Does anyone else now wince after reading the bra threads on here...

[showtunesgirl]

...when encountering people who go: Oh I'm a 34A when they really are most probably not?

I am finding it hard to convince people out of believing their M & S sizes and refer them to the bra gurus fitting guide. But it's so deeply ingrained into common thinking that anything over a D is massive and that they MUST be a 34/36 frame even when they are blatantly smaller than me and I measure as a 32!

Good grief I've just done the scooping thing and I definitely need a bigger bra!

Can someone help me work out my measurements please?

I measure 29cms under bust and 33.5 at fullest point bending over. Not sure whether to go for 30 or 28 C or D.

Also, I've seen a bikini I'd like to order and I can get it in an 8 or 10 B or C cup. Can't work put which I should be and don't really want to order all 4 and return 3 as the money would still be out of my account for a while.

Thanks!

MumbleBag Try a 28E, 28DD, 30DD, 30D. I think a C will be too small tbh.

That's a tricky one with the bikini. I always order proper bra sized bikinis to avoid that issue. I doubt whether any of those will be that true to bra size iykwim? What size top would you usually buy, 8 or 10?

Thanks Sorrel! Sorry if it's already been mentioned on other bra threads, but do you know the best places to order those sizes online as I usually wear a 32C as I struggle to find other sizes.

It depends what shop I go in as to whether I'm an 8 or 10. Usually more often an 8 I guess. Maybe I will just have to order them all and make sure I don't hang around with the returns otherwise it would be annoying if I ordered one size then needed another and it was out of stock.

I's probably order the 8C then.

Brastop, Figleaves, Bravissimo, My Curves & Me all do good on-line ordering.

There is another 15% off sale stuff at BraStop with the code WAVE.

Hi just skimmed this thread and I'd like a go! Where are the 'instructions', I'm 29" around ribcage, 36.5" when leaning forward. I've been wearing a 32dd. Thanks!

Ok bra gurus, can someone point me in the right direction? Just measured as 33-40 - what size would that make me? I am currently wearing a 34d which is clearly the wrong size. The straps fall down & I have that v attractive quad-boob effect at times and even worse if I scoop. I also have an unsightly roll of flab? just under my boobs / round rib cage which bulges under the band. I'm well fit, me .

Second question, where the hell do I look? No big department stores locally, no m&s, no bravissimo. One v expensive independent lingerie shop (which fitted me as a 34c, a few years back admittedly, but I was a lot slimmer then?!). Last thing, I have odd shaped boobs, not 'full' as such. Certain styles seem to gape round the top of the cup whilst fitting perfectly everywhere else.

So, is there any hope for me? I want to be able to wear fitted tops & dresses again without bulging out everywhere!

justonemorecardi try a 28FF/G and a 30F/FF to start

littlefriendsusan given how you describe your 34s I'd say you will be someone who needs to round down the back size. Try a 32F/FF to start with. You might be best ordering online - lots of places do free returns. You might find that moulded t shirt bras(like the Freya deco) won't work and will gape so you might be better with either non-moulded, or something like the Cleo Juna which is a balconette so doesn't have as much space to not fill at the top

Justonemorecardi Lots of good info/instructions/guidance here

Try a 28G, 28FF, 30FF, 30F. (I suspect the 28s might be a better fit in most brands).

LittleFriendSusan Try a 32FF, 32F, 34F, 34E (I suspect the 32s might be a better fit in most brands). If the straps are falling down on the 34s then it's probably because the back is too big. I'd start with trying some 32 bands but in much bigger cups. That'll get rid of the quadraboob thing!

On-line shopping is your friend. Try Brastop (15% off sale stock at the moment with code WAVE), Figleaves, Bravissimo and My Curves & Me for some great bargains. You need to experiment with different styles and brands but I would suggest trying a half cup or a balconette to avoid the gaping at the top of the cup (you can alter the lace on some styles if it wrinkles a little but the cup fits elsewhere). There is definitely hope!

Epic x post. Mornin' Stats

Help! I definitely need a bra intervention, if anyone is willing to advise me?

The last time I was measured, post-pregnancy, M&S put me in a 38C. Following the MN advice, I have measured myself 36 round the back and 43 round the fullest part. HOWEVER, I am, what can only be described as "a bit squishy", so if I pull the tape measure a bit tighter, I measure 34 around the back. Which is the correct measurement?

Also, since having DS, my lovely norks have lost all their fullness at the top, so my boobs sort of slope away now (harrumph). What sort of styles should I be trying in order to pull them up and away from my belly button? I have been wearing a basic t-shirt bra, but the cups just gape at the top.

Am sad. Miss my old boobs.

I just want to say a big thanks to the Mn experts.
On your advice I measured my elderly mum and told her she was not a 34 -36D but a 32 F or G. I ordered some Bravissimo bras for her online which she tried and said were too tight across back.
Anyhoo- she managed to get to Bravissimo herself, and came away with a - you've guessed it- 32F! They agreed that she was no way a 34 or 36 back.

Demon- I think you should try a 34- they say pull the tape tight. Also, try the bras on back to front so you can see if the band fits without using the cups.

Oh and maybe a balconette would suit to lift them higher and higher....

Classic x post indeed SF - the psychic bra elastic is alive and well I see!!

thedemonshedmaster try both, but you might find the 34 better. The advice above re t shirt bras probably applies to you too - they suck if you have lost fullness as they have no ability to adapt to your own shape so just gape instead.

missbopeep your mum is not the first person I have heard of doing just that. I think if you haven't ever worn a proper bra it's hard to believe that the correct tightness (note that's firm not uncomfortable to any misquoters!) is how it should be. A trip to Bravissimo with a pro explaining it in the flesh generally provides reassurance!

Oh thank you - off for a trying session. Just one more question - won't a tight band give me a flabby appearance above straps/armhole area?

Justonemorecardi It shouldn't do, as long as you have a big enough cup!

I remember a young woman on a different site I used to go on. she was obsessed with saving up to get those macrolane injections in her breasts, then she wanted a boob job. She kept starting threads about boobs. she had visited surgeons etc.
she then got properly measured and found out she wasnt an A cup, she was actually a 28C/D and she then cancelled everything and decided she was ok with them after all.
Amazing and very strange

Not if you scoop justonemorecardi - see my post from last night

missbopeep - thanks. If I am following the advice correctly, should I be trying a 34G?

SF / SC - thanks for the advice . Will have a little browse online later and see how I get on! I meant to say earlier, I do have one 32D bra which is a better fit cup-wise, but the band is too tight and leaves horrid red marks. But could that be because I need a bigger cup size?

This all makes so much sense now! I used to wear a 36c before DD as I'd been in a 34d but thought back was too tight. No wonder really as the cups were way too small! Am now (breastfeeding) in a 32gg/30h and there's no way my back is smaller than pre-pregnancy, if anything I'm fatter.

They may be somewhat unattractive nursing bras but so much better! Am almost excited about what I can get and what size I'll be when I stop, even if they will be deflated balloons.

Am desperate to get my mum fitted properly now. She's gone non-wired as her bras were uncomfortable at a 34c. There's just no way. She's a 30ff at least I reckon. May have to march her into bravissimo and not give her a choice!

LittleFriendSusan Very likely but it could also be a brand thing. Some M&S bras and Debenhams Gorgeous range can come up very small in the back.

My local M&S has started doing a small range of bras with back size 30 up to G cups and all the ones in between. I was over joyed as I don't get paid a lot and struggled to part with the money for Bravissimo, now I can buy bras for £12

I squeeze into a 30DD though (I'm really 30F) because M&S do a larger size for 30DD and I find it hard to resist the pretty ones. I do have some proper fitting bra's though. I think people imagine the likes of Jordan if you are over a D cup.

I used to think that if the back strap rose up my back it meant the size was too small so when I was 32 I went up to 34 and still the back rose I knew I wasn't 36 and then a pal told me that it meant I was wearing too large a back size so I dropped to 30 and voila! Perfect! I'm pretty sure I read it in a bra fitting guide which is quite worrying, it's no wonder so many women are wearing the wrong size bra's if the guides are lying to us.

I am totally new to this bra measurement technique - I just stumbled upon this post last night whilst being kept awake by my kids - and I feel as if I have been living in some kind of dark, sound-proofed well-hidden hole for years. What an eye opener. I got the tape measure out this morning, measured myself and it turns out the 34c I've been wearing for practically my entire life (apart for pregnancy) should actually be a 30E....!!! Well, I think it is anyway - I measure 29 underneath and 36.5 above. I am sure this has been said before - but it's a revelation.

Just need to find some time to go bra shopping now, which might be tricky with three young and very changing-room-averse kids.