Truly single-sex bra fittings for DD13

Rigby and Peller had mens evenings and a waiting area. Stern ladies who brook no quarter.

Fwiw I don't buy in M and S because it's like father Ted. My husband would rather stick pins in his eyes than follow me around a knicker department. Coercion perhaps from these foot shufflers?

Go and look at the M&S on-line store guides which DO specify Men's and Women's.

Measuring is fairly easy and comfort is key (I don’t know why they get so hung up on ‘support’ as though the risk of a droopy boob is a moral failing!)

The real issue is not being able to try on as the fit is so inconsistent between brands. My daughters used to order in several sizes to local Next and try on there if comfortable to do so, or at home if not.

I dont agree the likelihood of encountering a man is tiny. I shop a lot alone and with female family and encounter men in fitting rooms regularly- most often ‘waiting’ for the woman they’re accompanying.

Why they can’t wait outside the fitting room area instead of directly outside your cubicle is beyond me. The staff used to tell them to wait outside but no longer.

Yes it would if you don't do the +4 sizing!!

That’s bollocks. Up until the last few years most big stores, including M&S and John Lewis, had clearly marked fitting rooms; men’s and women’s.

No decent man would even linger near by the women's.

Goulds department store in Dorchester used to have trained bra fitters in their lingerie department years ago. Their website doesn't mention it at all, but if you are within reach it could be worth a phone call.

The problem is that men in women's underwear changing rooms aren't there accidentally.

M&S and John Lewis don’t have communal changing room so even if a man did accidentally book himself in for a bra fitting at the same time as your daughter he’d never know your daughter was in one of the other cubicles.

Problem? None whatsoever!

Since she only has small breasts I would just show her how to do it herself as it's not like the fit has to be fantastic because she needs loads of support.

Use a cloth tape measure and the Boob or Bust calculator and show her where to measure, demonstrating over your clothes. Then she can go and do it in her bedroom with clothes off. She writes down the measurements. You choose an online shop with a good range of bras in likely sizes, and order a bra she likes the look of in two band sizes and two cup sizes. She chooses the best and then you can order more in that size from the same manufacturer and they should fit.

WAY less embarrassing, and actually fun. Online shops have more choice too.

Unless you can travel to an independent bra shop, which will almost certainly give the best experience, I’d go to M&S or John Lewis. Try to go at a quieter time eg after school., 9am Saturday and then there won’t be many other people. I’n sorry but I honestly cannot see the issue with being in a locked cubicle even if there is man in the next one. This is not a risky situation for a 13yo out with her mother.

Bravissimo appears to only do large sizes, but that's because it measures for bras properly, rather than the +4 measuring that places like M&S do. It's perfectly suitable for a first bra.

I was wrong about the cup sizes. They do first-time fittings. And virtual fittings, which are good. I was dubious but the one I had was fine.

I used the boob or bust calculator to measure dd when she outright refused to get fitted by a professional bra fitter.

Once she hit 15 she suddenly became ok with getting fitted professionally, and we took her to fenwicks where a really lovely sales lady got her to try on a variety of styles and sizes and dd left with 3 perfectly fitting bras.

Dd also had a good experience in rigby & peller in bluewater - its a tiny shop, and just try and time your visit when the sales are on as they are £££

Bravissimo allow males into the fitting rooms

Yes this!

Every bra may fit different, especially in different shops. Learn what a bra should fit like and do it yourself. It’s not difficult. These “professionals” (I was one at Ann summers) are just workers who have been shown by someone else. Watch a YouTube video.

I'd take a day out in London and go to Rigby and peller. Not cheap but they can fit anyone. Tiny to huge like me. I still wear my special bra from there. I'd have said no way would the product have fitted me.

about to blow your brain here so brace yourself…. You tube.

There is a sitting and waiting area in the women's changing area in my local JL. Husbands and friends tend to sit there, and a woman trying on clothes who wants an opinion can come out into that waiting area - which is slighly separated from the changing 'corridor'. I honestly have only ever encountered a man in the women's changing area once - in over 35 years of having a JL account - over three different branches. And he was clearly 'identifying' as a woman ( this was a couple of years ago).