Another former "A-cup" has been converted!

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I finally clicked on one of the bra threads and was shocked to hear that there's only ever been one true A-cup on here.

I have always thought of myself as a 36A. But, I tried the measuring thing and got 35" X 38".

Could I really be a 34C??

Well, I tried one on at Asda, and it fit much better than I would have ever imagined. It was a little tighter than I'd like, but the cups were perfect. A 36C wasn't as smooth a fit. I didn't have time to try on other styles. But, when I get the chance, I am going to find a bra that is suitable in a 36C.

Checking in on the pschic bra elastic for the morning shift!

Send them back MrsRichards, honestly I would. As long as they're not damaged or washed, send them back with a complaint letter about wrong fitting advice. They sold you something that's 3-4 cup sizes too small!

Lurcherlover - can you find some string and a ruler or flat tape measure? If you can pull the band inches away then I think you're right that your current sizing is off.

I hate wearing bras because the strap across my ribs always feels horribly tight. I buy them every now and then because there are times when I know I should wear one, but very very rarely (like maybe once or twice a year) actually put them on, and when I do cannot wait to get it off again.

According to this scheme I am 31:37. In my current bra drawer I have a 32B (which is much too small both back and cup) a 34A which is sort of OKish although does seem to create a bit of bulging under my arms and a 36A which seemed to fit the best (but is strapless so perhaps has different dynamics).

I have been measured a few times and every time the fitter tells me I should wear a tighter strap than I am wiling to tolerate, so I'm very interested to see if this approach might work better, as sometimes swaying breasts, even little ones like mine are not always good business wear!

The reason they feel unbearably tight is because you're wearing something that's nearly 6 fucking cup sizes too small!!!! You have been very badly served and advised and it makes me rage that shops we trust such as M&S and so on, are treating us so damn badly.

Ahem. I'll calm down a bit now.

Start off with a 30E, & F and 32DD and E though I think the 30F will be your best bet. Put it on back to front. You should be able to fasten it and pull it away just an inch or so. If that's fine, put it on the right way and scoop like a woman possessed, three or four times each side. The cups should be smoothly filled, the gore sitting flat and the straps nicely on your shoulders. If the cups are bulging, even only very slightly, try another cup size up.

Praying do you want the nursing bra itself to look pretty or are you rather looking for good support and shape? If it's the latter, I really recommend this bra:
www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=245
Feels like wearing a normal bra, excellent support.

Sparkle I literally laughed at that! Yes, when the band is to big but the back much too small the result can actually be damn painful and tight because it's just allll wrong! I suspect Nooka that when the fitter has put you in a tighter back the cup has been much too small so still felt awful. A

As Sparkle says, at 31/37 you will be somewhere around 30E/F or 32DD/E. Don't bother with M&S bras, by all accounts their sizing has gone completely off the boil this season. If you have a Bravissimo, go. You are well in their range so they will have bras to fit you and a huge range of them

Please can someone help me... I'm 31 around the back and 41 around the boobage... Bra shopping this afternoon.

Thanks (and sorry to dive in! I've been reading these threads for ages and have only just found my tape measure!)

Start by trying 30GG, 30H, 32GG, 32G

Thanks!

Can someone help. I came on here last night with the measurements of 32 and 38 and was told a 32E. I am wearing a 34B.

I tried on some 32 E in M+S this morning and they so did not fit! Tight around the band and really wide cups that were gaping at the top and digging in under my arms. I'm confused???

It suggests a starting size of a 42K however at bigger size the cup measurement does become less accurate/precise and it's also quite common to need to size down in the back by 1-2 cup sizes to get adequate support IME.

Assuming you don't have ready access to a Bravissimo, I would suggest trying make a 40 and 42 in a J-KK to start with, maybe a 38KK/L as well to try and get a handle on the sizing.

Rascal - M&S sizing is shit just now, don't know what they have done but we have had numerous people reporting that this seasons bras are all to pot

Try somewhere else with a range of brands too as they seem to have about 2 cutting patterns. If you are suffering with gaping at the top I would suggest a balconette style, maybe something like the Cleo Juna

have you tried scooping in your current bras? i suspect that will reveal some serious extra cuppage

Should have said, I'm not even remotely surprised that you are too small for a 42, it's very common. I;d say a majority of the ladies we help who are over a 40 back, and a significant minority of those who are more than about a 36-38, need a smaller back than they measure. There is an article here which explains it.

If you can try scooping in your current bras (and tell me what size/bra it is) then we can try and narrow it down a bit more

I have been shopping armed with the sizes SC suggested I try. House of Fraser had 5 bras in the sizes and I came away with a 32H.

Then went to La Senza and they only go to an E.

Tried M&S as I wasn't asking to be fitted. Lots and lots of bras. NONE in any of the sizes I was trying.

Tried Ann Summers, asked what sizes they do 32-36 up to an E. Told her I was a 32H. She said "Are you sure?" .

Thank you very much SC!

I'm also of the "half of my tit hiding under my arm" variety - even trained fitters have been caught out by my braless boobs and thought I was a lot smaller than I actually am. I have to scoop lots - although it is getting better with good bras.

Now, M&S don't do a FF, so you're actually wearing a G cup in most other brands right now. I'm guessing from what you are saying you probably need to go up at least 4-5 cup sizes - which would take you to a JJ. So I'm thinking probably order a 38JJ,K and KK in a few styles. There is one bra which comes in an L cup (the Bravissimo Alana) however IME it runs small in the cup anyway, and it's also not suitable for breasts which are quite full on top. If you look at the pictures you can see that it closes back in quite a lot at the top of the cup which means it creates quad on full on top boobs. I wore one the other day and every time I went to the loo at work I was paranoid about looking simulatneously saggy and quaddy.

So...bras. If you are quite full on top you need something which is either quite open at the top (like a balconette type) or really quite full but also sort of stretchy (so it comes over the top and doesn't create a bulge)

I'm hoping marriednotdead might appear as she is our ultimate bra styles guru but in the meantime here are a few options. If possible (maybe get the credit card out!) I would order a few different styles, but in each style also order a few sizes so you can get a proper comparison.

panache jasmine goes up to a K but runs quite big in cups.
boudoir beau the fabric is very stretchy (or was last time I tried!)
tango balconette
melody balconette

There are quite a few in Bravissimo so it is well worth an order.

We had another poster who wasn't far off your measurements. She ended up finding that she did need an L cup, but the Alana wasn't working. In her case, we went for a KK in the back size above (so same volume as the L she needed) and she got the back taken in slightly. It's an option to bear in mind just in case you find that because you need the 38 back, you start running out of cup sizes!

MissStrawberry, Ann summers still do the old measuring crap too so I am not surprised you got that response! I get it all the time too (30HH so pretty similar to you) - people just don't believe I'm that size. I think the perception is that a HH would be bigger than my head or something

Glad you found something - what did you end up buying?

Ok I need t buy a tape measure as have searched the house and cannot find one.
In the meantime, I have recently gone from a 36D to a 34 F which is definately and improvement, but I am finding the straps digging into my shoulders after a few hours - anyone know what this means? Is it still too small a cup size? Red welts on the shoulder is not a good look.

Red welts from the shoulder straps means they are taking too much of the strain. It more often than not means the band is still too big - generally paired with too small a cup

What dress size are you?

Ooh ok. I am a 16 at least

I bought Fantasie, size 32h, Belle in white.

Currently wearing Tu from Sainsbury's in a 34F. Felt okay when I bought it though it could have just been the best of a bad lot. I once tried on 12 in one day and none were right. I have it fastened on the tightest so agree I need a 32.

Can't remember what I fastened the new one on but it fitted perfectly. The other ones were either definitely no or not sure so didn't buy.

Quite possibly too big in the back - which I know will surprise you. But I'm a 14-16 and a 30 back!

Pop your existing bra on back to front and see how far you can pull the band from your body

Thanks statistically. There is a decent 3-4 inches of give when I do that, so looks like a no brainer really