Bra fitters - another person needing help desperately

[logfires]

I have never worn a comfortable bra - I go bra less wearing shapeless tops or wear a bra and want to tear them off by the end of the day.
I was measured by Rigby as 34 c which gave me a brilliant shape but I couldn't bear the tightness. They allowed me to buy 36 B [ and put not recommended on the receipt ] which was the most comfortable bra I have worn along side the genie bra but still dug right into my back.
Secret support vests still constrain me across the back
I have a very broad back,broad shoulders and narrow front under the breasts and very wide apart breasts - about a size 12 top and generally slim
I need to look smarter and cant get away bra less decently without looking like a bag lady - please help

Have you tried wire free sports ones? Still supportive (and if r&b say c cup you probably need some support) but not restrictive. Not hugely pretty either but hey who needs to look and feel good at the same time .
If you can still tell you're wearing a bra after a few minutes it probably isn't the right one for you, even if it's the right size.have you got a posh local knicker shop?would recommend giving them a try.or ample bosom, who you can phone for advice.
You're not supposed to be uncomfortable, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

I recently got fitted at Bravissimo and can recommend them

So digging into your back is the problem?
try this, www.figleaves.com/uk/product.asp?product=Freya-Edina-Underwired-Padded-Longline-Bra&product_id=FRA-AA1153&size=&colour=Black does not come in B but it has such a broad back it should be ok in 34C too. Looks gorgeous and no digging in and back fat. Very comfy.

I find certain makes more painful than others. Used to work for bravissimo, and I personally can't stand Freya bras as they dig in under my arms, but then I am very short, might have something to do with it, shorter body etc.
The most comfortable bra I have ever worn, (I have a few of them now) is the Panache porcelaine bra. Plain but v comfy!!!
I'll try to find a link to one in yourr size then come back.

www.figleaves.com/uk/product.asp?product=Panache-Porcelain-underwired-bra&product_id=PA-3376&size=&colour=Black

It starts in a D cup, however does come up a bit small in the cup, so you could try it and see. I hope it does fit for you as it's the most comfy bra ever. My teenage daughter loves it too, she's very petite, but fits in a 28DD. Well worth a try.

Thank you I will look into the bras. so desperate to find something. When I was in my 20s I had a soft front fastening bra with a single hook and eye which was good but the only ones I can find now are total support front fastening bras which are very heavy
I tried putting extenders in the back of bras but then they ride up my back.
When my mother made clothes for me as a child she put an insert into the back of the dresses to cater for my broad back - its the broadness of the back with the wide apart breasts and narrowness of the front. Its good for wearing clothes as they hang well but murder to get a comfortable bra. I use to go bra less but Im too old for that now really after breast feeding etc

Sorry another question - which panache porcelaine bra is most comfortable - t shirt one or any of the others

Five - just did your link now and now know which one- just googled it first time

I always come on to these threads to recommend John Lewis' bra fitters.
They've proved better for me than Bravissimo, Rigby and Peller, and obviously it goes without saying M&S.
I'm the opposite to you, though, with a narrow back and full cups (30g), so I'm prepared to be 'aware' of the bras I wear in return for hugely improved appearance, but I wouldn't wear anything that still rubbed, dug in or chafed after a few washes.

The tshirt one is most comfy. I have the multiway for strapless/halterneck moments too.

This Sloggi crop top is extremely comfortable. Not a bra I know, but better than nothing.

I find bras a nightmare too, I've got a broad ish back, but it's also long so I suspect that the bands tend to sit a bit too high up to be comfortable. I also have the wide-spaced breast problem, cups seem to be too close together and underwires dig in under my arms.

Hazlenutt- that shaped bra looks interesting - I think one of the good things about crop tops is that there's no thin band to dig in and rub, so I might give that one a try.

Can I hijack and ask a question please?

I measure 30E but because I am losing weight I haven't bought any new ones, my old 32dd are okay although a little loose. I recently bought a sports bra and ordered a 32E, expecting it to be too big but it won't go anywhere near me. I just can't get it done up. Are you supposed to go lots bigger when you order sports bras?

Hazie, I have also found that some sports bras come up very small, I need at least one back size up with Shock Absorber for example.

Thanks Hazlenutt. Drat it's shock absorber that I bought. For some silly reason I took the labels off before trying it on. It's NEXT, I will see if they will change it for me.

House of bamboo - i also have a long back as well as broad as well as breast wide apart - maybe bra designers dont cater for our shape at all - could it be a market opportunity for some-one

logfires - I would like to think that someone could design something which might actually be comfortable... I have moaned long and hard about this subject on MN before so you never know, maybe one day!

If any bra experts are around, I measure 14 inches from shoulder tip to the bottom of my crop top at the back (below shoulder blade) - is that long? Bras do tend to sit a bit high up around the armpits on me, now I think about it, I'm always yanking at them to pull them down. Adjusting straps doesn't seem to help.

I'm 35 inches under the bust, and 39 inches around the bust, which I think is a 34/36 D/E (although my actual bust isn't big, really, just sort of wide).

House of bamboo - do you think we could take a bra apart and re size it for ourselves.

Can you wear sloggi crop top all day
Currently wearing the genie bra - most comfortable bra I have had in years but still desperate to rip it off when I come in from work.
Other problem my figure really suits close fitting clothes and I end up in smocks/ tunic type tops and just wear a vest underneath which does absolutely nothing for me

Hi, I'm no bra fitter but I'm similar size/ shape as you and also get occasional breast pain.
When I have one of those days the Anita Rosa Faia bras sold by Figleaves are the ones I like the best. The twin range one at £45 and also their sports bras which are the best ever ever. They dont even look too bad under clothes - not too pointy and not too squashed either.
I go to a lingerie shop owned by an ex R & P fitter and she does have a tendency to go too tight for me too. I get the digging under the arm and hate that on bad days. Ok for a night out.

Spring - I found the same with R and P - brilliant look for a night out but I couldnt cope with all day - went up a size against their advice but in style they recommended in their shop which was much better than anything else I have except genie bra but still struggle wearing for the day
Will try Anita Rosa Faia

logfires - I wish I was more of a seamstress and materials technician as I reckon I could design my own perfect bra that gave a good shape and was comfortable too.

Yes really I can wear that Sloggi one all day no problem at all. I bought a very similar crop-top from Gap a few weeks ago, and had to take it off after 10 mins as the plastic bits on the shoulder straps were painful and dug in

On the Sloggi, the fabric's really light and smooth and the shoulder straps are thin with no nasty nobbly bits. It's more like a bandeau (with minimal straps) which for me is better than something suspended from the shoulders and pulling up against the bottom of your bust which I hate. (I also hate the hooks at the back of bras, they always put the scratchy labels there too.)

Spring - that Anita one looks quite good for smoothness - it's similar to this one Triumph Supersoft which is the only 'proper' bra I've found that I can tolerate wearing (but only for nights out).

I did used to wear the Triumph ones all day at work when I worked in an office, but they too got ripped off as soon as I walked through the door. (Then attractively dangled from the banister for the remainder of the evening )

People always say that you just have to get used to the tight straps around your ribs then they will become comfortable. I can kind of understand that, but have never found an actual bra (rather than a crop top) that I didn't constantly tug at, and want to rip off at the earliest opportunity. That's not right, surely?