give a permanent press effect. That is why it is so important to simply wash the garments before wearing, or at the very least air them out well. Who doesn't know this?

Have Svutlana maximum lift and extreme plunge and, other than occasional underwire impale incident, have no problem with Victoria Secret. Have no idea about formaldehyde, but husband think Uniroyal is Svutlana bra manufacturer because bra seem for have molded rubber effect. Feel Svutlana safe inside VS bra, like maybe it deflect bullet or at least protect breast in crowd.

huh tracy?

Should be required for every woman

But Victoria's Secret didn't force you to wear the wrong bra, and unless they don't carry your size (and they've improved in that department, but are clearly not there), I don't see why you had to "banish." them.

An occasional and satisfied VS wearer

Here's a lovely bit on the history of using formaldehyde to make "durable press" textiles from the American Chemical Society:

http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/cotton/press.html

So, the textile industry has been trying to minimize the amount of formaldehyde that comes off your clothes, but there's probably still way more than you'd like.

On top of that, if you've ever bought a new mattress, you'll know that foam is often chock-a-block full of volatile chemicals - it can take weeks for the outgassing to finish. And all those push-up bras have some kind of foam in them. . .

As for the "double boob" - we always called that particular fashion faux-pas the "quadri-boob" - since you wind up with four, instead of two. :)

I have a friend with a very long list of allergies, and formaldehyde is one of them. She has to be very careful about the lotion she buys because apparently it's a very common ingredient! It seems odd to me that these women are experience these symptoms for the first time, unless the level in the bras was very high indeed.

Robespierrette, glad to hear somebody else thinks of this as "quadriboob." Gad, the bane of my lingerie-buying existence. Why in the world would they put a big thick seam -- or worse, a band of elastic -- right there?

I personally haven't had any skin reactions, but I've definitely noted that VS sizing (depending on the cut and style) is frequently WAY off. They seem to be intentionally designed for spillage, which, to my eye, looks ick with just the bra and a thousand times worse under clothes. I've got a great big huge (DDD?) list of bra-design grievances...to the degree that if I were a bit more accomplished as a seamstress, I'd be making my own.

I broke out in hives after wearing a new sports bra recently. I'm not planning to sue anyone over it, but it has been driving me crazy trying to figure out what caused the allergic reaction so I can avoid whatever it is in the future. I bet it was formaldehyde for me too, even though I washed the bra first (in cold water, so maybe it didn't get rid of the chemicals), and even though it wasn't a VS bra. I had no idea retailers used formaldehyde on clothes.

Bras burn YOU.

-Y. Smirnoff

Oh wait, one of those things is bad and the other is foolish.

and found I'm between sizes. I suppose that has compounded my bra fitting problems. Now I know what size I am just can't find it anywhere and it isn't like pants that you can have hemmed...Although that is another pet peeve- buying things that are off the rack to have them altered. When will designers make clothing that actually fits people?

My mom alerted me to this since I had a rash last year (I use only VS bras), but I never found out the cause. It eventually cleared up, but I would have never assumed my bra was a possible cause.

I'm not a big fan of lawsuits, but in this case, I think this suit is valid since consumers have no way of discerning the chemical content of this product and can't make an educated choice when purchasing. Is formaldehyde is necessary? I don't think so!

What would be ideal for me is complete product labeling. In addition to the fabric content, I'd like to know what chemicals are included, and as a consumer, I can make the choice if I'm okay with formaldehyde in my clothes. The only things I want in my bras are cotton and my boobs. I chose to stop buying toys for my 2 year old from China due to issues with lead content, so I'll take the same precaution with my own body.

If any ladies here need help in assessing their "double-boobs" or assigning "zip codes", I'm always happy to lend a hand...

(smirk)

...already has a rep. for being poorly-made and un-durable, so this is no surprise...

Just dropping in a link that goes over some of the problems of the case facts: http://formaldehydefacts.blogspot.com/2008/11/fci-challenges-good-morning-americas.html