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.

It really isn’t, Ferrier. I’m a 30FF, and was a 32H during pregnancy. People don’t think I have a particularly large chest - my friends are surprised at my bra size when it comes up in conversation. My body shape is similar to Nigella Lawson’s - curvy but nothing worthy of comment.

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

I don't think it is at all. It's clearly not flat chested but it's not unusually big either.

I'm a B cup on a 34 band and I'm quite nicely endowed. I've been a C before and I don't think I'd want to be any bigger.
I guess it all comes down to an interpretation of what big is.
Oh ... And 34 in my case is actual bust measurement not underband.

Oh ... And 34 in my case is actual bust measurement not underband.

In that case though you're not comparing like with like.

Which is why it comes back to what I said earlier. There should be a uniformity.
An F cup on a 34 band in Debenhams would be bloody big tits.

But a 34 band in Debenhams is the same size as a 34 band anywhere else.

Sorry, posted too soon. You said 34 was your actual bust measurement, not your under bust measurement?

That's what I meant by not comparing like with like.

I find bras so uncomfortable that I deliberately buy them slightly too big so that they don’t feel tight. I have scoliosis and I’ve realised that no bra is going to fit me perfectly so I may as well be comfortable with a slightly saggy bust line that doesn’t jiggle around too much. I avoid underwires and look for soft cups, wide straps and a high cotton content. Op, you have my sympathy as most bras are expensive crap!

Not in Debenhams. A 34B there means 34 round the boobs not round the underband.

How can Debenhams do that? If I did that I’d be a 44 or something. That makes no sense.

I have been measured ( and measured myself) loads of times and spent a lot on bras that in theory fit but are too uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour or two.
I used to resort( like a pp) to bras that were too big . They aren't figure enhancing and although ok comfort wise aren't perfect.
I really think that you need to keep trying until you find a make and style that fits. Rather than going down my wasting money route it sounds as if buying with money back guarantee is the best idea.
I have now got two bras that are comfortable ( figure outline not brilliant but that is a secondary concern ) and about 8 that work for a night out with different outfits.
Holy grail not yet reached but having a comfortable wide band has been a huge relief.

This has intrigued me. I've just taken a tape measure and measured a couple of bras, both with a 32 band. The Debenhams one measures 29 inches if I bend the measuring tape up and down around the base of the wires, or 26 inches if I measure straight across. The Panache one measures 26 across, or 28 if I bend the tape up and down. And then because they are elastic, both of them stretch to 32.

Op I go to bravissimo and I state to the fitter that I like a wire that is a little shorter as some dig in to my arm pits. I’m just under 5ft so quite short and narrow (chubby but narrow lol). I’ve been wearing this style for a while www.bravissimo.com/products/alana-bra-white-au01wh/

OP just go to R&P. I spent two hours in a John Lewis changing room and bought a bra for £40 that I thought fitted. I wore it for one day then flung it off me in agony (slight exaggeration). I’ve never worn it again. I walked into R&P and within 10 minutes I had a bra that fits and I can wear it all day and not ever think about. Yeah it was £80 ish but price per wear it’s a hell of a lot cheaper!

Fit/fitted?? Whichever is correct

Not in Debenhams. A 34B there means 34 round the boobs not round the underband.

Are you sure?

From the Debenhams website:

During the fitting you will be asked to remove your top but keep your bra on. Our fitter will firstly take an under-bust measurement to establish your back size

Wrong thread. Sorry.

I wear 34B bras from Debenhams. They fit perfectly. My boobs are 34. My underband is 30.

I have no idea what the Debenhams fitters actually do. If they take the back measurement as the bra size for then they won't get the bra to do up!

*for me ...

The 34 can’t be round the boobs. I’m a 34 H by boob and bust. That means my round the boob is 8” bigger than my band. Which means I’d be a 42 back by your way if doing it.

I have no idea what the Debenhams fitters actually do. If they take the back measurement as the bra size for then they won't get the bra to do up!

But that would be entirely dependent on the cup size, because the cup size adds inches as well. The back size alone doesn't dictate how tight the bra feels, just as the cup size alone doesn't dictate how big it is.

Anyway, this isn't me bullying you that your bra size is wrong and you must wear something else. If you wear a 34b and that's comfortable then that's all that matters, it's you who is wearing it. It was just a general point about measurements.

It definitely is round the boobs for me! Shall I post a picture with the tape measure to prove it?!

The debenhams online size guide is sadly lacking. I don't think the M&S one is this bad.