Wtf is my bra size?!

[Hoorayhenryyah]

Hello lovely ladies, so I’m looking for a bit of advice from folk which may be more clued up than me when it comes to bras. I have to admit I have never been properly measured and have been wearing the same size for years (32A). It doesn’t fit me, the straps fall down and the cups really gape so I can’t wear anything too low cut.
I used the website boob or bust and that gave me my size as a 28DD! Now, I always imagined DD to be a big size and I am really flat chested so I thought that can’t be right? One of the websites suggested to buy from was bravissamo. They have a live chat thing so I was chatting to a girl who asked me all sorts of questions then suggested to try a size 28B. So I went on boux Avenue and bought that size but when I tried it on the band fit ok but the cups were squished too close together on the front and were not over my boobs!! If I go for a 28DD as originally suggested will this fit better? Am I just destined to never find a bra that fits as I’m obviously some weird size? There’s nowhere local to me that does bra fitting. Please help!

Is there a bravissimo near you?
Not sure why live chat told you to try 28B when your BOB size is 28DD
My advice (if you can't get to an actual shop) is to order a few different styles in 28D and 28DD. See how you get on.
There's a Boob or Bust Facebook group where you can ask for fitting advice if you want.

28dd is worth a try, 28dd is equal to 30d , 32c, 34b etc ( roughly !)

Maybe try a 28 d too? Bra sizing is an imprecise art and what works in one brand won't necessarily work in another, particularly as the cup size increases and shape impacts.

This week’s More or Less podcast was discussing the uselessness of the bra sizing system. One of the key things the professor of breast health they had on said was not to obsess over the size but try each individual bra on for how it fits.

The boux Avenue bra sounds three cup sizes too small. Why not try a 28DD if that’s your recommended size? Some shops have fitting rooms open now. It might be worth a visit to one. Bravissimo is good because it sticks lots of brands. Some work better than others depending on the shape of your breasts. Fantastie and Freya suit me. I buy a 30F which sounds ridiculous but I have fairly normal looking boobs rather than the Dolly Parton type image that might conjure up.

Try the 28DD, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! This is part of the reason so many women are wearing the wrong size bra, because of the common misunderstanding that the cup sizes stay the same and only the band changes. A 28DD has a much smaller cup than a 40DD for example.

DD is not a large cup size, so yes, even if you are quite flat chested DD cup is probably correct. Unfortunately it also depends on the bra, so it is all a bit hit and miss, I usually order a few sizes in different styles (and frequently send them all back!)

Thank you so much for the quick responses! I think I will exchange the one i got for the DD and see how it goes. Honestly when I first saw DD suggested I nearly fell off my chair! It’s a nightmare, there aren’t many places that sell decent bras in my town, the places I looked started at band size 30 or 32

Yes, 28DD is quite a flat chest. Try it - I suspect that it will be a revelation to you!

32A would fit a teenage boy with no pecs whatsoever. I don't know why it even exists as a bra size - probably an M&S thing. One of the many, many incorrect M&S bra things.

You need to try them on tbh - but as someone who used to work in a lingerie shop here's some tips:

The back strap should fit directly across your back and not rise or dig in. If the strap rises you need a smaller back size, if uncomfortably tight or digging in, it needs to be bigger.
Bras straps tend to stretch in the wash so at first fitting put it on the first, outer clasp. Also the shoulder straps should not be too far adjusted from their fully tightened position, if at all.
The underwire or bottom of the cups should not go under the breast and should lie flat against your rib cage with a little material beneath which will help lift up the breasts.
The underwire should reach around under your armpit and material fully encase the breast tissue there too.
The material between the cups inbetween the breast should lie flat against your chest.
There should be no "spillage" over the cups.

Brand sizes can differ vastly so try them on whenever possible.
Sometimes two sizes can actually be the same so if you cant find the exact size in a brand,,try the other one- for example, a 34 D can sometimes be similar to a 36 C, and a 32 A, similar to a 30 B, a 36 F, similar to a 34 G. However as breast shapes obviously differ, it's always best to try them on to be certain.

@radiosummer that is so helpful thank you I think I will just have to try a few on and see. Who knew buying a bra would be so complicated!

@Haffiana that’s pretty harsh btw, I did actually fit a 32a at one point! And I would say I had more busy than a teenage boy

[quote Hoorayhenryyah]@Haffiana that’s pretty harsh btw, I did actually fit a 32a at one point! And I would say I had more busy than a teenage boy[/quote]
I very much doubt that 32A ever fit you properly.
Haffiana was pointing out the wrong sizing and not saying that your chest was like a teenage boy's.

@AnotherEmma her exact words were ‘a 32a would fit a teenage boy with no pecs whatsoever’…

Yes I can read thanks
It probably would!

This woman's bra size is 28DD or 30D (the sister size) so her breasts are probably very similar size to yours.
www.bratabase.com/breast-shapes/961b5d0L/

I couldn't even find 32A in there!

[quote Hoorayhenryyah]@AnotherEmma her exact words were ‘a 32a would fit a teenage boy with no pecs whatsoever’…[/quote]
Yes that is correct, yes it would.

A 32A would not have fitted you. You are a 28DD. That is a good two dress sizes smaller, for a start.

A 32 band is at minimum a dress size 12. An A cup means that when you are leaning right over so your back is horizontal, that your breasts project max 1 inch away from your body and that when you are standing up they do not project whatsoever. Like a teenage boy...

The fact that a 32A bra went round your chest and did up does not mean it fitted. SO many women are wearing the wrong size bra, and many of them are fitted incorrectly by M&S fitters.