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Original poster

To not understand why bravissimo's bands stop at 40?

58 replies

PinkLemonadee · 14/02/2026 16:25

I'm helping a friend shop for some new bras. She's around a 42- 44M* and I've just been looking on bravissimo. They have a few bras that would be perfect for her but the bands all stop at 40 and I just don't understand it. Surely larger people are more likely to have a larger bust?

(* She has gained a lot of weight during medical treatment after cancer and her health is still delicate so please don't be mean about her size)

OP posts:
bridgetreilly · 14/02/2026 22:48

HessianSack · 14/02/2026 17:45

Try the boob or bust measuring method - it’s a bit different but means most people end up with a smaller band and bigger cup. Could work for your friend too @PinkLemonadee

Show quote history

Definitely not. A 40” does not fit me. A D cup sags emptily around my breasts. I am a fat lady with relatively small chest.

TheActualQueen · 14/02/2026 22:52

Try the ample bosom OP - a very wide range of…

https://www.amplebosom.com/bra/a-side-support

JustAnotherWhinger · 14/02/2026 22:58

Bravissimo do a lot in a 42.

so many women are in the wrong size bra though - when I was a size 24 M&S measured me as a 44F band when I was actually a 40HH.

Also many bra makers who don’t specialise in plus sizes skip cup sizes at larger sizes so often anything above an E isn’t a remotely accurate size.

JustAnotherWhinger · 14/02/2026 23:00

PinkLemonadee · 14/02/2026 18:55

No, she's not. Her band size is 42, but she's also like some softer bras in a bigger size for bad pain days.

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I made this mistake when I was having a lot of treatment - a soft bra in a proper size is actually way more comfortable than a bra that’s too big because it simply won’t be supportive.

Bedheadfred · 14/02/2026 23:04

Where did this obsession come from that everyone who needs a bigger back size must be mistaken and in fact just needs a bigger cup size and probably a SMALLER back measurement ? I would love to say that as my cup size increased enormously as I aged , my back miraculously shrunk accordingly but sadly it grew too, like my hips and my thighs 😟 .

Lifejigsaw · 14/02/2026 23:09

Bedheadfred · 14/02/2026 23:04

Where did this obsession come from that everyone who needs a bigger back size must be mistaken and in fact just needs a bigger cup size and probably a SMALLER back measurement ? I would love to say that as my cup size increased enormously as I aged , my back miraculously shrunk accordingly but sadly it grew too, like my hips and my thighs 😟 .

To be fair the research plays out. The NIH study found that 80% are in the wrong size - usually band too big and cup too small.

JustAnotherWhinger · 14/02/2026 23:53

Bedheadfred · 14/02/2026 23:04

Where did this obsession come from that everyone who needs a bigger back size must be mistaken and in fact just needs a bigger cup size and probably a SMALLER back measurement ? I would love to say that as my cup size increased enormously as I aged , my back miraculously shrunk accordingly but sadly it grew too, like my hips and my thighs 😟 .

The research that most women are in the wrong bra size is all out there

most people are in the wrong back size and therefore the wrong cup size - not helped by the fact so many people think cup sizes are the same in each band despite the fact a DD cup is vastly different for a 32 band than a 40 band.

JustAnotherWhinger · 14/02/2026 23:54

Plus the myth that DD is somehow a massive cup size - promoted by the likes of M&S - therefore hardly anyone is bigger than that really doesn’t help

Pryceosh1987 · 15/02/2026 00:39

She could wear vests and female tank tops. Just until the weight drops. My mother didnt wear bras at all when she gained weight.

Nearly50omg · 15/02/2026 00:40

They also aren’t a 40!! They are more like a 34 compared to every other manufacturer

NoSoupForU · 15/02/2026 03:44

Is it not the cup size that's problematic though? I know a fair few places that stock bigger band sizes but not M cup.

knitnerd90 · 15/02/2026 06:10

Ewa Michalek is a good idea, I think. The Polish brands tend to have the widest size ranges, though they’re still lacking in the large band small cup segment.

For those over a 40 band who are still in a B-C cup, Elomi do a good bra in that size range, no underwires. Most bra manufacturers refuse to believe that plus sized women do not all gain proportionately in the bust.

I just did a search of my favourite site here in the US, and Goddess (same company as Elomi and Freya) have multiple styles in a 42M
including soft cup.

Gobbolino7825 · 15/02/2026 06:24

It is very expensive to manufacture a bra - especially one that is structured to support a large size - and the factories that make them have minimum order quantities which often make stocking very large (and also very small) bra sizes not commercial.

There are so many variances in bra sizes that to stock a full range is often not viable due the small numbers being sold in unusual sizes. You might sell a 42 M cup bra once in a blue moon, but have to hold at least 50-100 in stock due to the minimum number you have to order from the manufacturer which could mean you are holding that stock for years.

Multiply this cost by the number of possible sizes there are, and you can see why businesses have to make a commercial decision to only stock the sizes that will sell more frequently.

user1497787065 · 15/02/2026 06:37

I think this is probably based on a commercial decision. I’m a lopsided 36HH having had a lumpectomy in 2007. Since then I have used probably six or seven different independent shops which have all since closed and have also looked at setting up my own lingerie shop.
The amount of stock required is huge. One bra, one colour I think I calculated at over 30 sizes.

This may explain why Bravisimo only stock some of their range in 40” and above.

Find an independent shop that stocks Elomi.

knitnerd90 · 15/02/2026 07:57

Mmm, while cost explains some of it, certainly something like not making M cups, I absolutely think a blanket “no band sizes above 40” isn’t about technical issues. It’s about the kind of customers they want.

HessianSack · 15/02/2026 08:34

Bedheadfred · 14/02/2026 23:04

Where did this obsession come from that everyone who needs a bigger back size must be mistaken and in fact just needs a bigger cup size and probably a SMALLER back measurement ? I would love to say that as my cup size increased enormously as I aged , my back miraculously shrunk accordingly but sadly it grew too, like my hips and my thighs 😟 .

It’s a ‘movement’ for sure. But makes sense when you think about how modern fabrics allow for stretch. The old - measure round your rib cage then add four inches for your band size - was invented decades ago for non-stretchy fabric. And a lot of people don’t realise that the support in a bra (should) comes from the band not the straps, so band should be tight. Then the bigger cup makes up for it and gives your boobs space to sit correctly.

CelticSilver · 15/02/2026 11:06

It's a shop for naturally slim women who have had breast enlargement surgery.

YesSirICanNameChange · 15/02/2026 11:10

I've had good bras from SimplyBe and Yours in the last 2 years at bigger band sizes.

Extenders are also a good idea!

catera · 15/02/2026 11:12

CelticSilver · 15/02/2026 11:06

It's a shop for naturally slim women who have had breast enlargement surgery.

It’s really not. I’m a size 18 and a 34KK, no surgery

EspanaPorfavor · 15/02/2026 12:16

CelticSilver · 15/02/2026 11:06

It's a shop for naturally slim women who have had breast enlargement surgery.

This is one of the misconceptions that led to it’s founding, people assumong you can’t be slim and busty naturally.

yours, 28G.

JustAnotherWhinger · 15/02/2026 12:30

CelticSilver · 15/02/2026 11:06

It's a shop for naturally slim women who have had breast enlargement surgery.

Which is just bollocks. I’ve always had my bras from there - before I lost 11 stone in the last 5 years and since then.

user2848502016 · 15/02/2026 12:56

I think because they specialise in slim to average sized women who have a larger bust, so need a small back to large cup size - which is difficult to get in regular shops.
Your friend needs to look for companies specifically catering to plus sized ladies.
Snag and molke are worth a look for comfy bras in a plus size

wonkylegs · 15/02/2026 13:03

CelticSilver · 15/02/2026 11:06

It's a shop for naturally slim women who have had breast enlargement surgery.

Bollocks
there are lots of people with naturally small back sizes & larger cup sizes but for ages there wasn’t many people who catered for them - they filled the gap in the market
the market has changed and more options exist now

Savonette480 · 15/02/2026 13:09

What a great thread thank you!
Learning lots!

I have exactly this problem.
Used to be slim with big boobs
Now post-meno I have got fatter too!

Edited to say that the bras in shops for bigger women don’t fit me either as I seem to be between the two ifyswim and I don’t think I’m the only one

smallglassbottle · 15/02/2026 13:11

Bedheadfred · 14/02/2026 23:04

Where did this obsession come from that everyone who needs a bigger back size must be mistaken and in fact just needs a bigger cup size and probably a SMALLER back measurement ? I would love to say that as my cup size increased enormously as I aged , my back miraculously shrunk accordingly but sadly it grew too, like my hips and my thighs 😟 .

I agree. I'm an apple shape in a 40 F and I've measured time and time again and it's definitely 40 underbust. I can't squeeze my back fat into a cup at the front of my body without using liposuction 😂