To not know how to measure myself for a bra...

[WrappedInABlankie]

So wonderful Mnetters!

How do i do this? I ususally go to Marks and Spencers and I do love their plung bras. I was last measured at a 38E which is the one I've got now, but I'm 4-boobing it and the rest of me is falling out of it when i bend over --only half my nipple is covered in it anyway however I am 15+4 but hate non-underwired, maternity bras

[LL12]

Did you have any luck yet WrappedInABlankie ?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I walked in wearing a beautifully fitting bra...did they care, nope! I did try to catch the fitter after to explain but she was off wedging another poor victim in to a god awful bra. Mind, the fitters didn't remotely fit either so I don't know what I expected!

[Flibbertyjibbet]

It's easier to put up with a snug bra showing some back fat and dress to disguise it, than go around with squashed side wards sagging bobs like m&s fittings give me.

I am feeling naughty today and very tempted to arrive at m&s in my perfectly fitting freya 34e and see what they measure me as/put me in. (Last time post bf in a 38b which she measured me for while i was syanding upright with quadraboob in a 36a .....). Perhaps people doing this is the only way to make their fitters realise they've been doing it wrong for so long.

[tilder]

Sorry, posted too soon.

Most department stores do bra fitting as do specialist shops but for the latter make sure they are experienced in the size rangeyou are looking at.

I love buying new bras!

[tilder]

Yyy m&s bra fitting is dreadful. Bras should feel snug across the back as most support comes from here. I have the lovely back fat so do get some bulging around my bra but if I had a bigger fitting it wouldn't give me the support I need. I am a 32 across the back but m&s always wanted me in 36. The back would ride up and give no support, resulting in droopy boobs.

Different brands definitely give me a different shape, as do different sty

[editthis]

Statistically Good point. M&S have given me some nutty sizing over the years too. But trial and error sizing is a useful skill to have in any case...

[WrappedInABlankie]

No worries Cosmo!

The problems with just trying to you fit m&s only go up to a G and a 40 back unless I go into bras that are natural and something from a Bridget Joan's movie!

Will look at the one in Chichester though!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

just chuck on a bra about the right size and see how it fits

The problem is, unfortunately, that many people have been fitted at shops like M&S who do the old +4/5" trick when fitting. That means that a lot of people are starting from a size that is miles away from their true fitting and it's really hard for them to even know where to start. M&S fitted me at a 36F, when my true size is a 30HH. I'm not sure I'd have been able to get from where they fitted me to my true bra size without a lot of knowledge IYSWIM. No measuring approach is perfect, but the intervention at least gets you a lot closer to a true size and you can then do trial and error and adjust from there.

[MrsCosmopifairylight]

Thanks folks - will investigate when I next feel like braving the shops. Sorry for the hijack Wrapped.

[MsJupiter]

Is it just me that gets a message on the M&S link saying "this page is not supported"? I thought it was a joke

[WowserBowser]

Have you measured yourself MrsCosmo ?


Definitely don't go down a cup size.

[treaclesoda]

And if a 34c band is too tight, it's possibly down to the cups being too small rather than the band being too tight, as its the combination of the two that gives the overall fit. It's worth trying a 34d or even a 34dd, because if the cups are too small they will make the band feel too tight.

[treaclesoda]

MrsCosmo that armpit overhang is actually boob - if you scoop it into the cup (lean over slightly and use your right hand to scoop your left boob, then vice versa) you'll most likely find that the cups are actually too small and instead of needing to size down a cup you'll need to size up.

[MrsCosmopifairylight]

I'm small but flabby. I am currently wearing 36b - measure at a 34c but the band cuts in too much. At the moment, I have armpit overhang (the bit of my upper ribs/lower armpit is bulging over the band). Cup seems okay though.
Presumably I go up a band and down a cup?

I hate buying and trying on bras.

[editthis]

I used to work in a bra shop as a teenager. I'm rubbish at measuring with a tape measure and would say just chuck on a bra about the right size and see how it fits. If you've got double-boobs or overflow or any kind, or underwire cutting into soft tissue, go up a cup size (check round the sides of the cups especially). The same doesn't apply to back fat, unfortunately. The rule at the back is that it must sit flat on your back and parallel to the front - NOT sitting higher up on your back (this means the back size is too big, even if you have bulging on your back. A lot of people size up to avoid it but you can't, really).

[WrappedInABlankie]

Thank you all! looks like i have some bra shopping to get going on!

[MariscallRoad]

tYou might wish to ry this here Some brands might fit you better depending on the design and material. For the same size in 2 different brands I had different fit .

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Showmeyourtardis, I think we're pretty clear that the measurements on the intervention method are only ever a starting point. No amount of measuring lying down, standing up etc can replicate trying a bra on as you are trying to measure a volume.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I just described a perfectly fitting Bravissimo 30J...and M&S told me to try a 32H. seems that they're recommending up a band and down a cup for a lot of people

[ShowMeYourTARDIS]

The calculator gives you a starting point to try on bras, and the community can give you specific recommendations for your shape. The problem with just measuring your bust while leaning over is that it can overestimate cup size in some women. You need to take all 5 measurements and breast shape into account.

The calculator isn't perfect. It overestimated for me by 1-2 cup sizes. It's a tool that needs human input.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

It's not that you need to go up a band size for a plunge. Your measurements are in between sizes so you could find you get on with a 38 or a 40 depending on the bra and brand. But a lot of brands stop at 38, so I suggested the 40s I could think of, and a few 38s too. Personally I'm not a fan of M&S bras, I think the quality is poor in bigger sizes and they don't scale them properly. They get away with it by fitting everyone in the wrong size so you can't really tell how bad the cut is! I've found that once most people have the right size and have tried the larger cup brands like freya, fantasie, panache etc then they generally find M&S bras inferior. That said, they're always worth a shot.

[ouryve]

That bra size finder looks to be such an improvement, so I did it for my favourite, well fitting 32g and it recommended 34f

[WrappedInABlankie]

So if I want a plunge, do I go up a back size? I think M&S do the plunge bras' in a 40 GG so I could always try that!

Will of course try the balcony bra's as I don't actually have any of them, I only have plunge bra's like these haha actually i have the whole collection

[StatisticallyChallenged]

OK...Unfortunately there isn't a great selection of plunges in a 40 band (there are a few brands which stop at a 38) although I suspect some 38s will be fine.

Curvy Kate are normally a little more suited to wider breasts, however they have a good selection by comparison. The daily boost is worth trying, as is temptress. Elomi isn't a brand I've tried personally, but they are a sister brand to Freya who are good quality and have a few plunges - Betty and bijou for example. freya go up to a 38 but run looser in the band IME

I have quite a similar shape to you I think (narrow and slightly top heavy) and these two balconettes also work very well for me panache floris and cleo marcie. They both go up to a 38 but are well worth trying as they're a good day to day bra. The Marcie is one of my favourites.

The other brand you may well get on with (but I'd try UK ones to sort out your size first) is a polish brand called ewa michalak. They do fab bras which are great for narrower boobs, and they also do a couple of drop cup underwired bras if you are planning to BF.