M&S bra fitting

[Poppyseed14]

I've taken the plunge (no pun intended) and booked myself in tomorrow to be measured. I don't actually own a bra that fits me well. I was unwell with costochondritis for about 18 months during the pandemic so I didn't even bother wearing a bra unless I was going out as I was just too sore. I've also lost 2.5 stone in the last year though mostly from my bottom half. Anyway M&S is my only local option for fitting but I've heard mixed reviews. Just wondering whether anyone has any experience of them as regards measuring. Do they do that add 4 inches to the band measurement thing? Am I likely to come away with a bra that fits or just another bra to put in my already full to the brim drawer of badly fitting bras. I've never had a fitting before so any advice is most welcome.

There’s not much difference between the cup size on 38A and a 34E. They don’t just stick an A cup on different size bands.

M&S put me in a 34A - Boob or Bust 30F, I was properly shocked BUT it actually fits (witchcraft I tell ye!!) well it did til I put on weight 😂

Not all bras are created equal either, I found Panache Envy to fit the best/nicest. I usually get em off ebay

This is the 38B that I came away with. Padded but not wired. Feels tight round the front of my chest.

I'm going tomorrow to a small independent bra shop which is a bit closer than Bravissimo with the mind that I might venture to Bravissimo if I need to. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I honestly think you need a side sling bra Poppyseed, you really are similar to my shape - a bulge at the sides and not filling the cup. I wear Fantasie Illusion, it holds everything in the cup.

Seriously don’t bother. They are awful. Particularly for larger cup sizes. The reason I wore the wrong sized bra for years. Go to Rigby and Peller or a small independent. They had me in a 36c when I was a size 8- turned out I was a 28 G. Made the most enormous difference.

The independents are often good
I have one locally I went to and she saw my bra and said "I have nothing that will fit you better than that. Go and buy it in every colour"
She could have sold me stuff but she didn't

So bizarre as my bra fitter at m and s was great!
And yes I'm a 42A, no way the massive size BOB suggested.

Oh well, maybe just I got lucky and this bra fitter was trained elsewhere, I'm really happy with the bras I have now.

@Poppyseed14 if you lean forward as you put the bra on, then "swoop & scoop" I'm sure you'll be overflowing those cups.

@GimmeSleep I did the scoop as best i could prior to this photo. Still a bit gaping from the side view. Honestly I think I'm a size that doesn't exist. The only other time I was measured which I'd forgotten about till now was back in the day in Mothercare and I was pregnant. They did the +4 inches thing and determined I must be a 46AA or something daft like that and made a show of looking among their stock for the size. I was like that doesn't exist does it. No wonder I've waited 10 years for the sequel 🤣🤣

@YesItsMeIDontCare just had a look at that bra. It starts at a D cup. I can't get my head round the fact that I could be anything more than a B cup. So many of these brands and lingerie companies have never been on my radar because if that. I'll mention side support tomorrow at my fitting though if the lady doesn't mention it.

www.booborbust.com/full-cup-balcony-plunge-what-does-it-all-mean/

www.booborbust.com/what-to-do-trying-on-bras-in-store/

www.booborbust.com/bra-measuring-guide/

These are quite useful (apols if you've seen them before)

I think someone has already put the pic showing how an F cup differs according to band size?

I think we're conditioned to think that 36d = 90s Pamela Anderson or Jordan, when in fact, they were probably something like 28hh and had magical boobs that stood up without support.

I'm a 10-12 top and wear 30f or ff. That sounds massive, but you wouldn't look at me and think that. Partly cos I'm quite tall. I would say each breast is about 2 handfuls. I'm better with balconnette bras. That style you have in the picture is quite difficult without perky, bouncy breasts, I think.

Have a look at "a bra that fits" and see if that helps, boob or bust is ok but doesn't really factor in different shapes and fullness.

The bra in the photo is too small in the cup, it is fooling you into thinking it isn't because you have space at the front, but there isn't enough space at the sides. You need a different shaped bra.

www.instagram.com/p/CSueuD0pHvT/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Link to a post showing how you can struggle to fill a B cup but then comfortably fill a bigger cup size. Well worth a browse of the Instagram.

I do know what you mean. I thought I was an A cup (or even AA) for years, and I still couldn't fill the cup!

Turns out I'm a 32DD/E (depending on bra).

All that bulge at the side is boob and should be in the cup - you're bigger than you think!

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon key 🤣

That's crazy! But it does make sense when you see it...

Take 2 four inches off the band size, it should be roughly 20 cm more than you dress size, and to up at least 2 cup sizes to convert to modern bra sizes

This is very true. M & S had me in a 38C which I wore for years. Tried bravissimo and I am actually a 36F. Their balconette bras are perfect for me, being broad. Never felt so comfy, plus the right bra makes clothes look so much better.

I'm wearing an M&S bra right now. I measured as a 30E, but (based on the Freya sizes I have worn happily in the past) I went for a 32DD, and that's fine. You also have to take into account your shape - especially the shape of your puppies. So mine sit fairly wide, I don't have much tissue on the top half and if I want a nice shape under my clothing, a balconette style with good side support suits me. I need the underwire to be properly curved at the side, not too straight, and a nice solid vertical seam on the bottom half of the cups for support. I don't like padding. It's quite a lot of engineering for £14, but M&S can deliver - for me, at any rate.. You just need to be picky and know it's not just about your size, also your shape.

D cup, B cup means nothing without the back size.

A 30D will have the same size cup as a 32C or snd 34B. See the photo I posted further up.

my daughter has a smaller chest than you and is a 30E.

Another vote to go to Bravissimo. I'd been measured as 36b in M&S and then later correctly fitted in Bravissimo and can be a 34F or 36E depending on the style. Like your photos, my full breast tissue wasn't completely in the cup and I didn't realise how far back the underwire really should sit under the armpit.

One thing I would say from the Bravissimo fitting is, if you're like me and have a bit of back muffin top, don't expect that to go away with a good fitting bra. The band is supposed to fit snugly as the band and structure, not the straps, should do the lifting and the bra inevitably loosens as it's worn. This means that a good fitting bra can leave bulging if there's a fat roll (because obviously it should be fitted to the ribcage and not the fat roll!). Otherwise, if I wore a bra that magicked away muffin top it definitely wouldn't be tight enough to provide lift and support. I get round that by wearing a spanx bodysuit if I have an occasion where I'm wearing something tighter and that smooths everything out.

You're a similar shape to me and my favourite style is the Freya 'side support' bra, there's really nothing like it and it give a great shape. Good luck!

One more point on this actually, the sizes over an E cup tend to have a different shape in terms of the breast tissue coverage, thickness of the band and straps. When I was wearing a b cup I always just felt 'big' in it (I'm a size 14) whereas with the larger style it just feels like it's such a better fit and I love the thicker band and clasps.

And to echo a pp, the right bra makes clothes fit better. Work shirts didn't need to be safety pinned, once I got the right bra.

Good point.

I always take a vest top to put on over a bra when trying on to see how it looks.

It also makes you look slimmer. I remember watching Trinny and Susannah and being astonished at how much better and slimline women looked when they wore the right sized and properly supportive bra.

All your side breast tissue needs to be in the bra. This can feel a bit uncomfortable at first. The middle of the bra should sit flat against your chest. That bra doesn’t fit you. You are absolutely not an A cup!