Vanity sizing at Bravissimo

[mynameisnotmichaelcaine]

I was in London yesterday, and happened upon a Bravissimo shop. Haven't been in years as there isn't one locally. I knew they'd say my back size was too big, but suspected cup size would only go up one to compensate for smaller back. Went in in M&S 32DD, Bravissimo fit me with a couple of 30FFs. They fitted really well, all good. But the thing is, they are only ever so slightly bigger in the cups than the M&S bra I was wearing!

I can't help but thinking there's a bit of vanity sizing going on. My boobs are definitely nothing more than medium-sized. There's no way I'd be a 30FF or 32F in any other shop.

Cup sizes get bigger with band sizes. So a 30 A will be smaller cup than 36 A. Thus us not a bravissimo thing. It is pretty much universal. Go into any shop and compare a 28C with a 38 C

Yes, but I went down one band size and up 3 cup sizes!

You know I actually advanced searched the OP to find out how long she’d been here and I’m properly staggered to find that you’ve been on MN for five years without ever reading a Bra Intervention thread! Just goes to show that it’s a big site and people read different things on it.

The short answer is that according to MN orthodoxy M&S is wrong, and Bravissimo (and Rigby & Peller, John Lewis, Debenhams) are right. The band width of your bra should be the same as the measurement of your rib cage, not 4 inches larger as M&S has it, and cup sizes should be proportionately larger because as pp explained they are not absolute in size but sized relative to the band size.

But they only put me down one band size! I've worn Debenhams 30E bras, and they are much, much bigger than the bra I've just bought. What I am saying is a 30FF in Bravissimo is bigger than a 30FF would be in Debenhams.

I don't think it's just down to bravissimo. I'm a different size in every brand and sometimes different sizes within the same brand.

I've been measured in Rigby and Peller before, and they always measure me smaller in the cup than Bravissimo.

But Bravissimo sell different brands of bra. They can't all be vanity sized.

Darn it, I'm confusing myself now. Should read *smaller in the final line of my previous post.

Bravissimo sell loads of brands - so to have the best chance of getting you to buy something they have to adhere to the standard sizing of those bras. Vanity sizing would be illogical.

My size fluctuates and 30ff is quite big and I have a couple of Fantasie ones which are a bit big but I have fitted into them. I'm in a 30E or 30F at the moment

DD is a 14 an a 32DD apparently. But IRL not even a handful. Even she was abashed and said it must be vanity sizing.

Bravissimo are bang on for me. Exactly the same measurement as Debenhams and bra or bust have me.

The ones they gave me were all own brand.

Definitely not vanity sizing. Bravissimo own brand bras run fairly true to size and they sell a wide range of other brands too so there's bound to be some variation. Style makes a huge difference too. I wear 30F in a Cleo Marcie but a 30FF in a Panache Petra. Most plunge style and moulded tshirt bras don't work for me at all with gaping at the top which would suggest a too big a cup but actually it a just the shape that's wrong.

My size 18/20 SIL was told she's a 32 (with an impossibly big sounding cup measurement) in Bravissimo, and bought their bras accordingly. You couldn't stretch 32" of bra around a person of her size, so I do think they are using unrealistic sizing to flatter women into buying.

I'm a small 10 on the top, so don't dispute the 30, although I find a 32 more comfortable. It's the cup size that I find dubious.

Meh, who cares if it fits.

I went bra shopping last week, following the previous bra thread. Started in m and s, was totally mystified that some 32E's fitted perfectly, but for others the cup was too big. According to the assistant, the 32Es are smaller from the standard range than from the 'larger cup size' range.

Yes Zadoc, the M&S 32DDs from the plus size range fit me better than the standard ones. I think that's partly because the straps are more up to the job.

Bravissimo always try to get me into smaller sizes than I feel comfy in, back wise. I'm a big fan of the place and believe their way of fitting is good (I used to work there!) But they want me in a 28 sometimes... I'm not that small

Related: I've got a black panache tango plunge, 30E, and the band is wayyy too tight. I've got a 30E in Freya which is perfect, but the band looks about 1.5 inches bigger.

Never worn the panache, bought it, tried on... relegated while pregnant... Back to normal size and just nuh.

So...does anyone want second hand but as new bras?! What do I do with it...

Fwiw OP, I see what you mean and have wondered about vanity sizing there. I used to wear a 32 DD in a Freya deco but was in a 32F in the bravissimo Alana.

Exactly lambchops. I get the impression they've created a brand around this "aren't we great, showing you how tiny your back is, and how ENORMOUS your breasts are!" which is a bit disingenuous.

Most of the DD+ bras they sell (all, when they started) are mainstream brands you can buy anywhere like Panache and Fantasie. Bravissimos USP I think is having a really good selection in accessible high street shops as opposed to online only like say figleaves.

Combination of years of bad measuring and stupid page 3-style comments "busty Susan with her ginormous D-cups" makes it seem like any size above that is freaky. What does the number matter if the bra fits?

I do usually go up a band size and down a cup size from my Bravissimo fitting when I shop elsewhere because it's an easier size to find. But pretty accurate sizing for non-Bravissimo brands.

vanity sizing?

Oh I see, the small backs...