To just want a bra that fits

[Thenewdoctor]

Aibu?

I just want a bra that fits and every bra I buy seems fine but by half a day in the wires are digging into my armpits.

I’ve been oroperly measured in an independent shop and in bravissimo so I know the size is right.

If it’s nit the size is it the style? And what style should I look for?

I’m desperate just to be comfortable.

Measure using the Bra Guru method and then buy online. I find t-shirt bras very comfortable.

thebetterbracampaign.blogspot.com/p/fitting-advice.html

thebetterbracampaign.blogspot.com/p/fitting-advice.html

clicky link hopefully

You need a good fitter, rather than a specific shop. I'd be very dubious of Debenhams/M&S etc, simply because you could get someone who's just popped into the changing room to cover a break. Bravissimo are at least properly trained, though some people will be better than others. In my experience Cambridge and Norwich are very good, the London ones I've tried have been less so.

No bra will fit the same as another - they're all constructed differently and will sit differently on different frames. They're as hard to get right as jeans. I'm usually a 38FF, but my sports bra is a 38H I think, and I have 36 backs and G cups that fit too.

I also agree with previous posts, 34 seems more likely at a size 14, especially as you're an hourglass.

@ftfoawygtfosm
I would go with the boob or bust sizing, go to Brastop or Belle Lingerie and get ordering that size in different brands. Wear them for half an hour at home and see how they feel. I reckon the digging in underwires will be a thing of the past. Different brands are sized differently so it may take a lot of trial and error. For example I wear a 32H in the Bravissimo own brand, but I also like the fit of Cleo in a 30H. I cannot abide Curvy Kate.

Prima Donna deauville. I can no longer wear anything else. This is the only bra I buy. It seriously changed my life! It is expensive but can be found on eBay for about £50. I’m a 34H and it is excellent support and comfort.

The problem is bras are just like anything else nowadays. They all vary in how they actually fit between style and shop. Even shoes are like this now. I've always been a size 5 shoe since I was 12 YO but within the last few years I'm suddenly finding such a discrepancy in size and fit between different shops.

I digress! What I'm trying to say is that even though you measure as a particular size, it doesn't mean that every bra that size will actually be those measurements or fit you properly. It's the same as anything, you just have to try as many as possible.

Even as someone relatively small, I struggle because I have broad shoulders/chest and need a larger back size to accommodate it! I know everyone seems to say go smaller on the back and bigger on the cup, but I've always found bras much more comfortable when I do the opposite! I do have issues with underwire digging into my arm pit and a bigger back size always seems to help this.

I tried BOB but found the 32” band it recommended was way too tight to be comfortable. I went up a band and down a cup size and find that works for me.

Most comfy bra (don’t like underwired) I’ve found is the Royce Luna from Bravissimo:

www.bravissimo.com/products/luna-non-wired-bra-grey-marl-ro104gml/

Another devoted follower of the Prima Donna Deauville

I agree with the PP who said the shop matters less than finding a good fitter, but i feel you need a good fitter and a wide range of models and sizes, til you find what works for you.

Look at Molke for comfort. Try the Boob or Bust Facebook group. Lots of good advice there. They will recommend best sports bra. They also have a website calculator on their web page

I go to Rigby and Peller once a year for a measure and buy 1 bra there - all I can afford from them. The hop across the road to John Lewis and stock up on Freya's. My life has been transformed since dumping M&S and buying Freyas. I swear by their sports bras too.

I've just looked at Molke. WTF???

Beau avenue are good for larger sizes and not very expensive

BoobOrBust calculator Question:

If I suck my rib cage in I can get my under-breast measurement to 31". Because of this, the calculator suggests I wear 32(F).

If I breathe deep, my rib cage expands (under breast) to 36". Is breathing deep optional when wearing the 'correct' bra size?

I used to get indigestion wearing a 34" band so not really keen on idea of going to 32" band. Currently wear 34D. As for F cup... pfffftt. Absurd. Poor things would be flopping about in an F cup.

ps: why does calculator ask for dress size? I put in 10-16 which is what I have in wardrobe & I can't be more accurate, made no difference, anyway.

Absurd. Poor things would be flopping about in an F cup. An F cup isn't a size though. Some F cups are quite small, some F cups are big. A 32F isn't big at all, whereas a 44F is.

But to answer your question, it wouldn't be a sucked in measurement you'd take. Just a relaxed measurement.

When people switch to a smaller back size and a bigger cup, what they're sort of doing is swapping the 'space' in the bra from the back, where they don't need it, to the front, where they do. If they measured in and out of the curves on the cups on a bra, it would make perfect sense as to why eg someone might feel that a 32D is so tight that they can't breathe, whereas a 32G is really comfortable, even though the back measurement is identical.

Having said all that, anyone can obviously wear whatever bra they want, and if you don't want to wear a 32 then no online calculator gets to dictate to you.

At the grand old age of 53 I finally found a minimiser bra that fits. I gave up on wired bras years ago but this one is pretty, non padded and yes ... it's wired and I swear it doesn't dig in one single bit.

It is a Triumph one. Initially I ordered from Next because it's so easy to return to store if it doesn't fit. Once I realised I'd found the bra of my dreams I ordered 2 in every colour direct from Triumph.

Those tank top style bras turn big boobs into a sweaty, bouncy, trampoline mono boob.

I had a panache fitted by Bravissimo and it was awful. They gave me a refund a month later when I complained. I really rate their customer service as a result. (All the other bras they’ve sold me have been good).

You could order a load from Brastop, try them and go from there. They have free returns and delivery. If none of them work just send the lot back. Hope you get sorted.

@Usersname I've just looked at Molke too. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’m just fed up. If men had tits there would be a bra type garment that you just put on and it fitted.

This is so true. I've just read that artificial hearts fit 85% of men but only 20% of women

Back on topic, I've also moved to soft, non-wired bras but still use underwired sometimes. DKNY bras (from TK Maxx) are very comfortable.

I usually hate bras and have had trouble finding one that fits properly. I hate underwired ones in particular and have just made do with ( unsupportive) bra tops from m and s or Sainsbury’s. At least they’re sort of comfortable.
So imagine my delight when I tried on a random sports bra by Shock Absorber the other week and it fitted as if made to measure, really supportive too with no flesh hanging out the side or popping out where it shouldn’t !! It was quite expensive ( normal price £33 )but mega mega worth it !
It was in a sale at Go Outdoors but I’d be happy to pay the full price too.

When I've measured myself, my 32Bs turn into 28Ds... not that they actually seem to exist in the real world. I have found a couple of 30Cs and they do give a better shape than the Bs.

Why do essential undergarments have to be so awkward, expensive and potentially uncomfortable???

I am another fan of R&P, the only place to measure me properly. I wish I had gone there when I was younger. I would rather have one of their bras than five cheaper ones.

An F cup on a 34 band is bloody big tits.