To be really irritated when someone insists that the Bra Guru method of measuring is wrong?

[cunchofbunts]

On another forum a lady is insisting on adding inches to her band measurement and advises others to do so.

She measures 33 and wears a 36. Says that a 32 or 34 cuts into her but this this must be because she's wearing too small a cup if she's adding inches to her band measurement.

Head desk.

I had a friend, a size 12, who insisted she was a 38 band, as this is what the calculators told her, and would not listen to anything I said. She finally changed her mind when I managed to put a 32 on her. Over her clothes!

Another friend, whenever her boob size changes, just goes up a back size - wold not even consider going up in cup, because she's "always been a B". She's in a 38 bak now as well, its back usually somewhere around her neck..

It's fine people wanting to use whatever measuring method they want.

Quad boob looks bloody silly though and I don't get why some woman still maintain they are a 36b ala M&S when they have 4 boobs and the back strap is between the shoulder blades!
Hey each to their own.

I get what you mean, OP. Quite a few women seem wedded to their ill-fitting bras when a bit of research and trial and error would often gain them something much more comfy and nicer-looking. It is a little hard to understand.

Lashes - who 'says' it should stretch 6". This is where it gets silly.

Of course I won't have a problem if I change brands. I am almost 50, well able to decide what size clothing or underwear I need. Of course I wouldn't buy an ill fitting sized dress just because the label told me it was my size.

I don't need to compare anything. Bra intervention folk need to realise that it isn't the holy grail - far too many variables for that.

Lavender because that's how bras are made

Providing you try a variety of sizes fine. But don't try to say 32 underbust would normally fit a 38 band because it's not how it works

I have not generalised at all Lashes, that is what bra intervention folk tend to do.

Truimph have been making bras for years - their bras are obviously not made in that way.

Lavender I don't say all bras fit the same. I wear a 30H in some brands and a 28HH in others. But bras don't often vary so much as a 38 band fits like a 32 unless the bras are made very differently. As far as I'm aware Triumph doesn't make bras using the add inches

I'm still confused!!

Surely the labelled bra size should be either a) the size it actually is unstretched or b) the size it is supposed to stretch to fit.

If a) then where did adding inches come from? Since you'd need to take inches off to ensure the bra stretched and fitted snugly.

If b) then why are some people finding that their bra stretches to match the labelled size and some not? I understand that some materials/constructions would stretch more than others, but if it's the stretched size that's important it would take that into account.

PS I measure something like 28", with not much fat there. I find even a 30 is way, way too snug, I can't breathe. And that's in a few different brands. So I (shock, horror) usually wear a 32.

Aspie

The labelled size indicates the underbust it should fit, and the cups. Each cup is an inch. So a 30C Is for someone who measures 30 under the bust and 33 across the bust.

Adding inches came from when bras were first made. They used material without stretch and so inches had to be added. Now we use stretchy material

There are a small number of companies who use the old sizing method but not many. Usually people aren't stretching the bra fully

Have you tried the 30 in a larger cup size? Too small cups will make the band feel tighter

Another one who finds my bra guru size (30G) impossibly tight over the ribs - I don't have much padding on the ribs and I'm a singer so my ribs move a fair bit when I breathe. Though I wouldn't dismiss it entirely - since trying I've gone up a few cup sizes which is definitely better sizing for me and the tips on whether a bra is fitting well are helpful, i.e. one that encloses all the breast tissue, sits nicely in the cleavage, where the shoulder straps stay put and the back doesn't ride up. Having tried loads and loads 34F seems right for me by these criteria.

yeah my cousin who is a size 8 at most, insists she is a 34 back. She really really isnt

The bra intervention didn't work for me, the band was too tight and the cups too big.
I measured myself the other week using the add on method and found the best fitting bra I've ever had in Sainsburys.

The bra intervention method doesnt mean that every bra in that size fits you. You still need to try them on, as not all brands and not all bras fit the same. Sometimes I have to go up or down a cup size or a band size, but I still know my actual basic size, which is a guide.

Bran yes! I don't understand why people don't get that. It's like regular clothes you might be a 10 normally but sometimes a 12 or an 8 fits. But it's better than saying "everything varies so try on EVERY SIZE in the shop"

Feeling comfy is fine, but I was comfy in my 34C sized bras until I went and got new ones from bravissimo. Not only was I shocked at my new bra size but at how well the new bras fitted and how bad my old ones looked and I thought they were fine. Until you're shown properly I don't think we have any idea.

When I first measured myself using the bra guru method I ordered a shitload (30+) bras from Next as they stock various big boob brands. I tried size variables in different styles IYSWIM and one fitted. Oh, but it fits like a dream and makes my boobs look flipping fantastic. I've since had more luck and have bought more, but it was a trial! One thing I found is the elasticity of the fabric different brands use makes a difference, but the main thing is the shape of the cup. My boobs are quite saggy flat, and mostly armpit fat quite wide and many styles were clearly designed for a fuller cup. This is where a really experienced fitter would help as they know the cup shapes of different styles. My nearest bravissimo is about 90mins away unfortunately.

Strangely fascinating thread - this is something that ought to be really simple and yet has ended up being confusing and complicated. What on earth is wrong with manufacturers that they can't come up with a consistent and straightforward sizing system?

Also: where did the "old" method of adding four or five inches to your back size come from? It doesn't make any sense, so why devise a system like it in the first place?

Thank you Bran! An awful lot of people who don't seem to look at any of the stuff beyond the start point then claim it doesn't work. The measurement is a start point which is more accurate on average than adding 4 or 5". But there will be a distribution of sizes around that measurement - some people don't like a tight band, or have a very boney rib cage, or flared ribs (common after big babies!), or...and therefore need a bigger band than their starting measurement. On the flip side there are women who need a smaller band than they measure - generally those with squishy torsos and/or with heavy breasts which need greater support from the band.

Anyone who says it's a 1 measurement approach doesn't actually understand what the bra intervention is about.

PS anyone know any good bras that come in cotton? I've never found anything other than M&S cotton ones that doesn't itch abominably or make me all sweaty or usually both.

Which makes all this try various styles a bit of a joke. I usually have a choice of 2.

Songbird - that's kind of normal to be honest, especially because once you know what a good bra is like you suddenly look at all the misfitting ones and go "oh my god what the hell was I wearing", and become more aware of things like the bra being too narrow, or too deep, or just not quite right.

I have this bra in the beige and it's very comfortable and good quality, in case anyone's looking for recommendations.

StatisticallyChallenged that's how it was for me, a proper 'oh my God look at my boobs now' kind of thing.

It's not just about the quad boob thing, it's about giving yourself a better shape. Your tummy is flatter, suddenly your boobs aren't saggy, they are supported when I run. My clothes look better.

There must be thousands of women wearing the wrong size (and judging by this thread there definitively are), but anyone who says well I'm always a B cup, I can't possibly be a D, I challenge them to go get measured by someone who really knows what they're doing. The difference is amazing.

IME you need to use Bra Guru as a starting point and then memorise the tips on whether a bra fits properly. Then try on LOADS of bras because they all come up slightly differently and breasts are not all the same shape. Eventually you'll find a brand and style that suits. I've got several bras in the same style by Just Peachy at Figleaves that fit me perfectly (and were cheap as chips) but I sent back about eight other bras from the original order. I'm a 32G.