How do you wear your bras?

[BedHeadTigi]

Do you like to wear them super tight so you know they are there and leave bra marks when you take them off, or have them at a looser more comfortable setting? Im asking this because i have realised all of my old bras are pretty super tight on me, but my new ones are so comfortable and no way as tight but i wonder if they will still support my bust the same?

[ToothGah]

40A and 36C are a bit different (I think!) but will try on both when I next go shopping and report back :)

[brighthair]

shattered - have you tried debenhams gorgeous range? I find the wires in those much lower under the arms than any other bra

[maxybrown]

Agree with all good advice, before child I was wearing old biddy 4 fastening horrible no wired bras as when I tried underwired I felt like a million pins had been pushed in me.

Finally got myself to a bravissimo, never looked back. I think before I was wearing 38/40 D and I ended up in 32FF!! After having DS I stayed in underwired bras even though breast fed but got checked reguarly as I was a 36HH at one point. Now I seriously need to lose weight but am comfortably in a 34G - I am a good sized 16 up top.

Also used to have the most appalling red marks on my shoulders and so so painful, now I do not have a mark on my shoulder at all - you can see where my bra was round my rib cage but not at all painful but I am a bit of a fatty atm!

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

tooth I was being a bit tongue in cheek with the 40A. But I think an A cup on a 40 is the same as a C cup on a 36 so kind of in agreement about cup size...

[MissBoPeep]

Tooth yes, def. try a 36 inch back- that's what you measure. Add a cup size foe every inch difference- 3 inches = a C cup.

A tighter band will feel tight to start with but you do get used to it.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Shattered have you tried Playtex? They have a new bra that is sooooo comfy, I am sure the wires are 'wider'.

[ladymariner]

Totally agree with maxybrown about Bravissimo, they're amazing. I hated my huge bust before them, now I can wear really pretty, lacy, NORMAL stuff and it's so supportive, just fabulous.

I think that the make of the bra often has a lot to do with the fit and comfort. I'm a Panache girl, but can't wear Freya at all, even though it is the same size. The best thing to do is get measured properly, the try lots of different styles to see which you get on best with.

As an aside, avoid M&S for fitting, they measured me as a 38 C.......I'm actually a 36H. Not much difference.......

[EllieorOllie]

So I'm 27 under bust and 33 across.

What do I try first? A 28E or summat? Do they even exist?! I used to wear 32C or D depending on style but have noticed that I'm spilling over the top a bit now having (thankfully) gained about 1/2 a stone.

Ta!

[musttidyupmusttidyup]

28E is a good place to start.

[ComeAlongPond]

I'm pretty sure all my bras are too small - I'm wearing a 30B and all my bras give me red lines where the band is and where the edges of the cups are, and dig into my boobs. I don't have a tape measure handy but when I was last measured I was 28 around the band and so I'm not sure how a 30 can be digging into me so much now... Tried on a couple yesterday (in a 30B) which felt fine but had bulges of back fat above the band so didn't buy (no time for a fitting, so will go back this week). I don't have any back fat, I don't know where it came from! I'm a size 6 And I have tiny boobs.

Tempted to go to Bravissimo for a fitting now as they're meant to be so good but I'm pretty sure everything they have will be much too big, will it still be okay to ask them to measure me? My boobs are pretty much nonexistant...

[OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere]

I don't understand my size at all
JL says I am 30E but I am not big busted at all.
I am oddly shaped and I can't see to get bras that fit nicely without bulgy bits.
I am not in shape but I am a size 10 so not overweight.
I need support (dc5 was pushing my luck boob-wise) so I can't buy my old asda bras. The straps are like cheese wires.

I am definately NOT big busted. So how can I be such a it cup size?

I will only wear matching underwear so have been forced into wearing only black and flesh tone underwear for over two years (sad face)

[SorrelForbes]

ComeAlongPond - it sounds to me that if you are still measuring about 28 around and wearing a 30 you may need a bigger cup. That would probably solve the bulging/back fat/uncomfortableness issues for you. What is the measurement (loose) around the fullest part of your bust?

Remember that the cup size changes in relation the band size so a C/D/DD etc isn't necessarily big at all. My skinny 13 yr old size 6 DN wears a size 28D. My size 8/10 best friend wears a 26FF.

The volume of the cup in a 28DD is the same as the volume of a cup in a 30D, a 32C, a 34B.

[SorrelForbes]

OhDoAdmit - honestly, a 30E isn't big. That's only a 6 inch difference between the over and under bust measurements.

Do you measure 30 underneath and 36 across? If so, then that's probably the correct size for you but you may need to try different styles and makes.

However, if you have bulges then you may need to go up a cup (or more!).

My measurements are 30 and 38 which puts me in a 30FF but I wear a 30G in most brands. I'm a size 10/12 and don't really look big busted .

Try your 30E on back to front (don't put the shoulder straps on!). If it feels ok (not too tight that you can't breathe but not too loose that you can fit more than two fingers under the band) then you have the right band size. Keep going up the cups until ALL your boobs are enclosed in the cup. This is where different styles come in. I can't wear plunge styles as I always spill over but balconnettes work very well with my shape.

[SorrelForbes]

EllieorOllie - a lot of the good bra manufacturers (e.g. Freya, Panaches, Debenhams Gorgeous) do a 28E. Have a look online on Bra Stop.

[Meglet]

hanuted R&P do make small bra's. They measured me about 10yrs ago, and the bra I bought was the only one I've ever worn until it was almost worn out. I really recommend them. Because I don't live in London the nice saleswoman wrote down a list of bra brands / styles that would suit my small chest and I might find in other stores.

M&S and JL were awful when I went for fittings. I need to make a special trip to London for bra's I think. I'm currently surviving in some old Primark soft bras in 32B but I don't think they're quite right.

[JuliaScurr]

having read this thread, it's obvious the answer to 'how do you wear your bras?' is not 'on my tits and under my clothes'

badaboom tish

[villagelife92]

I'm really .
I was fitted by mothercare 6 months ago when i had dd, and was given 40E but the strap is almost around my neck and my boobs are around my ankles, and are spilling out the top.
My current measurements are 35 and 43, what should i be wearing and where's a good place to be measured?

[HazleNutt]

village, 34 or 36 and around G cup

[SorrelForbes]

Village Unfortunately Mothercare is right up there with M&S in the 'How Badly Can We Fit A Bra' awards.

I agree with HazleNutt, a 34/36 G (or maybe FF in the bigger band).

I find Debenhams fairly good or JL. If you can get to London or Guildford then it's definitely worth visiting Rigby and Peller.

[villagelife92]

Thanks HazleNutt and Sorrel, I'll probably go down into my local debenhams sometime this week and get measured.

[OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere]

Don't get b
Me started on mothercare
Went there when pg with dc5. I was about 12 weeks. My boobs get enormous when I am pg, very quickly.
The women looked me up and sown, said 'oh are you pregnant?" then 'well I can tell you won't be more thana c cup'

Ffs I was a c before I was prg. I turned out to be a g cup when I was measured properly at JL.
My mate swears by r&p.
I honk I will just give in and go there.

[OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere]

Think, not honk.

[MissBoPeep]

FWIW all my bras leave red marks on my back. I think this is normal.
I measure 29, as I keep saying, and buy a 32 so don't think I need a bigger band.

I do tend to wear push-up bras with gel padding half way up the cup- these are smaller IMO than unpadded bra cups.

I don't have big boobs but can fill a padded 32D.

[SorrelForbes]

MissBoPeep I get marks from my bras, but they are comfortable (tight but comfy) so I'm happy they are the right size (and R&P said so too!).

If you measure a 29 then I think a 30 back would be better for you than a 32. The back shoudl take all the strain, so to speak, so if you are wearing a back that's too big (which I think a 32 is on you if you measure 29) then your boobs will be dragging down and could be causing the red marks. What do you measure across the fullest part?