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Original poster

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

248 replies

poppymoon · 20/01/2015 13:53

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?

OP posts:
Original poster
poppymoon · 23/01/2015 12:52

ooohhh liking the back of the esme bra raisingsteam. i'm wondering if the way the straps are at the back may kind of raise my saggy, flabby bits and give them a more natural, rounded look.......

i seem to have developed a bit of an obsession now with well fitting bras statistics - and i blame you entirely Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
poppymoon · 23/01/2015 12:55

can i just ask, if fantasie make freya, does that also mean that fantasie band sizes tend to come up a little big so i may need to size down with an esme?

OP posts:
StatisticallyChallenged · 23/01/2015 13:04

Fantasie also tend to the looser side, but it's not an exact science. Probably worth ordering both to try out

I think I might be responsible for a few bra fanatics Blush

Original poster
poppymoon · 23/01/2015 13:23

thought i'd check as i never thought i'd need to bother ordering a 32 band at all before yesterday.

OP posts:
RaisingSteam · 23/01/2015 14:54

The Esme is quite a "flat" bra, I've lost the thread of the thread a bit but was it about someone wanting a shallow/wide cup? It's nice for when you don't want too much "boost". (I'm a 32G though so may feel different in the smaller cups)

Pointlessfan · 23/01/2015 15:02

I tried on a bra in Bravissimo last week that had normal straps but with a clip so you could join them at the back to make it like a racing back - you might like that one too, poppy. I'm afraid I can't remember what it was called though!

Original poster
poppymoon · 23/01/2015 16:24

you're all so very helpful, thank you Flowers

i'm fed up of trying stuff on now so i'm thinking i may actually try to shorten the band in my old faithful for a while. really couldn't stand how much it was riding up earlier.

now statistically, how much do you know about swimwear Wink

OP posts:
StatisticallyChallenged · 23/01/2015 16:39

ONce you get your bra sorted, you'll find (now that you're hanging out in D+ world) that the same manufacturers make bra sized swimwear. Grin

Freya, Curvy kate, Fantasie, Panache, Cleo, Bravissimo...all of em!

Original poster
poppymoon · 23/01/2015 19:14

i'll need to sell a kidney at this rate!!

OP posts:
marriednotdead · 23/01/2015 22:25

The Esme has been discontinued by Fantasie, it was really flat (almost like a minimiser) but is shaped on the same principle as the Rebecca. Both came up tighter than the half cups and the Esme was smaller than the Rebecca just to confuse you further!
From my recollection, if you're a 32F in the Lauren half cup, I'd suggest trying the Rebecca in a 34DD or 32E, and the Esme in a cup larger.
They've also brought out another leotard back called Echo Lace, I think I've seen it in John Lewis but not looked recently.
The racer back one that Pointlessfan is referring to is one from the Deco range. It may gape at the front if the cup is too deep but there's a non wired plain version which sits more flush and gives buttcrack cleavage.

mousmous · 23/01/2015 22:36

triumph have naice non-wired bras, maybe you could try those?

Pointlessfan · 24/01/2015 15:12

Bravissimo returned both bras no problem! Didn't have time to try on any more so going to reread all the advice on here and look online.

Whippet81 · 24/01/2015 20:49

I have come to the conclusion of wearing what feels and looks right rather than what I'm 'told' to wear.

I have been measured and have tried the newer methods and I just can't cope with the band size I have to have one bigger but I find that it doesn't ride up and sits flat between my boobs. I'm sure if I put my measurements on I would be told I was wearing the wrong size but it feels and looks right.

StatisticallyChallenged · 24/01/2015 21:14

whippet, the measurements are only ever a starting point - we're always saying that. The whole idea of it is to give a starting point and to explain what a good bra feels like so that people can work out what right is for them.

Original poster
poppymoon · 24/01/2015 22:27

Just a quick update..... Freya moulded plunge. where has it been all my life?! went for the 32f so it feels a bit snug at the moment and armpits feel a bit rubby but overall fit is awesome for me, gives good shape and no buttcrack even though its a plunge.

Glad they were good about your returns pointless.

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Pointlessfan · 24/01/2015 22:29

poppy - hooray! So pleased you have found one you like.

StatisticallyChallenged · 24/01/2015 22:32

Yey! If it's the Deco (presuming so) then it has been made in dozens of colours. The Ashley, Taylor, Deco Honey, Deco Charm, basically any moulded Freya that goes up to a GG, are the same bra. It's definitely a good one to have in your armoury! I didn't suggest it as on most people, it's a serious buttcrack bra

Original poster
poppymoon · 24/01/2015 23:00

It is a tiny bit cleavagy but not as much or as cavernous as the other plunges I have - maybe because the cups are big enough.... I've been happy with others for a day or so before though and then changed my mind. (paranoid about buttcrack again now!).

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StatisticallyChallenged · 24/01/2015 23:19

You will notice a big difference being in the right size - some people actually deliberately wear a too small cup to get better cleavage as when the cups are too small it really squishes them together! Don't be paranoid, I was only jesting I promise! I was just not thinking about plunge styles really but it is a great bra.

If it proves to be a keeper, then there are a few on sale

turquoise £17
purple
cobalt

LadyB49 · 25/01/2015 02:56

My most comfy bra was the esme. Brilliant strap design. I was wearing the wrong size and think it didn't go up to a big enough cup. So I had lots of underarm flesh.....with comfort.
This was provided by a bra fitter in a private store known for being good fitters. ....As being my size. 38g or gg.

My bravissimo fitter sorted me with 36h. It felt a bit roo tight in the band but already today the back is trying to ride up.

Original poster
poppymoon · 25/01/2015 11:26

I was looking for device to attach to a band that feels a bit big and I found something called a 'rixie clip ' but it seems to only ship from the states. does anyone know of anything like this in the UK?

OP posts:
StatisticallyChallenged · 25/01/2015 11:45

I think you can get them on Ebay. It's also quite easy to take a band in - detaching the clips and reattaching a little further along is the easiest way, you can also take a small tuck in the side of the band.

Pointlessfan · 25/01/2015 19:58

Sorry, more bra questions...
Last week I bought the Freya Eden which was comfy but the cups gaped (32DD). I have returned it and I'm about to order it again in a D cup to see if that's better.
I am also thinking of ordering the Patsy and the Deco as I tried them both on at my Bravissimo fitting. The fitter wrote down 3 sizes for me - 32D, DD and E but she didn't write down which size went with which bra.
Based on the Eden DD cups being a bit baggy, can anybody suggest which cup sizes to go for in the other two please?

StatisticallyChallenged · 25/01/2015 20:13

I'm not sure TBH. I think the Eden is looser in the band and maybe slightly bigger in the cup than the Patsy, so the Eden could be the D and the Patsy the DD. I tend to find the Deco quite big though, so I wouldn't have thought you would need a bigger cup in that one.

Hm, actually, was this what she wrote at the original fitting when you were fitted in Eden DD? In which case it might have been Deco D, Eden DD, Patsy E that she originally thought?

Pointlessfan · 25/01/2015 20:21

Thank you. In that case I think I'll order Deco and Eden in D and Patsy in DD and see how that goes...