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?

I missed your post last night pointless, sorry! really glad to hear you have found some comfort though :)
I have to be careful how high they come up in the middle statistic as they can dig in like bugger and leave bruises.

Mammoth day of bra shopping today. may well end up with some thermal vests instead and in years to come, just tuck these difficult boobs into my waistband.

Good luck Poppy. Let us know how you get on.

totally knackered BUT....

i have a balcony bra :D

none of the ones i collected at house of fraser were fitting properly. a couple of the freya ones were ok but the band felt loose. the assistant tried me in a different size, a 32F rather than 34E and i think (i hope!) its a keeper.

i was hoping to come home with bags bulging with pretty goodies but at least for now, i have one well fitting white bra and a well fitting black bra.

thank you statisticallychallenged :D

Which bra did you get? Freya bands can be super stretchy!

its the lauren half cup. i thought the 34DD was ok but the fitter said the E was a better fit (i conceded as thats now 3 fitters in 3 different places who have recommended an E rather than a DD). i said the back felt a bit loose so she fetched a 32F for me.

i'll try it on again later as no way do i have enough to fill an F cup. it doesn't give any buttcrack though :D in fact, it makes me look a bit flat.

i really want to restock my undies drawer (big cupboard i'm ashamed to say) but its so much faffing to find one bra that fits, never mind a different brand or style. (and the lady in HoF said that even different coloured bras of the same brand and style can fit differently!! by this time my brain was about to explode so i just took the black lauren).

Pleased to hear you have had some success. DD slept almost all night so I felt a bit too full of milk to try out the Freya today. Maybe tomorrow!

sorry to hear you're feeling uncomfortable pointless, but pleased that little one slept well :)

Remember that the cup volume on a 32F is the same as a 34E.

Thanks, Poppy. Swings and roundabouts I guess!!

hmmmmmm......it doesn't seem to 'do' anything. its comfy apart from how high under my arms it is but i still look flat and shapeless so its almost as if i'm not wearing a bra.

sorry to keep harping on but i really need advice with this stuff.

I personally don't like the shape that the Freya half cups give me (even though technical they're a good match for my wide shape). I prefer something more up and out and for that I think the Cleo by Panache range are hard to beat.

if you don't mind me asking, are you wide and shallow Sorrel? i think the pretty black spotty one probably looked better but i thought i wanted plain black.....

You basically have two options, you can wear bras which match your shape like the Lauren, which will probably be very comfortable but won't male them look hugely fuller, or go for something narrower and deeper, scoop lots...it may not be as comfortable but will give you more oomph. You might also like the Freya marvel which has side support

Sorrel is wide but in denial

i wish i could find the happy medium......a bit of oomph but not buttcrack boobage (easily pleased? me? never :D).

ideally i would like a lightly padded bra with side support so it wangs them a bit more forward but also adds some shape.

I think the Marvel is worth trying. Other brands which are good for wide bit shallow shapes are Curvy Kate (look at the Tease me or the Ritzy), Tutti Rouge (runs small in the band), Bravissimo half cups and Satine (plunge so more cleavage, but not buttcrack). The Cleo Maddie and Cleo Juna are wider than most Cleos but might well suit.

If you want to try something narrower and more protected then you could try the Cleo Lily/Minnie. You will have to scoop quite a bit when you put them on I suspect but they're worth trying even if it's not for every day use.

Oi! I am wider than I thought (according to another MN Bra Guru!) but I am wide and deep which is more of an unusual combination and a nightmare to fit, apparently

I own some Satines and they give me a great shape but aren't the most comfortable. I prefer Meg, Lily, Minnie, Bella, Marcie etc. from the Cleo range, and whilst I like the Cleo Juna it's a bit too shallow for me. The Curvy Kate and Bravissimo half cup styles that Stats has mentioned up threads would be too shallow for me so would probably work well for you.

i've lost heart and put a strappy vest top on. and my left boob is aching, probably after all of the hoiking about the poor thing has had.

i'd better wait for all of today's refunds to go back to my account before i order any more.

Hey, chin up. you've gone from an A cup to an F cup, now you're just fine tuning1

Poppy I wouldn't dream of challenging Statistically C however, your earliest posts seem to me that your 34 is too big, and the reason you are falling out the side is because the wire is moving... the band is too big.

Going tighter on your band is a real change, and difficult to go 36 to 32 because you really will FEEL it. But I think you probably need to go smaller on band and bigger on cup. The cup once the right size will hold you in place because it has been anchored to your body and there's no room to fall out. But if the band is too big, it can't do this.

I am a dress size 10-12 on top and wear a 30FF. My netball team mate is a dress size 14 on top and wears a 32G. The rest of the team are all SMALLER FRAMES than me and wearing 34 and upwards. True, myself and friend 32 back have got 'bigger boobs' than the rest, and therefore we need the scaffolding the tight band provides. But the rest of the team should be wearing 28 and 30 C/D/E and not M&S 34B/36B

Getting that band tighter is the key to success (and hence getting a bigger cup as the 34E is now a 32F or a 30FF)

bwahahahaha!! how funny is that?? thanks stats, that cheered me up. never realised before that a lot of the pretty bras stop at a d cup. outrageous. at this rate i'll be turning my crafty paws to sewing.

I am pretty sure I found this link from Statistically on here... but it needs sharing !! Although the brands don't cross over so well to the UK, you will learn about bra cuts/shapes/styles. I can now tell if a bra will fit just by looking at it

www.herroom.com/know-your-breasts/Questions.aspx

I can't breathe if the band is too tight and I feel as though I'm in a straight jacket.
I'm wide and shallow and 36a seems to fit, but I can get away with not wearing a bra in the winter by wearing several layers of clothing and a big scarf. The freedom is wonderful.

LL, I think it was possibly a bit of both - the bras OP bought today are a 32. But some people do have much wider breasts than others.

Out of interest, how do you know so much about bras?! I'm in awe!