Bra intervention (yet again)

[MrsCosmopilite]

I'm not sure I'm doing this right - can anyone advise?

First off - I have lost my tape measure. I used string and then measured that. This may have made a difference?

I wear a 36B. At the moment I'm seeing underarm 'side boob'. The band on the (underwired) bra I'm wearing today feels tight, although it's on the loosest catch.

I measured below my bust, holding the string taut. It came in at 34 1/2 in
I measured the fullest part of my bust, bending at 90 degrees. That came in at 36 1/2.

I think this means I should therefore be in a 36B? However, all my 36B's give me the sideboob... help!

I reckon you should be around a 34 B/C.

I'm no expert mind you, they'll be along soon I expect.

I'm guessing using string might have skewed the measure. If you are filling your 36b and getting side boon then you need at least an extra cup size. Try a 34d to start with

I'm going to have to hunt down a tape measure. DH has gone to IKEA today, hopefully he'll bring one back with him!

I will note all feedback here and try shopping accordingly next week. With luck I'll have a more accurate measurement by then.

Don't know if it makes any difference but current cup size is quite 'gappy' above my boobs (where they slope down to the fullest part).

Is it OK to hijack your thread please MrsCosmopilite with a bra intervention Q of my own? Hope you don't mind.
I've read all these threads with amazement, but I know (having been with my Mum to Bravissimo for fitting a few years back) that these sort of size differences are true. I'm a completely different size now though and no decent bra shops nearby so I'm DIYing.
Measurements were 31.5" under and 40" bending over, making a 32FF starting point I think, though I've lost a little weight over the last 10days or so (since I bought the bras) and now I'm about 31" under which probably means 30G. I'm 50 now so breasts are pretty droopy with all the fullness at the bottom. Pretty wide set I think. Plus I'm really really short, so cups come up higher on me than most people I think and I need the straps shorter. I loved it when balcony bras were in fashion as it gave me lots of lift from underneath without high cups that I don't fill the tops of properly, but they seem to be hard to find these days (especially simple plain ones).
In Debenhams I bought some 32F and 32FF bras in several styles but the cups come so far up under my arm (even the balcony type one - though it isn't a balcony in the way I used to have them) that they make me sore. Also I can start with everything 'scooped' but it all seems to escape in no time leaving me with a half empty cup! Is it just the style I'm getting wrong please or am I missing something size-wise etc with these two problems (cutting in under arms and escapism)? Would the 30" band make the difference with escapees? Many thanks for any help and apologies again for posting on your thread MrsCosmopilite.

Help yourself, Bubb

The more info/input the better. :)

I think what you might be looking for bubb is more likely to be sold (now) as a half cup or balconette rather than balcony.

Do you think your breast roots are fairly wide i.e. do they go round under your armpits?

Thanks MrsCosmopilite and Statistically Challenged :)

Yes I think my breast roots are fairly wide - they are at least as far out as the join of my arm to my chest, probably a little further.

I think you're right about the style too, thanks. Also I don't like looking busty as I'm so short it just makes me look fat. So I like bras that angle me in from the sides a bit ideally and up from the bottom with their shaping/stitching/padding. I'm not a fan of the very round look; I veer more towards the old fashioned pointed look but without the whole cross-my-heart. I like bras where when you hold the cup in profile the bottom part looks more like part of a triangle than a circle IYSWIM. Clear as mud I suspect!

I mean looking at the join of my arm to my chest from the front. Boy this stuff is hard to describe!
Bubbs

I get what you mean! You like a slightly retro shape I think, but not to extremes...and a bra which pushes you in at the side and makes your boobs point forwards rather than wide and round?

The Bravissimo Alana is one which I have found gives me a bit of a pointy shape but not to extremes, as is the Dotty Spot. The Freya Marvel is lower than many, and also has a sort of side sling to push you forward. I think the Eden is the same shape.

Others which probably won't give you the pointy shape but which might suit comfort wise would be the Curvy Kate Tease Me/Ritzy/Fleurty, the Bravissimo branded half cups (like the mademoiselle), possibly the Cleo Juna and Maddie, Freya half cups (and Fauve, a luxury sister brand which is being discontinued so a few bargains around!)

In most cases, I think you are looking for bras that basically don't have that upper section to the cup - they have vertical seams on the cup, rather than maybe one vertical and a horizontal joining an extra piece of fabric. The Alana does have the extra bit, but I find it quite friendly to bottom heavy boobs

Thank you so much SC :D I shall investigate the styles you suggest. Hopefully one/some of them will eliminate the soreness under my arm. 'Up there' and 'out in front' is indeed what I'm looking for :)

I've gone back and re-read some of the other bra intervention threads again and the way my breast tissue is escaping after scooping sounds as if I should try a 30" band size I think. Hard to believe as I've been much slimmer than this and worn 32 and 34!!! I'll give 30G a try next I think.

Can I ask one more Q about checking the band size please. When you first put the bra on back to front, how do you put it in the right place on your body i.e. right under your breasts? Because of the cup sizes most of us are looking at after 'intervention' the back bands are quite deep e.g. 2-2.5" and this means that part is sitting over my breasts when on back to front. If I pull the band down so it's clear of my breasts then the whole band definitely becomes too big as my body narrows significantly quickly (I'm very short with a relatively small waist) - just the width of the tap measure means a difference of nearly an inch around my ribs. Probably over complicating things here! ;)

It can be tricky! The alternative is to just try a 30 properly,but try a bigger cup than you think you need. I don't normally suggest this simply because you get people not trusting the measurements and still trying too small a cup but it sounds like you know roughly where you are at. But you could try e.g. a 30GG/H as that way the cups shouldn't cause problems, and then work down from there

What you're describing style-wise is definitely what I need by the sound of it.

Years ago I had a lovely balcony bra in navy. It made my modest norks look amazing. Sadly it got frayed and the underwire escaped.

Thanks again SC - I'll get some funny looks taking a 30H into the changing room in most places ;) but I get what you mean. Have just discovered there's actually a Bravissimo near me that I didn't know about, so I'll probably try there and John Lewis before I try ordering piles online and have to send them all back. I found the Debenhams' ones feel very hard. Will report back once I'm sorted as I'm sure it's satisfying to hear that you've got one more woman in the country in the right size bra :D

Do you go for the same sizing in sports bras? I don't do anything which involves significant bounce - weights, cycling, skiing - so I've always gone for a bigger size with nicely shaped foam cups to avoid the squashed look, but now I guess I should re-evaluate those too.

Having hijacked your thread Mrs Cosmo, I'm glad you've got some useful info from it too. Did you get a tape measure sorted yet? Trying, without success at the moment, to get my Mum and daughter to measure. Tried to convince my daughter that she should try Bravissimo in London as she works nearby, but she feels she'd be laughed out of the store!

Was horrified whilst bra browsing yesterday though to read on Bravissimo's website when people were complaining about underwires coming through, that bras are only expected to last 6 to 9 months depending on how often they are worn and how carefully they are washed. Given the price of some of these bras that means some of them cost about £10 a month of wear (especially if like me you keep minimum stock and chuck them in the washing machine)!

Really can't thank you enough for your help SC and best of luck with your search too Mrs Cosmo - will let you know if I find other styles that fit the look we're after.

I wear the panache sport which is under wired in my normal size. However a lot of sports bras run small. I don't know anyone who doesn't have to go up a band size in shock absorber for example.

You could try getting dd in to John lewis. ..they're not as good as bravissimo but normally pretty good and they don't have the intimidating d plus label.

Re wires popping through, I've not lost one in years. I think a lot of the time when this happens quickly or regularly it's a sign of imperfect fit. ..either cups slightly too small or wrong shape meaning the wires aren't sitting totally flat and are under too much strain

Ahh, that makes sense about the wires. Off to look at panache sport too, thanks.
Will mention JL, but still hoping to get DD into Bravissimo. DD should understand as her tiny (and I mean tiny, tiny frame) cousin got fitted there (though I suspect her cousin should have a 26" band) and it made her bust look fabulous from barely there. Having had very little bust while growing up, DD can't believe (despite having gained a lot of weight) that she could be a 'plus' size, but we'll get there

Just wanted to mention Figleaves bra size calculator as a possible check for peeps on bra sizes. I just tried it and much to my surprise it gave me 30FF to 30GG as suggested sizes (there were a couple of Qs where I tried slightly different answers). As we've settled on trying a 30G, that's a pretty good starting point.

Found a paper tape measure. Going to have a go at resizing tomorrow. Not likely to be able to do any shopping for at least another week though. Very much on a budget so I need to make sure I buy wisely.

Only just managed to shop again for bras and didn't make it into Bravissimo yet, but I did buy a 30G that is a pretty good fit. It's a balcony, but a bit too high still and therefore catching me slightly under the arms, but it was in the sale and is a vast improvement on what I'm currently wearing and will last me until I get into Bravissimo next week. I've gained weight recently and my old bras were 32E/34DD so you can imagine the improvement!!! A huge thank you again SC and fingers crossed you've been successful too MrsCosmo.