I'd like to talk about my tits. And other people's tits. I'd like to start a Tit Thread.

[KingJoffreyLikesJaffaCakes]

I bra intervened myself with the help of a MN thread from aaaages ago I found on google.

I've changed size shape, not loads, but enough for my bra to be tight. Had cup spillage, digging in around the back, all a fucking disaster.

I was uncomfortable, my back ached and my boobs were deeply miserable.

Current bras were pretty threadbare anyway and the knickers weren't much better. It all needs replacing.

Bought a new bra. Lovely. Fits beautifully. Ordered more. Found a company called Curvy Kate and am already a fan.

I am once again at peace with the world. Bras and boobs are now my new hobby.

However, whilst browsing online for bra advice I came across loads of sites saying the bra measurey ladies in shops just say anything to get you to buy stuff and catalogue/website models are nearly ALL wearing the wrong sizes in pictures.

Is this true?

Is there a conspiracy?

I'm fascinated!

Mine don't look that big either and they are an E. A 30E, though, so the same size as a 34D, in actual volume.

Cup sizes are relative.

PestilentialCat

How much do you measure around the ribcage?

Lweji just measured - 34"

What's gone wrong when the bra you've had properly fitted at Bravissimo seems to be cut too high at the front of your underarm area and makes you red and sore?

Someone up thread muttered about bras for the gym. Being large of nork, I asked the kindly woman on the end of the phone at Less Bounce ( inspired name) about Enell bras, that had been 'bigged up' ( phnar phnar ) on here. I was too narrow a band and too large a cup apparently. Happy Shock Absorber Wearer instead. Tightly strapped, those norks aren't going anywhere, despite the exhortations of the Zumba instructor. ' No! I cannot shake them!'

Hmmm
Not that I'm an expert, mind where are they?

But have you tried a 34B, PestilentialCat? What do you measure around boobs? Bending forward?

Reportedly, if you weren't properly fitted at Bravissimo they replace the bra you bought, WhiteHair.

Lweji actually now I've measured properly naked with a tape measure 33"

Last night I was wearing a polo neck & used a piece of string & a six inch ruler

we had a friend staying so I couldn't get at my sewing bow which was in his room

*sewing box

36" round boobs, 37" leaning forwards

That's interesting because you could feel better in sizes around 34C - 32D. Regardless of what you think of your nipples.
I didn't wear a bra for years thinking I was similar.
I'd check

This is why I love mumsnet
(There are other reasons, not just tit talk).
I have a 29 inch back.. Tis a pain in the arse to find bras to try on and online is hour and miss.. Very bloody irritating, and I'm sure I can't be in such a small minority looking at the late teen/early 20 something's (although they are probably all wearing the wrong band size- as did I for 20 years). Not big enough for bravisimo cup size wise. Would love any recommendations

See links earlier on for smaller boobs and smaller backs.
If you can't find a good high street shop with back sizes at 30 or 28 (people often mention Debenhams and John Lewis), I'd order online all possible sizes for your measurements and return those that won't fit. Choose one with free returns.

How small is small? What's your size around the boobs when bending forward?

A friend thought I might be 32C

I really need to try one some lots of bras don't I? But that involves taking my clothes off & faffing about in a bloody changing room for hours or at home with online shopping which is almost as annoying

It's annoying, but once you find your best size it becomes easier.
Don't be afraid of trying on larger sizes and check if there is spillage with a snug t-shirt.
I have a couple of bras that look ok with loose clothes but with anything tighter I can see spillage. The larger sizes may look somewhat big but then with a snugger top they are just fine.
Also try different cup shapes.

Going bra shopping this evening hopefully. Just measured myself- 32 under bust and 40 around bust leaning forward. Does that mean I should try 32G? Anything relatively cheap in that size? I've been losing weight and hopefully will be finished breastfeeding in next few months so expect to get smaller.

My new bras arrived today. 8 of them. All lined up like a little army.

Have just chucked out about 14 old, sad, stretched, wrong sized bras. All in the bin. The fuckers.

Then I went online and bought some net laundry bags so I can keep my new ones tip top.

Hurrah!!

I hand wash mine with a special soap. They were reasonably expensive.

BTW, a few sites

www.figleaves.com/uk/

www.brastop.com/ (currently doing free delivery), from D sizes
www.belle-lingerie.co.uk/ free delivery, on sale

I bit the bullet & tried on hundreds lots of bras today at M&S. I didn't let the fitting women measure me, but I did get their agreement that the bras I thought fitted well did fit well & that the ones I was less sure about were a less good fit. (I didn't tell them which were which!)

I now have several eight size 32D bras, all in a balcony style as that seemed to suit my figure best. All half price as well

32D - no wonder 34/36 A/B felt weird & horrible & drove me nuts. I can tell these are going to be much more comfortable

There's a lovely charity that collects bras for young girls and women in various countries in Africa. Just in case anyone is having a clear out.

www.smallsforall.org

Can I hijack! I've read the bra intervention website and measured: I'm 30.5 underneath and 35 at widest. That works out to a 30DD if I'm not mistaken? I'm currently in a 32C. Are my poor maths skills correct?

Yes, correct. :)
But check it by trying. Look first at how your bra should look when on and scooping.

28FF here and it's not always easy to find big cups and small back sizes.

I like Freya bras. They seem to fit the best and I've found the Debenhams' staff have always been really good at measuring.

I always thought my M&S bra hatred was because they measured me in the wrong size (which they did), decided to try on some really pretty ones in my actual size (and surrounding sizes) and NONE OF THEM FIT. They are weirdly narrow in the cup and the cups are very close together, so I get gaping in the middle and quadraboob in the top and armpit area. Very attractive.

Back to the more expensive department-store-brand numbers for me, then. :(

(should you also have mysteriously wide-set boobs, Freya half cups, Triumph, and Fauve have all worked for me...)

M&S measure everyone into a size that they stock. Which generally means it's too big in the back and too small in the cup. And their bras are shoddily made.

Curvy Kate bras rock - I get mine from BraStop as I am fed up of Bravissimo after being a devotee for years. They are my current favourites - have huge boobs (32J).

No-one should be using a tape measure to work out their bra size. Boobs are a volume thing, not a distance thing. The difference between your underband and your boob measurement means precisely zilch.

It's easy to fit yourself though.

• When wearing a properly fitting bra, you should always fasten it on the loosest setting (so when it stretches as you wash and wear it, you can tighten it up) and be able to slide two fingers between the band and your back. No more, and certainly not enough to pull it and twang.
• A 32F holds the same volume of boob as a 34E as a 36DD as a 38D as a 40C -if you try a bra on and the band really feels too tight but the cup is spot on, go up a back size and down a cup size.
• The underwires should completely encase your boob at the sides and sit flush to your chest in between your boobs, completely separating them. If the wire isn't touching your chest bone between your boobs, the bra doesn't fit. - The back band should take the weight of your boobs, not the shoulder straps - if your straps are digging in and/or you have red marks on your shoulders, the chances are your back size is too big. Same if you have a bad back or neck.
• The rest is just making sure you have 2 boobs, not 4. Put the bra on, lean forward and run your hands all around the inside of the cup to make sure your boob is fully in. Stand up - if there's bulging, the cup is too small.

Most women don't like the feeling of a bra that fits like this though - it does indeed lead to back hamsters (LOVE that phrase)...

(I used to be a bra fitter, btw. We were trained to fit by eye and - consenting! - touch, never using a tape measure. Tape measures don't take into account where a women stores her boob fat - top/bottom/sides - and are terrible for any woman that has ever breastfed)

How do Curvy Kate bras fit in terms of boob shape/spacing? They look lovely.

They give a rounder boob shape than I would actually like. I like bras with side slings so they are more upfront. Good separation though. And I put up with the rounder shape because they are so pretty and so comfortable and supportive.

And some of them are even sexy, which the buyers at Bravissimo never grasped that women with J cups sometimes want to be. I don't want to be pretty girly floral ditsy retro prints. Sometimes - lots of times, actually - I want to be a sexy slut.

Curvy Kate don't go quite that far. There are engineering issues involved. But their range is good, from everyday to boudoir.