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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To object to paying £40 for a new bra?

397 replies

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 12/02/2015 03:09

Just cos I have Norks! (with a capital N Grin )
There is one style and brand of bra that I have ever found, that I can just buy "off the shelf" that I know will fit me -as long as I take the bloody instrument of torture wires out - but the damn thing is at least £40 :(
I have tried others over the years, but they just don't fit, even in supposedly bigger sizes Confused
I tend to have one really tatty one, one with no wires in that is on the road to being tatty, and one newish one for "best".
Last time I bought one I got lucky and found one in my size on eBay for £25, but today I had to fork out forty quid :( and to add insult to injury my new knickers were a ridiculous price as well Confused
£48 for six pairs of giant pants!
I give up, I am becoming a hippy and wandering the streets commando, with my Mighty Norks swinging free in the breeze round my knees from now on!

OP posts:
evelynj · 16/02/2015 21:50

I really recommend bravissimo for fitting-make an appointment in the nearest city with one & talk to them On the phone first if you're worried. It's worth making the trip. Combine it with as meal or night out eyc

FreudiansSlipper · 16/02/2015 21:50

yanbu

£40 is a lot of money for many people to spend on one item of clothing that I when you have a large bust essential

I would go and get measured in a shop where they have a number of different makes of bra, not every bra make will make a bra that is the right shape for you and they measure differently

I can wear Freya but Charnos do not fit me very well and Panache are always smaller on the back

nslw · 16/02/2015 21:52

Thanks- I'll be popping in to bravissimo when I can! I'll let you know how I get on! Smile

StatisticallyChallenged · 16/02/2015 22:00

That's a little strange, as the tango plunge isn't an especially wide bra. A brand which springs to mind as being fairly wide is Tutti Rouge.

It's also not consistent between bras - looking at the panache andorra for example, the wires are wider on a 30FF than on a 32F

One of the other bra ladies is more of an expert on wire shape so might be able to point you in the right direction. The problem with just adjusting the bands is that (having done it myself) it tends to alter the shape of the cups a bit - pulls the wires out more, that kind of thing - so it might not have the result you're after.

mamatori · 16/02/2015 22:04

Need some help here

58.5 under and 69 inches Blush

MrsPeabody · 16/02/2015 22:07

I was measured in John Lewis at the weekend and the lady was using the mumsnet method. Best bra fitting ever and I happily walked away with two well fitted bras. Would highly recommend.

SorrelForbes · 16/02/2015 22:44

mamatori what size are you currently wearing. (Honestly there have been all shapes and sizes on these BI threads.)

mamatori · 17/02/2015 08:57

sorrel I am currently wearing a 50 F

StatisticallyChallenged · 17/02/2015 09:40

What is the fit like on the 50F mamatori? How does the band feel - try putting it on back to front so the cups are out of the equation. Do you have overspill when you scoop in to the cups?

Sorry for all the questions - helps us to narrow it down!

Feminine · 17/02/2015 11:40

Okay, just got my tape measure.
I am 31 under and 37 on top.
32f?
I just bought two in that size though and they didn't feel great.
The band dug in under my shoulder blades and gave me a bulge.
The front didn't sit properly between my breasts. I also spilled out a little when l scooped.
Did I get that wrong?
Please could I ask for some help again?

StatisticallyChallenged · 17/02/2015 11:44

It sounds like you need a bigger cup size than you measure - some people do, it's only a starting point.

Which bra did you buy? When you say it dug in under your shoulder blades, do you mean it gave you the appearance of backfat?

In the middle, was the gore sitting flat between your boobs or being pushed away?

Did you measure your overbust leaning over and bra-less?

Feminine · 17/02/2015 11:51

Oh thank you.
Yes it gave me back fat.
And the middle was being pushed away.
I did the measuring bra-less and bending over for the cup size. :)

Feminine · 17/02/2015 11:52

The bras were from. Next.
Probably half the problem ;)

StatisticallyChallenged · 17/02/2015 11:59

OK, in that particular bra I would say you definitely need a bigger cup size. Actually, quite possibly two cups up! I suspect the back fat is because you couldn't scoop properly, because the cups were already too full. Next bras aren't the best and not the most consistent size wise either!

Your measurements would have suggested a starting point of a 30E/F or 32DD/E which is obviously smaller. Some people do vary from the measured cup sizes quite a bit though as breast shape and firmness can have a huge impact - someone with quite tall roots and firm breasts will often get a measure which is too low whereas someone with bottom heavy soft breasts might get one which is too high. It's a useful starting point though.

Feminine · 17/02/2015 12:07

Thank you do much. That is Really kind of you. Interesting...
I will try a few in that range and see what happens.
My breasts 'look' like young ones, but l am 43 and have done five years of nursing, so l imagine they fall in to the soft category.
:)

AwakeCantSleep · 17/02/2015 12:26

Following the advice on here after measuring myself (30D/DD or a 32 C/D) I went bra shopping. 32D is what seems to give the best fit most of the time. For non-padded, lacy bras I have to go down a cup size.

I prefer non-wired bras and found a couple of really well fitting ones in John Lewis. The JL fitting lady agreed with all of you as well. Thanks very much, bra interventionists! The bra straps are staying up for the first time, well, ever Smile

(M&S also had some well fitting models. Debenhams on the other hand was a complete disaster - their 32 band was way too tight, and there was very little choice for the smaller bust. And virtually no non-wired bras in the shop (other than maternity or firm support bras).

Pastamancer · 17/02/2015 12:36

Debenhams own brand do run small in the band so it is not unusual to have to go up a band size in there.

AwakeCantSleep · 17/02/2015 13:19

I've just had a look at the M&S online bra fitting advice (for a joke!).

www.marksandspencer.com/s/lingerie/lingerie-guides/bra-fit-guide

In their video they tell you to add 4 or 5 inches to the under bust measurement!!! This is just terrible. Their bra size calculator puts me in a 34C no matter what (rather than a 30/32D). No wonder they keep getting it wrong.

StatisticallyChallenged · 17/02/2015 13:28

Yup. They've been told, repeatedly and publically. They just do not care.

Furball · 17/02/2015 13:35

imagine if we applied the same to our shoe size or dress size - umm, they wouldn't fit.......funny that.

MadameJulienBaptiste · 17/02/2015 18:56

New Look's website suggests that they use the m&s crap method too. And Avon.

To the poster getting back fat from next bras, I get more back fat from bras with skimpy sides - that's why cheap bras are cheaper, they use less fabric.

Original poster
PomBearWithAnOFRS · 17/02/2015 19:39

If I can find my knitting/craft bag, my tape measure should be in there. We're still trying to sort out our shit from the house move, but it is here somewhere, I know it is! I found my wool Grin and two big bags of brand new wool I forgot I'd bought Grin so it can't be far away.
I shall measure the actual new bra too and see exactly how big it is round the band. The ones I've been wearing were one in purple and one in nude/peachy/pinky colour, but I don't think that it being black can be the whole story cos it is seriously too small round the band Confused
I'd just say I've got even fat ter but all my other clothes fit and are the same size they were. It's a mystery!

OP posts:
MaxPepsi · 17/02/2015 21:17

Please can I have a go??

40 and 47 inches

I just bought 2 new lepel bras at the weekend!

mamatori · 17/02/2015 22:26

statistically challenged The band is tight but not majorly and yes I over-spill.

Noddingdog · 17/02/2015 23:38

I've come out as a 40c using this method, which probably explains why every bra I've ever worn gives me backache (I've worn a 38b since being a teenager) Where is a good place to look for bras in this size? Most shops seem to assume that you can't have a wide band and smallish boobs - a lot seem to stop at a 38 band or have large cups if they have a wide band.

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