So I just measured by bra size and I'm shocked, is it right?

[SchrodingersFanny]

I measured under and I'm 34. Well I'm 33.5. That is taut, completely flat to skin.

When I do the lean over measurement (which made dh smirk) I measured 41inches.

Am I right thinking that makes me 34E?

I have teeny (saggy and deflated) bosoms!

Yep, sister brand to Panache. I don't think the wires are as high. They only have two hooks at the back and are definitely the young, fun range! I only have one panache so can't do any comparing at home but the worn really well for many women. The uplift is very good indeed b

I'm not as rounded but I have the same issue with no gap between my boobs. even plunges can be problematic on me as the top of the gore tends to be pushing in to me. The best bras I have found for this are the ewa michalak s and sm styles. I think the pl would work too. They are very narrow in the middle-I think they cross the ends of the wires over.

Sorry, I haven't read the whole thread but wanted to say thanks for making me go get bras that fit! I would say my boobs are very much average in size and wore a 36C. Measuring myself using the lean forward method gave 32DD using this as my starting point I found that 32F was the best ( yes I did walk around in shock after!).
As I said I look to have very average sized boobs and in fairness had no difficulty buying this size BUT the 'ranges' often only go up to a D cup which on a 32 band I now realise would be fairly small- if I was to put on a lot of weight I'd have no issue at all.
At 6ft tall with a size 9 foot i already have to pay a premium for my clothes and shoes and now I know my true bra size wiil have to for my bras too- mumsnet you've skinted me

Oops . Try Brastop, Figleaves, Amazon, Leia Outlet and My Curves and Me for on-line bargains. eBay can be good too if you are looking for a particular bra.

Meh. I just tried a 30g and while the band fitted nice and tight, the cups are too big, there's a swathe of empty cup fabric under each boob and bagging at the top. I'm disappointed because I so wanted this new way of measuring to work for me.

Ill try an F today, it'll mean another trip into town....this is going to take a while, I can't get the double pram in the fitting room so I have to buy and try at home!

Remember to scoop Uri

What style was it Uri? Remember to try FF too and as Stats says, scoop!

Blimey. Can someone help me please? I'm a bit scared as have a HUGE amount of lovely matching sets in a 34b. Which are too small as i have got a bit fat.

So, firm tape about underbust/ribs is......32 and the leaning forward one is 39.

I'm afraid you're going to have to do some bra donating to Oxfam

Try a 32F.

I bet if you scoop when wearing your 34B , you get major overspill?

Oh dear god. Well, only in some of the smaller ones really. I don't get the double boob effect on most of them. They do vary enormously in size (the bras......) even within the same make.

I will trot along a try a 32f. I just can't imagine it. DH will be thrilled!!

It makes more sense than the traditional method though - where you add 4 making me a 36. And then measure bust standing up.....i'm in the minus!!

I'm probably weird and unusual, but I found that I hadn't anything to scoop.

In effect you'll e try

In effect you'll be trying bras four cups sizes bigger than your current 34Bs. It may be that you measure bigger than you need to make super you try DD/E too. Get the band right first though (as per the guide).

Some people don't really have anything to scoop but its important to do it as it ensures that everything is in the right place.

Toysr it depends a lot on body shape, weight, breast shape - some women carry everything upfront and don't have much to scoop, some of us have boobs that prefer to live under our armpits!

I guess. I'm really not that thin, but the boobage is pretty self contained in the front.. Trying a bra that had the correct circumference made me feel like I was being cut with cheese wire (it was nearly impossible to do up, in fact). I have now started wearing those tank toppy sports bra type stretchy things from Sainsbos. So comfortable I forget I'm wearing them.

I also have that problem with the top of the gore. I am looking at the Ewa Michalak styles. How do they compare for fit with UK brands? Are they easy to order etc? I was confused as to style names, there seem to be lots of different ones with the same letter initial?

Please help me! I've ordered a bra I've had before and liked for everyday comfort in a new size and hate it.

I am sat here in a Fantasie Elodie 30HH and I feel like crying...

the shape is bloody awful, it makes my boobs wider than my body. The separation is enormous and when I look down with a jersey top on it looks like I have stuffed a wide square ended shelf up my top.

I have been following the thread with interest and have more than my fair share of armpit flubber so I re-measured myself,

29.5/30 underbust
42/43 around

depending on where I am in my cycle of chocolate intake . So a difference of 12 to 13 inches. I made that a 30 HH.

I have been wearing 32FF in this bra and I liked the uplift and rounder, forward shape it gave, though I got quadra boob if i took a deep breath, and definately after scoopage. I like side support to give me forward projection as I have wide root, shallow boobs. I am slightly fuller on top and my boobs start very high near my collar bone. I am always told I look a lot smaller than the size I need to wear.

I think it is probably a style issue as I found the band v.tight (it hurt my ribs at the front), but still able to pull away by 2 inches. The centre gore was flat, but a lot higher than I am used to and I filled the cups , but found they cut in to give quad boob when I breathed in hard. Is this because of the full cup style?

I wear Fantasie bras normally as they have a wider cup, I find Freya wires are too narrow.

I think I should be trying balconettes, but don't like my boobs to be wider than my body as I have slim hips (narrower than my shoulders) and it can make me look unbalanced and frumpy in loose fitting tops.

Have you got any suggestions of shapes/ styles to try?

Helly they basically have a few cuts - S,SM, CHP, PL and then the name after is the name of the colourway. What sort of size are you? I wear my normal UK size but find they run a bit smaller in the back so if you are on the top end of a band I'd size up. The ones I have are all quite an open construction at the top so they are good if you have top or all over fullness

I am wearing a 30FF, but according to here I should be in a 26. I fit a 28G but don't like band to be too tight, I was thinking of ordering either a 30FF or a 28G.

In that case you're fine - above a GG you get in to custom order territory which means you can't return but below that you can. Just be VERY careful to hold on to all the paperwork. I have a few 30s so if I have any of the ones you like I can measure the band to give you an idea. I have 3 SMs -the trefl(black), bezyk(nude/cream) and the Malinka (newish red one), the S Wisniowska and S Fresh (which fits like the nude version), a CHP and I also have a 28 back plunge in the drawer (never been able to get in to it!)

I sort of need a full cup. I fall out of anything else, over the top, so to speak. My boobs are undergoing strange transformations daily due to BFing but I thought I'd give a proper bra a try. I guess I'd normally be in a 34DD but I get armpit ache and blocked ducts and thought the new way might fit better.

After a fruitless trip to m&s (the only place I've got nearby) to return the 30G I'm diving back into my comfy greying bra-tops like ToysRLuv for a break.
I'll get back on it after the weekend.

Oh - the cup construction changes at some point for the S and SM. You can see the difference between the pictures of the two models - the larger girl has an extra vertical seam. Mine are HH and I'm in the same version as the slimmer girl with just one vertical seam on the cup

Just been into Debenhams and as I'm having a rather uneventful day was tempted to ask for the manager and hear why they don't stock any 28 bands at all. I found two 30C bras in the whole store that might have nearly fitted but they were a gross design.

Thanks to SorrelForbes' excellent advice on this matter it is now winding me up no end that British department stores don't know how to make bra sizes work for women less than a size 14 up top (which'll be what, a 34 band?) they could be sitting on a goldmine if only the designers got off their lazy arses and revolutionised the sizing system.