end of tether with bras....sizing, fit and style

[poppymoon]

and very embarrassed that i have got to 40 something years of age and have never ever worn a bra that felt comfortable. this is probably because i have never had a correctly fitting one.

most of the time i have 'worn' a 36A strapless (so i could whip the torturous thing off easily). it would appear, however, that i am actually supposed to be wearing a 34DD/E.

PLEASE DO NOT LAUGH - hahahahahahaha ahhhh go on then as it is stupidly funny.

i did some reading and measuring and reckoned that by my measurements, a 34D would 'do' (one side is a bit smaller than the other). the lady in bravissimo got me to try on a DD and i thought that was alright but she still wasn't happy with 'tissue and wires' so put me in a 34E (which looked baggy to me but i obviously know nothing).

then i bought a pretty balcony style bra from M & S. the 34DD fitted ok but really rubbed under my arms (at the front of my flabby pit, not near the wire). i eventually asked for help. the fitter fetched several matronly bras and juggled me into them. she also fetched the pretty one but in a plunge style rather than balcony. she said the 34dd wasn't big enough and gave me an E.

now i'm home, the E cup feels too big again for me and i still really want a balcony bra. i've been reading that some have wider wires than others and i've got myself in a mucking fuddle.

soooooo, could anyone please advise me on the way these contraptions are supposed to fit 'properly' and let me know if there really may be a 'wider wire, narrower straps' balcony bra out there?

It's Tango Balconette looking at my account

this one?

x posts. Have you tried anything else by panache?

No. Is Panache the style to go for. I'm aiming to go up to Oxford Circus next month. Need a sports bra too.

Panache is the brand who make the Tango. As far as I know there aren't any others which are identical, but Panache have a really good range. The Tango balconette is funny in that the cut of it is like a hybrid between a balconette and a full cup. I'd maybe try some other Panache like the Idina Balconette, Jasmine, Andorra etc. Do you know if your breasts are wide rooted or narrow (under your armpits or quite upfront?), top or bottom heavy? quite firm or relatively soft?

Deffo bottom heavy. You really ought to get paid for this

If your breasts aren't too wide, you might also want to try the Cleo Lily/Minnie (same bra in different fabrics) which are quite bottom heavy friendly. The Panache Envy might work, depends how wide they are.

If only I got paid for this, far more interesting than my day job!

ok, thank you :)

i've just tried on today's m & s delivery. definitely need a 34E in their bras - apart from the one i really really want where the 34dd fits my left side well but my right side looks all sad and pathetic. is quite stiff (foamy type fabric under the lace) so i won't be able to try the assymetry alteration on it but i think (hope) its stiff enough not to collapse. maybe a chicken fillet will hotch it up a bit to help the gaping.

i have to pop into town tomorrow to return these m & s sets and there's a small house of fraser there. i might call in to see if they sell freya half cups and try on for size to hopefully make my ordering a bit less traumatic.

My local house of fraser sells Freya so you might be in luck there. Actually...there's a stock checker facility on their website...

here's a few to check

lauren half cup
light pink patsy
black patsy
black lauren

you're a gem statisticallychallenged :) just loading up my bag with freya 34dd and 34e - do you know if they tend to run true to size or should i order more sizes too?

Freya are fairly true so I would probably start there - the "check stock availability" bit is on each product page. I have a HoF round the corner, comes in handy!

very handy!

it looks as thought the check stock thingy is checking overall stock so i presume they get that to your chosen store for the next day?

Poppy I just tried on the Freya. It looks great! It feels comfy although my boobs are tender today so possibly not the best time to tell.
Statistically I thought perhaps this was your day job, your bra knowledge is awesome!!

On the individual product page you can click "check store stock" then put in your postcode and it will check stock at your nearest store.It's just underneath where you would click add to bag. Or you can order online and get it delivered to your local store, I think it's a 10pm cut off for that

found it! i seem to have halved my IQ in the last couple of weeks somehow by trying to find a comfortable bra. i'm shockingly daft. it doesn't seem that our little store stocks much at all so i'll need to get them delivered there.

If anyone is close to desborough, then this factory shop is worth going to - if they really struggle fitting a bra, then they get one of the factory designers over to look. It is worth calling in advance as they can say what stock they have.

www.wacoal-europe.com/factory-shop.aspx

I think that's what used to be called the Eveden factory shop - the company who make Freya, Fantasie, Fauve and Elomi.

house of fraser order placed to collect tomorrow. i can try them on in store and narrow the selection down to bring home. if i don't end up with a comfortable and well fitting bra tomorrow, i'm ditching them all and wearing vests.

thank you bookish. partner travels to northampton occasionally so i may cadge a lift and visit this factory shop :)

You lot look like you've been having fun!

The Freya Eden half cup is not quite the same shape as the Patsy half cup, but there are enough similarities in most of the Freya half cups to make it worth trying them. If you can find it, the Eden is the same shape as their Marvel bra. There's no padding in the Marvel but it's quite smooth, it's the nearest I have to a T shirt bra these days.

Cheers married! I'm sized out of the Freya half cups so can only go on appearance. Mind, Freya aren't the most adventurous with their shapes are they!

i. am. losing. the. will.

i've realised now how much my usual style bras (plunge) make me look too much like a buttcrack and i don't like it. i've never paid much attention to boobs really as i presumed i had none.

What size are those usual plunges? are your boobs quite close together in the middle ie not much of a gap

i have 34d, 36c, 34dd and, i think, a 34e.

they're close together right at the top but seem to flare out quite quickly.

I'm ridiculously close set so well familiar with buttcrack boobs. Plunges are designed to create that look, but ones which are too small in the cup tend to do so excessively. You should find switching to something taller in the centre will help