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Original poster

Properly measured bra too tight

26 replies

BumblePan · 31/01/2020 20:59

So I finally took the plunge and got a few new bras. I measured myself using the boob or bust method. My new bras fit perfectly on the cup and they look great, but they feel too tight on the band. I can put my hand under the band, but it just doesn't feel comfortable and I am aware of it all the time. I couldn't wait to get my bra off when I came home from work. I am thinking of getting a couple of bra extenders for comfort. Has anyone experienced this?

OP posts:
DaphneDear · 31/01/2020 22:22

Yes this happened to me after a trip to Bravissimo. Spent an arm and a leg on 2 bras that gave me bruises where they dug in Angry.

I never went back!

rookiemere · 31/01/2020 22:25

Exactly same for me at Bravissimo. Some bras loosened after a bit, but I ended up throwing away a £37.99 beauty as it was just too tight to be comfortable.

TableNiner · 31/01/2020 22:27

I think it can take a little while to get used to a tighter band and obviously they give eventually. However if the cup is not an absolutely perfect fit it can make the whole bra feel uncomfortable

Original poster
BumblePan · 31/01/2020 22:28

Thanks Daphne, it helps to know that I am not alone. Its always mentioned on fashion shows that clothes look much better with a proper bra. But I am miserable with a proper bra :-)....an exaggeration I know.... but I thought it would a transformation.

OP posts:
JamMakingWannaBe · 31/01/2020 22:31

I was exactly like this with a new bra but after a couple years and washes it's now my favourite.

Freemind · 31/01/2020 22:32

Yes, I had this after being properly fitted to protect my shoulders from further damage as a result of a large bust and years of wrongly sized bras meaning the straps had taken the load! I got used to the tightness eventually, but yes, I did have to remove the bras in the evenings at the beginning. Mo more shoulder problems and a better shape these days.

JamMakingWannaBe · 31/01/2020 22:33
  • of wears obv not years! That would have been grim.
LauraPalmersBodybag · 31/01/2020 22:35

I recently had 2 bravissimo bras fitted. They were much tighter than my other bras and have taken some getting used to, but the fit so so much better. Hang in there.

Also to the pp who had to get rid of her brav- the woman who fitted me was lovely and very clear that I should bring the bra back for a bigger size if it felt uncomfortable as per their customer service/returns policy. Doesn’t help retrospectively, but if it were to happen in the future.

Batshittery · 31/01/2020 22:43

Another here who couldn't wear any of 3 bras I was fitted for in Bravissimo. They were like instruments of torture.

Branleuse · 31/01/2020 22:47

Didnt they feel too tight in the shop?
You can tell if a bra is too tight for you in the shop surely.
I mean, im.supposed to be a 30 back but in some styles thats too tight or poky.

Rayna37 · 31/01/2020 22:48

I know MNetters seem to swear by the Boob or bust method but it's no use a tape measure telling me I'm a 28" if nothing in a shop smaller than a 32" will do up. It's a nonsense as far as I'm concerned.

GuyFawkesDay · 31/01/2020 22:49

Give it time. You'll get used to a proper bra, and they give a bit too.

Now anything loose feels weird!

Bluntness100 · 31/01/2020 22:54

It's so clear why so many people on mumsnet can't wait to take their bras off at night. They should not cause discomfort. It's ludicrous to tell people to take the pain.

If they cause serious discomfort they are the wrong size. End of.

Branleuse · 31/01/2020 23:05

I think the boob or bust method is pretty accurate, but since not all bras are sized the same, and different people have different preferences and sensitivities, you cant always go by your exact size. You might be a 6 in shoes, but that doesnt mean every 6 will fit right. Thats why we try them on to see if theyre comfy. You dont have to buy one that doesnt feel.comfy, even if they tell you it looks to fit..

RyvitaBrevis · 31/01/2020 23:07

@Rayna37 At some shops, e.g. M&S, the band sizes are the real measurement in inches plus a standard measurement, usually 4 inches. So if you are a 28 in reality, it's a 32 in M&S. Annoyingly! Also M&S don't follow the cup size rule either, so the cup on a 36B is the same size as the cup on a 34C (when really they should be different).

Original poster
BumblePan · 31/01/2020 23:12

@Branleuse yes, it did feel tight in the shop, but I could get my hand under the band, so I thought it wasn't overly tight.

@Bluntness100 I agree. I always did wonder why people couldn't wait to take off their bras at night.

I will give it more time as the cups look and feel fantastic but I was surprised that I needed to wear in the band.....like new shoes:-)

OP posts:
Reginabambina · 31/01/2020 23:17

Sometimes it’s the shape of the bra. I have an amazing bra but the wiring just goes to high and digs into my bones.

Floribundance · 31/01/2020 23:22

Is the wiring digging in near your armpits? Is the band digging in between your breasts if the bras have one of those bits that sit flush to the chest between the cups? If that’s the issue then you need to look at different styles/fits.

MiniMum97 · 31/01/2020 23:29

I have had the same at bravissimo. Took two back to get larger band size. Still unwearable. Got extender in the end. Still seemed supportive so didn't need to be in agony!

Verite1 · 31/01/2020 23:55

I am actually a 28, but wear 30 as 28 is just too uncomfortable. I think going up one size is fine. In fact bravissimo suggested it.

JaneJeffer · 01/02/2020 00:01

I agree Rayna. I tried the measuring thing and it was torture.

Apileofballyhoo · 01/02/2020 00:11

You need to try leaning gutters forward - horizontal to the floor - so all your breast tissue is in the cup and not being squashed by the band. Alternatively, scoop your breasts into the cup - lift them up and out of the way of the band and in from the sides/ underarm area. If you've been wearing the wrong band and cup size they've been squashed down and spread out to the sides for years.

Apileofballyhoo · 01/02/2020 00:13

No gutters. It's got nothing to do with gutters. I've no idea where that came from!

Nacreous · 01/02/2020 00:15

I think that people can tell me my bras don't "fit" as often as they like but when the ones that fit send me insane with discomfort I really don't care. I don't like seams in socks so anything other than the softest bra is an instrument of torture.

JaneJeffer · 01/02/2020 01:08

ballyhoo I thought gutters was a word for boobs that I had never heard before Grin