Bra fitter Hants/Berks/Surrey borders aka disappointing bra shop with Bravissimo and John Lewis

[Bubbshjs]

Can anyone recommend independent bra shops/fitters in my area please? I live on the Hampshire/Berkshire border and not too far from Surrey. Nearest towns are Basingstoke, Reading, Newbury, Farnborough with places like Winchester, Southampton, Camberley etc a bit further. Happy to travel though. I'm going to order a pile online, but I'd still quite like a second opinion/proper fitting really as today wasn't great ....
Finally made it to Bravissimo in Reading today after my recent bra intervention and was a bit disappointed to be honest. I could see clear overspill (through her top) on the well endowed sales assistant so I had a sense that it wasn't going to be as good as I'd hoped from the start. The young fitter didn't really seem to know how to deal with my 'oranges in socks' look or the major discrepancy in size between left and right. I think I could have been palmed off with an 'ok-ish' fit if I hadn't had a mind of my own as I was told on several occasions that the slight overspill was just the shape of my breast/due to how soft the tissue was at that point (though she clearly wasn't really happy with the fit). I was definitely presented with all Bravissimo own brand bras initially, despite saying that I liked a little padding to raise things up and that I thought a half-cup/balconette would be best - of which there weren't many by Bravissimo. Also I was asked to 'arrange' myself in the bra before the straps were tightened at all and I felt as if everything was escaping again by the time the straps were in the right place. The fitter seemed a little bemused with the amount of scooping going on! The final conclusion was a Freya Patsy in 28G, which they didn't have in store so have had to order.
Second stop was John Lewis where a lovely fitter told me that sadly they no longer stock (in the Reading branch at least) anything below a 30 band and FF was the largest cup in a 30. I tried on a Freya Lauren in 30FF and two JL bras in 30F but all were too small in the cup.
This new bra search could take a while

I haven't been there for a couple of years but I have had a very good fitting previously at Boudoir Blush in Winchester.
I just checked and I can see that they stock some 28's at least.
IME very few stock 28s and some barely any 30s either which I find a bit . Rightly or wrongly I always think that any shop that does not stock these band sizes cannot be very good.
R&P I am looking at you here too as you seem to have virtually nothing in a smaller back size and bigger cup.

If you find one, let me know - my favourite closed down recently.

Rugby and Peller in Guildford if that's not too far

That's definitely not a standard bravissimo fitting at all-I'm wondering if you got someone new or quite inexperienced possibly. It might be worth contacting customer services.

Can't help with local shops, but the patsy might well be worth ordering as I think from your description it could work well

I've had a couple of great fittings a true Reading branch of Bravissimo so IIWY I'd go back and ask for a senior fitter. Bravissimo do quite a lot of padded half cups styles.

I use bravissimo in reading and camp hopson in Newbury, there's less choice at camp hopson on styles but their fitting is really good

I'd second the suggestion of rigby and peller, for me its worth the long drag up to Kñightsbridge or now, into the Westfield shopping centre. I'd never go without an appointment and would try to find a time which would not be too busy. I avoid shopping if I possibly can, but this is one thing that can't really be done online.

I certainly go for a fitting every couple of years, or anytime my weight significantly changes. I usually buy the one I choose on the spot, but have sometimes followed up buying same model in different colours online. Their online service is lovely, though I have sometimes found the same model on line for less, other times the cost via their online service is competitive. I think its usually so for new models and colours, less so for older ones.

Hope you get a chance to have that experience. HTH, xx

Thanks for the suggestions and feedback - I'll check those out. Maybe I'm being unrealistic in what I want to achieve, but the one I'm wearing is very close so I don't think so! The fitter may have been inexperienced but she was dedicated and trying hard. She said all the right things about fitting and I tried loads of bras, the vast majority of which she ruled out immediately. As I said, she clearly wasn't happy with the near misses but was getting desperate I guess. I was definitely in Bravissimo I promise Sorrel! In their own brand I was only offered Rocco as a half cup I think and I need a little padding at the bottom to push the oranges back up nearer to where they should be. The patsy was definitely closest so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the 28G order. The shape of many of the bras was just too natural for me - I don't like my natural shape now at all and am looking to disguise that, so maybe that was the problem. And I was also looking for simpler, everyday bras really rather than a riot of colour/lace/pattern (though we progressed to those as desperation set in!).
If anyone would like to PM me the name of a fitter at Bravissimo Reading to try then please do.

I have the oranges in socks problem too and I ended up with a pasty from bravissimo in Reading too. My fitter was also quite young with perky boobs not ravaged by age or 7 years of breastfeeding and didn't understand that I wanted something to disguise my saggy shape these days.

I'm still suffering with gaping at the top, but I've ordered a curvy Kate padded balcony in John Lewis sale so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. I'm still not good at scooping and adjusting straps though..

I really like the Freya Patsy (the padded half cup one) and I am the same size as you with not very full breasts. It's natural shape but with a bit of lift.
I also get on with the Bravissimo Satine and the Cleo Maddie if that helps at all.

I think Bravissimo are going downhill both in terms of fitting and the bras they stock. I've been a loyal customer of theirs for over five years and rated them very highly but my last couple of fittings haven't been great.
As for the bras themselves - they've reduced substantially the number of Freya bras they stock and half their stock seems now to be Bravissimo own brand.
It feels as though their agenda has changed from making a profit by selling good quality bras and high standard fitting service to making a bigger profit by not training staff so well and by pushing their own brand bras where there's a higher profit margin to be made.

It's such a shame as I really enjoyed the few years where I knew that if I spent time and money shopping at Bravissimo that I'd come away with comfortable, well fitting bras that gave me a good shape.

Argh! It's so frustrating.

I can second the place in Winchester recommended up thread. They did a bra intervention on me about five years ago when the assistant found me looking for 34Bs. (I'm a 32E it turns out). Great range and v helpful assistants.

IME you will find that Rigby and Peller have very few bras of that size and that they will be pricey. Of course it's always worth trying but I wouldn't bother going to RP Guildford again for that reason. A friend that is a similar size had the same experience and found much more choice in Guildford Bravissimo. I think Guildford Bravissimo is ok to be honest and they do have larger cupped 28s.

anniesjustjane.co.uk Salisbury, they are brilliant and a lovely city to visit for a day trip

You are a very similar size to DSD2 and they are the only place we find that can offer her a selection

Bradbeers in Romsey

Have you spoken to the manager of Reading Bravissimo with your concerns? Possibly they could help by making an appointment with their most experienced fitter or even getting a fitter from another branch to come. However, I do agree with a previous poster that since their major expansion they have lost some of their specialism & expertise somehow.

I would also recommend bras4all who do have mobile fitters but I don't think in your area. TJ from the maternity side amazingly managed to fit me satisfactorily in pregnancy & bf-ing bras via email & phone when I lived abroad.

If you are close to Farnborough I got fitted by a brilliant lady in Debenhams there, after going to several other more expensive stores and feeling disappointed. She gave me some balconette own brands which are great, really comfortable and make my -ravaged by breastfeeding and the sands of time - boobs look quite acceptable.
Good luck

Ooh, still more options to investigate :) Thank you!

Sad to hear other people feel that Bravissimo may have slipped. I'd have preferred to be the only one to get a less than stellar experience as we need more good bra shops not less!

I know you are currently looking for shops but have a look also at the Bosom Galore website, which looks promising I think for the future. Looks like the company will cater well for your / my size. Obviously I haven't tried one yet!

Will check it out thanks IYHAYKI.
@superherosidekick do you wear the same size in all 3 bras please?

Bosom Galore looks interesting, and for those with a 26" band especially, but they will need to offer more than two styles to survive I feel. It isn't clear whether there will be more styles or just more sizes in future. The descriptions of breast etc is good and probably would help when people are trying to describe themselves for a bra intervention.

It looked like they will add more offer time to me. I had some thing sent to me re funding so they are trying to get funds to extend I think.

Have you seen Made In Preston also? I'm not sure of the experts' view on MIP but I know a teenager that has bought from there and the bras looked pretty good to me.

Yes I wear same size in all but probably need a smaller cup in the Maddie. Freya Patsy is large in back and average in cup, Satine is about right in both. Cleo is small in back big in cup when comparing the three.