Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
slithytove · 13/02/2015 14:44

Think it's the Melrose bra

slithytove · 13/02/2015 14:46

Is a 36 back about right for size 16?

InMySpareTime · 13/02/2015 14:49

How to measure:
Tight around the ribcage in inches gives the band measurement (round up to the nearest even number for 27, 29, round down for odd numbers above that)
Bend forward so your back is horizontal and measure round the fullest part of the bust. The difference between this measurement and the first one gives the cup size. If the difference is 1", you want an A etc.
Don't forget the double letters though.
A1
B2
C3
D4
DD5
E6
F7
FF8
G9
GG10
H11
Etc.

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 14:52

a 36 back isn't unreasonable for a 16 at all - it varies significantly depending on body shape so an apple shaped 16 will have a bigger underbust than an hourglass 16 in general

your measurements suggest a start point of a 36G

slithytove · 13/02/2015 14:53

Wow so 36g. Explains why my one 38f isn't too bad and my 40/42/44 E/D's are so terrible.

Frustrating through, I went to mothercare in October to buy nursing bras, admittedly I was a 40 back, but they stuck me in 44d's. Stupidly expensive, and so big there was only one design which is course ugly as sin.

What a shame and a waste of money. Plus they made me feel like a heifer.

slithytove · 13/02/2015 14:54

I am an hourglass just with extra padding

What do I do about my empty saggy boobs? Adjust cup size or look for different bra styles?

Really appreciating all the help thanks

MonkeySeeMonkeyDooo · 13/02/2015 15:02

Wearing my new Bravissimo bras today, I feel like a new person!

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 15:03

Mainly look for different styles - balconette/half cups which are basically missing the top section. Start at the 36G, scoop as described upthread and only if its then too big do you want to start moving down through the cups. If a 38F is fairly good i don't think it will be ridiculous though.

thetimeisnow · 13/02/2015 15:04

Thank you lovely mn ladies!
I went on the brastop fitting advice section and it said I'm not 34DD but 32E so just been to m&s and got a pair of T-shirt bras for 9.50!
Feels so much better already.

slithytove · 13/02/2015 15:06

Would this potentially be low enough in the cup

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 15:08

Potentially, the Alana is quite friendly to bottom heavy breasts but not completely open. If it works for you it's a very good bra, I own a few of them

Lozzapops · 13/02/2015 15:32

I am hijacking the thread, which I feel guilty about, but also feel it's a bit self-indulgent to start my own thread just for this. Can someone check my measurement please and tell me the size! It all confuses me too much.

Under bust is 29 inches. Bending over measurement is 34.5 inches.

What does it all mean?!

InMySpareTime · 13/02/2015 15:37

28DD/E or 30D/DD are good sizes to start from.

Lozzapops · 13/02/2015 16:01

Gawd, what an awkward size!! I think you might be right though, SpareTime, before I had a baby I was wearing a 32D and it felt OK, but now a tad roomy. Brill!

SweetBabyJebus · 13/02/2015 16:54

Ok, so after trying on a bajillion bras I ended up with a 40E balconette. Thank you Mumsnet!

Oh, and as a bit of a test, went into M&S and was measured as a 44C! How can they get it so wrong?

BoffinMum · 13/02/2015 17:02

Frankly I think we should be able to get them on prescription if we have SuperNorks.

BoffinMum · 13/02/2015 17:05

I wonder why nobody has developed a way of 3D scanning norks yet, and then getting some machine or other to mould a bra to fit exactly? It must be within the wit of womankind. Perhaps if more women studied science and engineering this would start happening ...

Skiptonlass · 13/02/2015 17:24

I'm sure someone's said it already but good places for discount but good bras are tk maxx and outlet villages!

Also get measured or measure yourself properly! M and s are useless.

sussexsongbird · 13/02/2015 18:21

ClaireFraser you might find if you have a high bump that there is no underwired style you can wear after about 24 weeks. :-( I went from a Fantasie 32G to wearing Royce nursing bras in 36KK by the end of mynfirst pregnancy. Bravissimo stock them. You might also find a bra back extender useful to close the gap on your existing bras for now!

sussexsongbird · 13/02/2015 18:22

boffinmum YES!
And - YESS!!!! 3D printed bras :-)

abigail12 · 13/02/2015 18:56

I also love bravissimo, when I was pregnant mothercare said I was a 38d, bI knew this was utter nonsense and bravissimo fitted me as a 34gg! I know myself roughly how to fit a bra properly , thanks to bravissimo but over last few years Ive gained 3 stone ( was always 32dd pre-children) and I'm also totally skint so I've been guessing and getting bras cheap(er) online. I measure 34 round back and 46 round bust, currently wearing freya Rio 34f (34ff dug into my armpits) have I got it right?

Thurlow · 13/02/2015 18:57

Inspired by this thread, I've been scanning eBay for some bras. Weirdly, you can get a 28F Cleo bra for about £15 (guess they are old ranges or something like that) but the moment you change to 28FF, the price goes up by another tenner?!

StatisticallyChallenged · 13/02/2015 19:04

abigail, your measurements would be closer to a 34GG. Have you tried scooping in your 34F? The rio is an odd cut, and I found it to run big too.

Thurlow, for Cleo check out Amazon and mycurvesandme.

abigail12 · 13/02/2015 19:24

When I was slimmer I loved the Rio bra, was perfect for me but now when I went up to bigger cup than f it digs in high in my armpits, Bought in some other make online in 34ff and it was ginormous! I think I'll just need to bite the bullet and visit glasgow for bravissimo to sort me out! Ps I had breast reduction several years ago ( went from 34gg to 32d so I'm feeling pretty crappy about this weight gain!) really should stop stuffing my face....

ribbityrabbityroorooroo · 13/02/2015 19:25

I was hoping for a thread like this tonight! I was fitted yesterday at Bravissimo as a 32J in the Panache Tango style. I have never been a 32 band and had been wearing a 34FF in Fantasie styles for years. I now have a completely different shape and everything feels very "secure"! I have been wearing the one I was actually fitted with today and have found the wires although they sit flat between my boobs, have been digging in to my boobs and feel quite rough on my skin when they do so. Is this something that you think will lessen with wearing and washing or are there any adjustments I need to make to the fit? Many thanks for your advice.