Do You Reckon You Wear The Correct Size Bra?

[BunnyLover7]

Apparently something like 70% of women wear the wrong size (not sure if that’s UK women). I’ve been for 2 fittings at M & S in the last month or so & hoping the lady I saw today has got it right! Her colleague that I saw before ended up selling me a bra that was actually smaller than the one I’d arrived in ( I didn’t question it until later on as I presumed it was because it was a different style) but it gradually got tighter as the day went on. She’d said that if it turned out that I needed to wear my extender with that bra, which I did, I could then try the next band size up with the same cup size. I ordered 2, meaning I’d spent just over £50 altogether,but unfortunately the same thing happened even with the extender on.
Today, the assistant reckoned I was another band size up & that I fell between 2 cup sizes. I bought 2 different styles of non wired bra in a 42C & so far so good, although obviously I’m allowing for a certain snugness as it’s brand new. Fingers crossed! I was in pain & it even affected my eating so more often than not I went bra less after a certain time of day to get comfortable. Do any of you struggle with bras?

Exactly what happened to me. I wear a 36E in most bras. The cup size can sometimes vary depending on the style, but anything smaller than a 36 band is painful. Bravissimo said I was a 34F or maybe 34FF (it was a while ago).

Do you think you can get enough support if the bra doesn't feel tight? Just wonder if my bras have lost the elasticity...

I suspect that to get the support for larger boobs with conventional styles and shapes the back does need to be too tight for many women

pathetic that there aren’t more comfortable, supportive bras available but it’s about unrealistic shapes in many cases and a need to reduce costs

Mine doesn’t feel tight but it’s definitely supportive
if if you’ve had it years or wear it daily it’s probably lost some support

I don't buy all the boob or bust huge cup sizes and tiny back sizes. I've just tried it again and it's told me I haven't measured right as my "tight" size shouldn't be what it is.

I do have small boobs though so I guess I don't need something tight to support/ hold them up as there's very little to hold up!

Neither do I. I use A bra that fits.

@dementedpixie that graphic is really helpful to see, thanks. It still doesn't work for me though, I suspect I'm a smaller cup size than a C really as I don't fill a 40C. If I lost weight I think I'd be an A cup. There's no way I could be a 36 band, I couldn't do it up, so the F is irrelevant but makes no sense, theres no way an F could fit me. I don't know why the calculator won't take my measurements, I must be a really odd shape, Wide fat back and flat droopy chest. If any one knows of a brand for such a shape let me know, I've tried everything!

It doesn't work for me and I'm in a normal weight range, so you're not the only one.

Surely your rib cage decides the band size but your clothes size takes into account the extra inches your boobs add to that?

Yes and no - I mean my ribs are never going to fit in a size 12 let alone an 8
but a size 8 is never going to measure 34 under their bust - it’s just up from their waist!

I used boob or bust after reading about it on here and found it exactly right for me. I had spent years believing I was a 38B which was a stupidly awkward size to buy. The Boob or Bust measurement said I was 32FF which sounded insane. I bought a bra in that size to prove to myself just how wrong that was. Turned out it was me that was wrong and I've trusted their method ever since.

I went to JL who didn't measure they guess and put bras on you. They defiantly look better and when I wear them bust is lifted but the problem is I can't wear them often because it feels too tight. I spent a lot of money on them.
Not sure where to go nkw

I’ve just used boob or bust (28 GG or H) and a bra that fits (32 E) , currently wear a 32 band size and F or FF cup depending on the bra , that gives me a compromise between comfort and support , going smaller in the back size is just too uncomfortable

M&S are notoriously awful at fitting bras. They had me as a 36AA for years. Went to Rigby & Peller for wedding underwear - turns out I'm a 30C! Amazing the difference and comfort once it's fitted properly and not just hanging off your shoulders!

I’m sure the boob or bust doesn’t work for people with unusual shaped breasts. I have tubular breasts and a lot of the boob is actually under my arms. I can’t find a bra I can tolerate for more than a couple of hours maximum. I have horrible back ache and shoulder ache and with or without a bra. I’ve tried so many types of bralettes, balcony bras, wired, unwired, sports. I now wear a 36B balcony with an extender when I absolutely have to. Boob or bust measurement says 32 E, but that doesn’t work for me because of my shape, I can scoop, but the side boobs don’t get into the cups!

Same experience. Bravissimos fitting is the best imo!

This is more likely the type of bra. Not everyone can wear a balcony style bra, it depends on where your boobs sit, so to speak, some work better in a full coverage whereas for others full coverage means an empty top part of the bra and bulging bottom parts. Try different styles. Also, the bust tissue sat in the band will migrate round to the cup eventually if you swoop and scoop into the right bra. It just takes time to remind it where it’s supposed to be!

For heaven's sake @RosyDaysAhead did you read the post you're quoting at all before you posted?? 🙄

I can’t wear M n S at all. I know I’m in the right size because I have recently bought bras form both Rigby and Peter and John Lewis and the assistants agreed on the size.

I have had to try a lot of styles to get the best for me since I found the right size.Inalways bought balcony in my old size but that style just hurt my armpits in the right size. I am now very much more careful about the brands and styles I buy.

That may have been due to strap length though as one thing I definitely noticed is that reducing the band size seems to also mean the strap length is shorter. With some brands even the max strap length is too short. I have no idea why that is - I'm thinner than I thought I was but I'm still the same height, and it's not like my boobs are suddenly higher on my body!

Try going up a band and down a cup. e.g if you have a 34F try a 36EE sometimes you can be in between bands and they can just feel a bit pinchy.

The wires digging into your armpit? That's your Tail of Spence. You need to be careful what style you wear, wire height etc.

I have found M&S fine but I have a large ribcage so fairly large 35" measurement underbust, they are probably not so good if you have a narrow back and bigger bust. I am tall slimmish, but big boned. I'm 36B to C. In 36C at the moment

Yes, after reading boob or bust. I don’t measure myself, but I do understand how to assess the fit and don’t buy bras that don’t fit!

The best advice I have seen is to try on bras backwards first, to find out your back size without the interference of wrongly sized cups. The band should fit snugly around your rib cage below your boobs when worn backwards. That shows you the correct back size. Then move on to the cup size wearing the bra the right way around - don’t be tempted to increase the back size if your boobs don’t fit or it suddenly feels tight (because your boobs don’t fit) - increase the cup size until you’re comfortable and supported. Underwires should go around the whole boob - scoop yourself in from the armpit. Increase the cup size if scooping means you then overflow the cup.

The hardest bit about all of this is that there aren’t many shops that have enough sizes in a particular style to follow this process. The M&S ladies are there to sell bras, so they’ll adjust the back/cup to find a bra that is in stock and fits well enough to make you buy it!

I wear soft stretchy bras from Shapermint, which are very comfortable and give a reasonable shape.
Prior to that, I found it very hard to find a comfortable bra, despite paying over a small fortune to Rigby & Peller on more than one occasion! They actually told me that they were fitting my boobs, and if that meant having a bra that created visible back fat , then that wasn't their problem! That was on the last occasion I went there, and I left without buying, because I think not only do your boobs need to be adequately supported, but the bra needs to be not so tight around the band as to be uncomfortable or unflattering.
I have read all sort of of seemingly convincing arguments about how wearing an underwired bra should be as comfortable as a non-underwired one, if it's fitted correctly, but tbh, something hard against your ribcage is going to be more uncomfortable than something soft.
I am old school, and remember when bras were A,B, C or if you were very generously endowed, a D cup. Everyone wore 34 or 36 unless you were very fat or skinny. Obviously the fit is more accurate these days, but I think comfort should be the defining factor.
You can work out for yourself if a bra fits you or not to a large extent by checking for gaping or puckering. You may well be a different size in different brands.